Places of work

 Coventry Market

Tarla - 

Coventry market was established in 1958, when Coventry was rebuilding itself. A lot of people from the Commonwealth countries were migrating to Coventry. I have grown up going to Coventry market, going shopping with my mum, holding shopping bags, watching her buy produce, interacting with the stall holders and familiar faces. It has always been a place that all your senses are exposed to noise of people talking in different accents, chattering of kids, music to machinery. The market sells everything, and your nose can smell the meat and fish on sale to the herbs and spices from around the world.

Photographing the women stall holders, I have learned that some have settled down in Coventry from different countries, they have their own businesses, usually shared with family from husbands, partners and siblings. Each stall holder is proud of their stall, they have said that the market is a community. The assistant manager has said that this market has the highest number of female stall holders which is definitely something to be proud about.

The pandemic has caused extra precautions to be put in place, masks and plastic sheilds now create a devide between customers and shop keeper. Only essential shops have been open and businesses closed the market became quiet and still. Stall hollders stopped seeing the usual faces. For some the stalls are more than a place to buy food, it is place to catch up with each other and have a personal connection.

Cui Wang at her shop counter. Selling east asian groceries, her stall was a dazzeling array of colours.

Two photographs taken, the devider obsures the view an colours.

The stalls shape, stood out to me, it's structure is very angular and there is so much to choose from. 

Saba:  

        My paintings usually describes women in particular, while working on this project during the pandemic i was able to document working women, specifically the house staff/ maids. I started off with documenting three sisters who worked in the same house. Initially I started with a picture that was inspired by Amrita Shergils work "Group of three girls", from there I started photographing the three sisters while they worked, understanding the nature of their lives and work. 

Group of three girls by Amrita shergil

      

      

During this entire photographing process, I managed to click a few shots of their daily routine and how the three sisters Razia, Anum and Parveen carry out their chores.