I'm Not Voting Because...

‘More and more people are concluding the ballot box is no longer an instrument that will secure political solutions.’ Tony Benn I’m not voting because it compresses fragments of the past and present to raise a political debate. It reveals a slice of history during a period of class conflict and the rise of mass movements. During the last general election, over a third of the UK population refused to vote; some out of apathy, many as a protest. What brought this to light was BBC Newsnight, Russell Brand identified himself publicly as a non–voter. As the link hit social media, I witnessed there was a positive consensus about not voting in my community. It became evident a project about non-voters was unexplored territory. And how, through British politics, I could find a way to position my photography with my growing political awareness. On the surface, my project is about people who do not vote, rooted in their desire, as Brand proclaimed, for a Revolution. Structured as a criticism against political power. I embed motifs to represent Britain during this perilous period. The images relate personally because of the era I was born. The discreet non-voters movement made its splash during the Eighties. After Thatcher ushered in the Poll Tax bill, which was a backlash in shunning people who resist the system from voting against them.