TOKYO-2017

Tinker Tailor

  • Photographer
    Pieter de Vos

Tinker Tailor is part of a long-term photographic and narrative project exploring home and belonging in Woodlane Village, an informal settlement located in the affluent suburb of Moreleta Park in Pretoria. The village is called "Plastic View" by the surrounding homeowners who describe the place as a hotbed of crime and pestilence. From 2011 to 2014, I undertook doctoral research exploring how residents created home and belonging through the stories they tell about their lives. I have returned yearly since then to document the shifting realities in the community. Over this period of time I befriended Donald Banda, a resident in the community. Tinker Tailor reveals intimate moments from Donald's life as he navigates the complex realities of South Africa. Donald Banda is the Chair of the Executive Committee of Woodlane Village as well as a tailor. Donald's time in the community is divided between repairing people's clothing and addressing the concerns of residents. He has mixed feelings about the camp, calling it a "home and a no man's land."