This ongoing project aims to bring those that are hidden in the darkest corners of our world to the very front and centre. Abused and discarded, stray cats and dogs line the streets of almost every country in the world, yet their suffering often goes unchecked.
Using photographs and stories from across the world, I will showcase the rich lives of these strays in a bid to bring greater awareness to this global issue.
Albania
I will tell their stories through a diverse collection of images with one guiding theme: to capture the reality of being a stray animal in a human world.
Although stories will be gathered from across the globe, there will be a particular focus on the Balkan region. With high densities of strays and being located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the Balkans is the meeting point of very different attitudes when it comes to animal values.
Croatia
This is currently a completely self-funded and independent project, and as such its timeline is flexible and inexact.
To share my images and stories with the public and create a photographic database of the animals I meet, I have started an instagram page called @StraysInSquares. Through this platform, I also hope to interact with the animal rescue community and educate users on how to engage with rescue organisations near them. Click here to view it.
Taiwan
Once I have collected enough high quality stories, I hope to exhibit my images at a few select galleries. I will first trial this at Cush.BAR in Sofia, Bulgaria, a venue I am familiar with and that offers free exhibition space for contemporary artists.
I will also contact local magazines and newspapers in Eastern Europe, as well as my home country of the UK, in an attempt to reach a wider audience.
The Philippines
My overall goal is to raise awareness of the value of stray animals in areas where they are mostly forgotten and reach people who remain largely indifferent to their plight.
To this end, I want this project to meaningfully contribute to the work of rescue organisations and activists by raising money, directing people to adoption centres, and by supplying evidence and resources to support positive legislative action.
Morocco
I am always on the look out for new stories involving people who are engaged in stray animal rescue. This can include animal shelter organisations or personal rescue stories.
If you are interested in you, your animal, or your idea being photographed for this project, please contact me using the link at the bottom of this page.
Bosnia and Herzegovina