When he first moved to London from Nottingham, having got leave to remain in the UK, Hossein loved people-watching in Trafalgar Square. He took selfies to send to friends and family back home in Iran and gradually started to excel at this much derided genre of photography. I love people-watching too but I particularly enjoy watching selfie-takers. This pot represents a cross-over of two threads of interest for me: it is part of the ongoing ‘portrait of Hossein,’ series, and also part of the ‘how to look at art/historical sites/landscapes/events’ series. People often insert themselves into a place or an artwork and it seems to help them find a way to get to know it and understand it. There was a time when portraiture was something only the wealthy could afford. This mass democratisation of the art has yielded some fascinating results and allows people to take charge of their own image and narrative.