Everblessed
Jeremy Relph/Forward by Gladstone Taylor
Toronto: Better Publishing, 2021.
Softcover
200 Copies
SIGNED 17 x 20 cm. 66 pp
For a place like Jamaica with the most churches per square miles, religion is perhaps one of the more telling facets of the social ecosystem. Much the same can be said of music, for which Jamaica is notorious. In particular Dancehall as a genre is unique because it was named after a space that was created in “secular” culture, for the poorer classes to party and commune. The church and the Dancehall, though different mostly by perception, actually serve the same purpose. If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief for a moment you will see; they both create a place to be with others and revel in the spiritual nature of that activity. Dancehall is religious in its own rite, just as the church is a resistance to struggle. It’s the quintessential yin and yang of life in Jamaica. What more fascinating lens is there to look through? All photos were shot in the following areas of Kingston, Jamaica between August of 2014 and September of 2015: Mountainview, Vineyard Town, Jakes Road, Bygrave Avenue, Hampstead Park, Back Bush, Common, Chaves Avenue and Jarrett Lane. And a jaunt to Bull Bay. Accompanying zine to Nowness mini-doc Everblessed. Designed and edited by Modern Construct.