Night Walkers is a photographic documentary by Filippo Zambon, who spent over a month living together homeless people in Helsinki. He hung around with them, spent nights in the social centres where they slept, documented the typical places where they spent their lives, and eventually became friends with some of them.

 

During a workshop directed by Andrea Holzerr (Magnum), me and graphic designer Piia Aho worked together with Filippo to create a photobook concept for Night Walkers.

We decided on a small format, not to cynically expose the human beings in the photos to the curious eyes of the reader. We aimed at creating a book that resembled a diary: we added autograph writing of the photographer, narrating episodes of his experience: a first-person, humane, non-judgmental participation.

We also wanted to express the “non-time” that homeless persons are experiencing everyday: just walking, searching for warm places and a cigarette, enduring loneliness, going back to the centre where to sleep every night. In the book days and nights alternates, but at some point, the viewer loses the count: time is not evolving and “normal” life got stuck somewhere.