London, Twickenham
“There is a community of the spirit.
Join it, and feel the delight
of walking in the noisy street
and being the noise.”
— Rumi 13 th C (translated by Coleman Barks)
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We were taking the train from Putney to London, to visit the Tate Modern. Something was clearly up. As we approached the station, people in costume were streaming in. There was great excitement in the air. A man dressed as a London bobby gleeful explained that they were all heading to Twickenham and fans dress in national costume when the World Sevens international rugby matches are played there. Naturally, we switched platforms and followed them.
Exiting the station in Twickenham, it was obvious the crowd was revved up and ready to party. Though it was only midmorning, many were exuberant, chatting, laughing, singing and most were clutching cans of beer. With so many wearing clever and colorful costumes, I didn’t know who to photograph first. A strategy was needed.
We took up position on a narrow, shady sidewalk on the most direct route to the stadium. Hugging a wall, we would be mostly unnoticed. When Beefeaters from the Tower of London approached, I swiftly took up an exaggerated crouch position right in the middle of their path, signaled I was going to photograph them and in an instant, they organized themselves into this formation. Together, we made this picture.