TITLE: Tinker Tailor

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.

AUTHOR: Pieter de Vos (Canada)

Pieter de Vos is a documentary photographer, facilitator, and engaged academic. He has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Alberta. His research focuses on using narrative and visual methods to explore community understandings of home and belonging. He has recently started venturing into the world of human-centred design, which resonates with his commitment to honouring the stories people live by.

Over the past several years, Pieter has enriched his practice by using participatory photography, digital storytelling, and arts-based methods to expand the possibilities for collaboration and dialogue. He has facilitated workshops using these methods in South Africa, Kenya, Sweden, Tanzania, Pakistan, Haiti, and the USA. These community-based projects have animated the dialogue on poverty and homelessness, HIV/AIDS, childhood injury, and gender relations.