The project Tired Of London, Tired Of Life (to paraphrase Samuel Johnson in 1777) grew out of frequent chance meetings between photographer Jocelyn Bain Hogg and artist Paul Davis in certain 'establisments' in London (mostly Soho) over many years where ideas were swapped, imbibation was the order of the day and much looking at the photographs, drawings and stories both men had expressed.
They got serious about this - much work was done. There aren't many books with drawings and photographs reacting to the same subject, ie London, so book seemed a natural step in the right direction.
London is huge and everyone has heard of it. It's pointless trying to sound-bite it and nor did Bain Hogg or Davis attempt to do that. They were patient, they waited or were taken by complete surprise by an occurrence; a situation, eyes and ears constantly heightened and never ever bored. London never fails to disgust, cheer, depress, invigorate or be utterly confusing and beautiful. it does it quietly unlike, say, Sao Paulo or New York.
They gleaned and edited until they were satisfied and then passed on the elements to Henrietta Molinaro who did a wonderful job designing a difficult subject amplified by the problems that lie within the visual clash of photographs and drawings. The concertina format was born: drawings at one end, photographs at the other allowing a certain self-layout potential for the viewer.
No one's produced a book like this about London that isn't a self-indulgent 'my London'; this book is about the other people who live there.
Shown here is an edit of Davis's drawings and writings.