During his first visit to London in 1999, Pablo photographed the graffiti on this bridge, covered with famous names. It is minutes away from Wormwood Scrubs prison. After his release we went back to the bridge. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
April’s featured photographer is Roxana & Pablo Allison
Siblings Roxana (1980) and Pablo Allison (1981) are photographers of Mexican-British origin based in the United Kingdom and Mexico respectively. Roxana graduated from the National School of Fine Art in Mexico City in 2006 with a degree in Fine Art and Pablo holds a degree in Documentary Photography from the University of Wales where he graduated in 2010. Their photographic practice focuses on themes of migration, belonging, identity and justice. They combine collaborative photography projects with their individual practice and have exhibited their work together predominantly in the United Kingdom and Mexico.
Operation Jurassic
On a cool spring morning in March 2010 Roxana receives an agitated phone call from her brother; Pablo. His words were: ‘The shit has hit the fan’ as he swiftly explained that he was en route to the police station after raiding his home and interrogating his housemates, confiscating most of his valuables including photography equipment, graffiti related items and his computer.
Prior to the London Olympiad of 2012, Pablo alongside numerous other graffiti artists, was officially under arrest and questioned as part of a police investigation formally named as Operation Jurassic, which constituted one of the UK’s largest and most costly anti-graffiti operations in recent times, commencing in January 2003 and ending in October 2009.
After a 2 ½ year trial, in November 2012 Pablo, beside four other graffiti artists, were sentenced to nineteen months’ incarceration for conspiracy to commit criminal damage, serving part of his custody at two different prisons within London, and subsequently on a GPS monitoring device attached to his ankle.
In search for turning a challenging situation into one with a positive outcome, sister and brother Roxana and Pablo Allison reclaimed the investigation’s name and used their creative skills to co-create an eight-year-long personal photographic project that portrays their emotional journey leading up to, during and after Pablo’s imprisonment in the UK. Their visual account uncovers feelings and records the slow passing of that time offering the viewer an intimate account into the British legal system.
Their story is not an isolated case, police investigations against graffiti and street artists whose work is not legal are carried out regularly around the world. Operation Jurassic aims to raise awareness whilst highlighting the vital role of family and friends in supporting someone’s detention and release from prison.
A prison sentence is known to follow you for the rest of your life. After 7 years Operation Jurassic proved this. In Summer 2019 Pablo was unexpectedly detained on the USA-Canada border by Immigration & Customs Enforcement officers and sent to the Tacoma Northwest Detention Centre, Washington, where he spent almost 4 weeks in a legal limbo, accused of Moral Turpitude. We believe Operation Jurassic played a part in his fate.
Their second episode of incarceration was recently turned into a book titled ‘Moral Turpitude’ which can be purchased through the photographer’s websites.
Walls and spray-paint inevitably were our reminders of the situation and prison. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
After his release, Pablo had to remain at his address from 6 pm to 6 am until the entire sentence was completed. If he breached that rule, he ran the risk of going back to prison. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
A cloudy sky depicting the feeling of uncertainty. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
Sketch of the prison corridor that led him to his education programme every morning. He was overwhelmed by the number of gates opened and locked up by the guards every time prisoners transited the hallway. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
This document summarised Pablo and the other four graffiti artists’ case. Piles of evidence were generated during the six-year police investigation. After completing his sentence, we discarded most of the documents. It was cathartic. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
After being released, daily life outside can get overwhelming. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
We were born in Manchester, United Kingdom and lived in a block of flats called Cooper House, in Hulme, until we moved to Mexico City in 1985. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
Pablo was released from prison on 11th April 2013, Roxana’s birthday. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
Last visit of Pablo to Manchester. Every moment seemed important and needed to be recorded. Saying goodbye was hard. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
Sometimes it proved hard to see the light. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
One of many journeys made over the three-year trial. We were tired and drained from the constant uncertainty and so was his girlfriend, Marina. The news that day was not positive, the prosecution had enough evidence to prove that Pablo and his co-defendants were guilty. ©Roxana and Pablo Allison from the series, Operation Jurassic
To see more of Roxana’s work visit her website, here
La fotógrafa del mes de Abril es Roxana & Pablo Allison
Una fresca mañana de primavera en marzo de 2010, Roxana recibe una agitada llamada telefónica de su hermano Pablo. Sus palabras fueron: “Ya valió madre”, mientras explicaba rápidamente que se dirigía a la estación de policía después de una redada en su casa donde interrogaron a sus compañeros de casa, confiscando la mayoría de sus objetos de valor, incluido su equipo fotográfico, artículos relacionados con el graffiti y su computadora.
Antes de la Olimpiada de Londres de 2012, Pablo, junto con muchos otros artistas del graffiti, fue oficialmente arrestado e cuestionado como parte de una investigación policial formalmente denominada Operation Jurassic (Operación Jurásica), la cual constituyó una de las operaciones antigraffiti más grandes y costosas del Reino Unido de los últimos tiempos, comenzando en enero de 2003 y finalizando en octubre de 2009.
Después de un juicio de dos años y medio, en noviembre de 2012, Pablo, junto con otros cuatro grafiteros, fue condenado a diecinueve meses de prisión por conspiración para cometer daños criminales, cumpliendo parte de su custodia en dos prisiones diferentes dentro de Londres, y posteriormente con un grillete GPS atado a su tobillo.
En busca de convertir una situación desafiante en una con un resultado positivo, los hermanos Roxana y Pablo Allison reclaman el nombre de la investigación y usando sus habilidades creativas co-crean un proyecto fotográfico personal de ocho años de duración que retrata el recorrido previo a su sentencia y el tiempo durante y posterior al encarcelamiento de Pablo en el Reino Unido. Su relato visual refleja sentimientos mientras que registra el lento paso del tiempo, ofreciendo al espectador un relato íntimo de su experiencia vivida dentro del sistema legal británico.
Su historia no es un caso aislado, las investigaciones policiales contra grafiteros y artistas callejeros cuyo trabajo no es legal son llevadas a cabo regularmente en todo el mundo. Operation Jurassic tiene como objetivo crear conciencia al mismo tiempo que subraya el papel vital de la familia y amistades en el apoyo de una persona durante su detención y liberación de un proceso de cárcel.
Se sabe que una sentencia de prisión lo sigue a uno por el resto de su vida. Después de 7 años, Operation Jurassic lo demostró. En el verano de 2019, Pablo fue detenido inesperadamente en la frontera entre EE. UU. y Canadá por agentes de Migración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) y enviado al Centro de Detención en el Noroeste de Tacoma, Washington, donde pasó casi 4 semanas en un limbo legal, acusado de “Bajeza Moral” (Moral Turpitude). Suponemos que Operation Jurassic jugó un papel importante en el destino de Pablo.
Su segundo episodio de cárcel fue recientemente convertido en el libro titulado ‘Moral Turpitude’ el cual puede adquirirse por medio de la página de los fotógrafos.
Operation Jurassic
Los hermanos Roxana (1980) y Pablo Allison (1981) son fotógrafos de origen mexicano-británico radicados en el Reino Unido y México respectivamente. En 2006, Roxana obtuvo una Licenciatura en Artes Visuales por la Facultad de Arte y Diseño de la UNAM, Ciudad de México, y Pablo es Licenciado en Fotografía Documental por la Universidad de Gales donde se graduó en 2010. Su práctica fotográfica se centra en temas de migración, sentido de pertenencia, identidad y justicia. Combinan proyectos de fotografía colaborativa con su práctica individual y han exhibido su trabajo juntos predominantemente en el Reino Unido y México.
Para ver más de los trabajos de Roxana visita su web, aquí
foto-feminas.com 