Jack Smethers, a Brighton-based photographer, has had his images selected for numerous awards and exhibitions, including the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize and Portrait of Humanity. His work creates narratives spanning portraiture and lifestyle. It is a personal exploration of themes such as belonging, identity, and the impact of exceptional people on communities.
White Hart Lane is his latest project. It is part of North London and also the name of Tottenham Hotspur’s iconic stadium. The team demolished the stadium in 2017 to make room for the new billion-dollar Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The photos are mainly focused on Jack and the area where he grew up, but the location and the football stadium are so intertwined that they cannot be separated.
Born and Bred
Jack explains, “Tottenham is my home.” My mum grew up in the Nursery Street Council house, where her grandparents raised her. She would raise me and my younger sister under the same roof. It was the place where I heard a Spurs goal from my living room window before watching it live on TV.
He continued, “It’s where I rode my bike for hours in the street before I was knocked from it by a vehicle.” “It’s where I went trick-or-treating on Halloween, and our family car was destroyed and stolen after a joyride.“ My great-grandfather, Stan, used to take me, a 3-year-old, into the bookies because everyone knew him and liked him. Tottenham was also where he lived his last moments.
He says that Tottenham is a complex neighbourhood, just like all of these memories. “Areas with poverty are surrounded in prosperity. Next to penthouses worth millions of dollars, there are council homes. On the same street, you’ll find both food banks and PS7 craft brews. The new stadium, which is worth billions of dollars and brings a lot of attention to the area, cannot be underestimated.”
New money is on the rise.
Jack says that this development has led to a dramatic rise in the number of high-rise construction projects and residents with ‘new‘ money. The glass colosseum’s periphery, however, doesn’t reflect the economic changes. The stadium completely eclipses the nearby high street and blocks of flats called ‘Love Lane.‘ There is no trickle-down effect but a distinct divide.
He adds: “Tottenham is home to some of London’s highest crime rates and unemployment.” “However many long-time residents also fear losing their homes and businesses, as they are priced out of the community.”
The community is the one I chose to focus on. “It is the incredible people who make Tottenham one the most interesting and culturally rich areas of the country.”