Sunday Preview. Three meaningful stories we offer next week.

These three very different bodies of work are bound by one common idea — questioning and investigating the context and roots of what surrounds us in the everyday life.

Our own relationships with loved ones. Our perception of simple and basic things that we take for granted. The hidden impact and consequences of cultural and social transformations in the cities we live in.

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Elena Kalyuzhnaya: Tea Women

Published — Monday, 27 Sept

Tea, alongside coffee, herbs and spices, is one of the major discoveries from the East which completely transformed Western economies a few centuries ago. Unfortunately, as with many industries producing goods, we enjoy and can barely live without, exploitation is rife.

Elena Kalyuzhnaya gives us the story of what it takes to supply the world with one of its most cherished drinks and it’s not a pretty picture. As the author states, women are simply better at picking tea leaves, and throughout history, they have always been at a disadvantage when it came to the labor market.

The Tea Women is an example of documentary work that makes us question the context in the widest and deepest possible way: what stands behind such regular and, let's say, basic essential things in our lives like a daily cup of tea.

Cheryl Newman: One Hundred Yards From Home

Wednesday, 29 Sep

Recording and documenting the very personal sides of our lives is indeed a profound way to discover yourself, your bonds with loved ones, and to answer your own questions. This story invites us to engage in a deep conversation that will likely be familiar to us all: who are we to our loved ones and who are they to us?

Cheryl Newman introduces us to her mother, Carol, who was born on Christmas Day in 1926. This heartfelt, touching project attempts to bridge a thin but profoundly felt gap between her and her mother. It's a story about unequivocal love that stands the test of time, yet at the same time acknowledging the inevitable distance between children and their parents. ‌‌‌‌The images and the act of photographing Carol over a long period of time are the photographer’s attempt not only to understand her own idiosyncrasies but also the history that binds them together.

Verity Adriana: Legacy

Friday, 01 Oct

Verity Adriana, a photographer and educator born and bred in Hull, was specially commissioned by Illuminate Photography Network and Hull City Council to photograph and document this extraordinary year for the history books and the city archives.

The images are full of life and vigor — smoke, light and a joyous atmosphere are palpable, yet devoid of human presence. Some photographs resemble New Year’s Eve celebratory fireworks, while others nod at a slightly less pretty side that’s omnipresent in England — the ugly face of gentrification, redeveloping old buildings into new flats, probably out of the financial reach of the local population.

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Read the recent interviews with featured authors

• Valeria Mongelli. The hard duty of documenting grief

• Johan Brooks. Covering the protest around Olympic Games 2020

• Pengkuei Ben Huang. Letters to those taken away by the Great Tsunami

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