Many times a day, the people you see crossing the street or meet in your travels make you smile and wonder, “What is their life like? What is their story?” A photographer is compelled to capture these individuals’ image to communicate their unique stories—to take a portrait that reflects their personality and the world they live in. For me (@tallulahphoto), this evolved into a passion to photograph these everyday people, whose unique souls reflect not only the zeitgeist but the joy and colour that comes from living on the West Coast.
Portraits from the Vancouver People Project will be featured in Vancouver Is Awesome as a precursor to a future photographic exhibit featuring the wonderful characters who contribute to the fabric of Vancouver.
Mandy Moorish
Age: Ooh look, something sparkly in the corner…
Born: I was born in London, England. My mum says I was born within earshot of the Bow Bells, making me a true Cockney, but I think that’s poetic license because I was born in North London.
How long have you lived in Vancouver? I have lived in Vancouver for 12 glorious years and counting. I also spent six years in Bermuda because I am half Bermudian.
Occupations: One of my first careers was as a professional model, an image of me taken by Mario Testino for a Vogue campaign was eventually exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery. I also worked as a runway model for the designer Helmut Lang. After my modelling days I have had jobs that involve working closely with people, such as assisting unemployed people to find volunteer work and teaching ex-offenders how to read and write. Since coming to Vancouver I have worked mostly within the nonprofit sector. I currently manage an organization that assists people living with intellectual disabilities.
Passions and Interests: My secret passion is to combat sex trafficking. I am not sure why I refer to it as a secret, I have “writers block” about it, perhaps because it is so important to me and it is an overwhelming issue. I need to find the right organization to work with, a lot of them are religious and I just can’t go there.
What do people know you for? Dressing up and being an ex-model; although that was back in my London days, it seems to be something people remember.
Thoughts on Vancouver? Vancouver has a softness; life is so much easier here than in London. I love that we can easily have picnics on a sunny Sunday afternoon or, on a whim, jump in the car to go camping. The scenery is heavenly, it really doesn’t get better than this. The people in Vancouver are all about that West Coast vibe: healthy, outdoorsy, eating and chillin’. We need to do more work to meet our aboriginal brothers and sisters half way, but ever so slowly that process in beginning. I also love the gold-mining history. Oh, and of course we are the burlesque capital of the world!
Tallulah’s Musings
Mandy Moorish is charismatic; in her presence you get caught up in her passions and vitality. She is a woman who is beautiful, dresses up, dances, but has a very deep and thoughtful side regarding many of the problematic aspects of society, the inequalities that exist, women’s rights and the issue of sex trafficking. For our portrait, we recreated a timeless vintage feel inspired by memories of arriving in Vancouver for the first time. The Lions Gate Bridge was a strong memory, so we featured it in our background.
