Stade Mayol, Toulon
This photograph was taken at the Stade Mayol in Toulon, France. I was commissioned to make a body of work about the city of Toulon after being awarded the Grand Prix in Photography at the 2017 Festival of Fashion and Photography in nearby Hyeres. The black and red seats are the colours of the rugby team that plays in the stadium.
Toulon seemed like a very ordinary and boring city when I first arrived but I quickly realised there were very interesting aspects to the city such as the massive navy harbor which is the biggest in the Mediterranean, the very right wing political sensibilities of the area, the colonial history of adventurers setting off from the port, and the North African immigrant community in Toulon today.
I had no idea what to expect of Toulon before I went there. I only knew about their rugby team! But I was very keen to create a story that reflected the reality of the city and its people. I set out to create a story of Toulon, today. The name of the exhibition for example is Tales of Toulon.
Toulon is available in The Library Project, Temple Bar, €20
