The demise of Reverie brought the start of Passenger who enjoyed a period of success in Newcastle, but like all bands it came to an end. This period coincides with when I took up photography. A need for a new outlet and a need for me to have a greater degree of control meant music took a backseat for a few years. However, I long since realised that you don't choose music; it chooses you, and so I was pulled back. I now play guitar in the duo Kid Kirby with Laura Kirby, and am also in the cinematic adventure that goes under the working title of Uber Gruber playing a debut set at The Star and Shadow in December. Playing music still affects me the way it did all those years ago. My heart quickens, my senses sharpen and the hairs on the back of my hands stand to attention. There is no escaping.
Photographing in China for 4 months was one of the most exhilarating and satisfying periods of my life. Each day I would march six, seven, eight miles, like a hungry dog, looking, looking for images, constantly asking repeating to myself "what am I seeing, what am I seeing?" I never seemed to tire and fell to bed each night with a warm soul, ready to do it all again the following day. I never felt as much myself as in that period.
Making sense of everything afterwards has been more challenging, however. Things that went unnoticed now stand out, whilst images that I was happy with at the time now seem stagnant. Being able to shoot seven thousand images over a four month period, is one of the digital ages great curses however, and I owe a debt of thanks to Alan Thoburn and Geoff Weston for their help and clarity of thought in helping me select this collection of images.
www.jamessebright.com
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