Brighton and hove: a city for all

My new project in Brighton: 'People by the sea' As part of my project, I ask local people why they repeatedly visit the sea. As you can imagine, some people get drawn to the sea to swim; for others, it is a time for reflection, space to meditate, and to absorb personal trauma. With this post you are getting a sample of images of women by the sea. I hope that the project will reveal why they repeatedly come to the sea through my lens. I use a medium format camera to make the individual look more real.  

Brighton West Pier A ruin by the coast of Sussex in Brighton was once a  pleasure pier; now, a skeleton of history left as a decaying monument.   You will notice the landmark monument when leaving Brighton Station and heading to the Sussex coastal line. It becomes an object of wonder once you are by the sea.   History in summary It was designed by Eugenius Birch, a renowned nineteenth-century seaside architect, civil engineer and expert in designing seaside piers and created in the 1860s to attract tourists to Brighton after the arrival of the railway to the city in the 1840s. The number of visitors peaked just before the First World War when it attracted nearly 2 million per year. After the Second World War, its popularity declined. Once, a place of concerts was  replaced by funfairs and tea rooms. Its future was looking bleak.  A local company later took over the ownership of it, but the firm filed for bankruptcy due to the sheer cost of maintaining it.   Since then, it has fal

Hidden away on Preston Road, Brighton, you will find a small 'bar'. At a tiny Japanese bar, you will experience one of the most authentic Japanese ramen noodles and other side dishes. As you can see from the video, Goemon Ramen Bar is just small yet very popular. I saw a long queue. At first, I was trying to understand why the queue was so long. After 10 minutes of queuing, looking at the menu, and tasting my ordered ramen noodle and a starter, I realised why I was willing to lick my plate after I emptied it with my chopsticks. There were three of us around a petit square table. We ate a starter, a ramen noodle dish, and a bottle of beer each. Altogether the bill came to £64.00. Not bad price since Brighton's price is very similar to London's and other major metropolis. I definitely recommend it! 

Why visit the Booth Museum? If you come to Brighton for a long weekend break and you are not solely here to party, why not absorb yourself in the Booth Museum of National History? And it is free. If you want to see over 300 stuffed birds from all over Britain, you would find them in the setting of their natural habitat.  The Booth Museum was opened in 1874 by naturalist and collector Edward Thomas Booth. He was mainly interested in birds and his ambition was to collect examples of every species found in Britain.  You could also find displays of extinct species such as the dodo and thylacine.  To add to your senses, you can also find over 650 types of butterfly.  Who is Booth? Edward Thomas Booth was a naturalist and keen on all aspects of natural history.  He was born in 1840 to a wealthy family.  He spent his early life in education in Brighton and later at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was asked to leave Trinity College because he spent more time on the fens shooting and obs

When I first visited Brighton as a tourist from London, it dawned on me how striking Royal Pavilion looked. Although it was scaffolded at the time, I could still imagine its beauty. When I visited the Pavilion as recently as  Sept 2022, I saw the full view of the Pavilion with my naked eye, in broad daylight under the late summer sun, I realised the true beauty of the building like never before.   Right in front of the Pavilion was also  a small pond. I could see the shimmering reflection of the building as you can see from the YouTube video above. Without thinking too deep into its history, it reminded me of images my mother showed me when I was a young boy of the Taj Mahal.  Although,  I had the fortune of visiting Delhi in 2004 yet couldn’t travel to Agra to see it with my own eye. Don't ask me why not. To me, this place is nearest to the Taj Mahal in Britain. Historical Owner The history of the Pavilion is linked to the British Royal family. It was a royal residence. It was bui

  Brighton & Hove Pride Festival 2022 to be inspired globally! If you have not visited Brighton & Hove LGBT Pride Festival in 2022, you certainly missed a city in a party mood for a whole weekend. Regardless of so many family and worldly commitments, I made sure I did not miss   the festival since the end of so many national lockdowns and restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The pride helped me to connect with a community as a gay ethnic minority man residing on the coast of Sussex.    Due to my inner insecurity,  I always felt like a minority within a minority due to my linguistic, religious and ethnic upbringing; but as time went on, I accepted that I am part of a  local, national and international LGBT+ community.  It was essential that I was at Brighton & Hove Pride Festiva l to film and write about it as part of   my blog . Being part of the global LGBT community helps me to recognise that there are communities who are being persecuted, and in many places, these