The economic recession can be most witnessed in Leeds, Yorkshire where many young people share a single bedroom between up-to-ten people and a few dogs. Born from harsh job market and financial strain, the deeply-rooted punk community began crafting homes for themselves in the city’s abandoned buildings, often scavenging supermarket dumpsters after hours to put food in their stomachs.
For Living on The Edge, Photographer Ricky Adam immersed himself in punk culture and forged friendships with a tight-knit group of squatters where he chronicles the freedoms and hardships that come when living on the sidelines of mainstream society.
There are countless uninhabited buildings in Leeds, providing a perfect hideaway for these wayward youth, where they spend their days drinking, smoking, and playing music. While certain anxieties come with such a life, these individuals and their dogs always look out for one another. Punk philosophy requires only a few basic beliefs: always remain hopeful, live high on the moment, community over the individual, and fuck consumerism.
