A post-Brexit portrait of life in Gibraltar
- Text by HUCK HQ
- Photography by Luke Archer
Brexit is drawing closer. In March 2019, the United Kingdom will be officially parting ways with its European neighbours – ending a process which would have taken, by then, nearly three years to carry out.
Somewhat terrifyingly, no one has a clue what this imminent future will look like. If the media’s back-to-back reports are to be believed, Brexit negotiations are nowhere near their conclusion. Instead, the process has been rife with party infighting, ill-timed power grabs, and near-constant ideological dissent.
One place that is really feeling the effects of this uncertainty is Gibraltar. The British territory, known as ‘The Rock’, lies on the southern tip of Spain, and has spent years balancing its strong physical connection to European with its proudly British heritage. Unfortunately, despite 96 per cent of its residents voting to Remain, they will soon be facing the unwanted consequences of the Leave referendum result.
“Brexit was a total shock!” says photographer Luke Archer, who has been addressing this strange cultural dichotomy in his ongoing project, The Rock.
“The crux of the issue for Gibraltar is the land border with Spain, and being able to keep that open and flowing well. Most of Gibraltar’s food crosses it and thousands of workers, mainly Spanish, commute to work across it. Many Gibraltarians I met feel the Spanish workers on the other side have more to lose so there will have to be a mutually beneficial solution. It is in everyone’s interest to keep the status quo.”
Archer, who has family in Gibraltar, has been returning to shoot in the UK territory since the referendum in 2016. Fusing street portraiture with landscape shots, his work captures a region as it grapples with an uncertain future and an increasingly fraught identity crisis.
“There is a general sense of Brexit looming, but people weren’t overly worried,” he adds, hopefully. “The current socialist Spanish government seems to be striking a much friendlier tone and in a strange way, this adversity could bring the two countries closer together.”
See more of Luke Archer’s work on his official website.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists
We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme
Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?
Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.
Written by: Emma Garland
How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography
The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The British intimacy of ‘the afters’
Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.
Written by: Ella Glossop