Jaiden

In the ongoing series White Hart Lane, British photographer Jack Smethers returned to Tottenham, the north London district where he spent his childhood years. His aim was to address the evolution of one of Britain’s most diverse communities following the 2011 Tottenham riots and the area’s gentrification after the redevelopment of the Tottenham Hotspur football stadium.

While researching the project he contacted local activist Hesketh Benoit, who promotes access to sport in a safe environment as an alternative to violence for the young people of Tottenham. Through Benoit, Smethers was introduced to basketball player Jaiden, a ‘sharp and talented young black man who is often overlooked in the media’s portrayal of inner city London youth’.

Jack Smethers undertook an FdA Photography and a BA (Hons) in Visual Arts Practice at the University of Brighton. His work explores the impact of extraordinary people among communities and subcultures who would otherwise go unnoticed. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Brighton Photo Fringe Festival and has been seen in group exhibitions in Torquay and Manchester. Smethers’s photographs have been published in the Tottenham Community Press and his commercial clients have included the Fawcett Society and the British and Irish Modern Music Institute.