In 1996 I was living in Brixton, south London, during a very hot summer. On July 12 Nelson Mandela came to visit and the crowds turned out to greet him in the thousands. I had been active in the anti-apartheid movement and gathered with some friends opposite the main sports hall where Mandela was due to arrive and address some local dignitaries. As Mandela and his entourage approached the steps of the hall the crowd was ecstatic. I had never seen such emotion and tears of joy. Mandela stood before us. He waved, smiled and then disappeared with the throng around him into the hall. We had waited hours to see him, and in a very real sense many people there had waited decades to see him. So actually setting eyes on the man was intense, to say the least. Read More
David Campany writes, curates and makes art. His books include Walker Evans: the Magazine Work (2013), Gasoline (2012), Jeff Wall: Picture for Women (2009), Photography and Cinema (2008) and Art and Photography (2003). He co-founded PA magazine. In 2013 he curates shows of the work of Mark Neville and Victor Burgin. He teaches at the University of Westminster.