James Kendall is a photographer living and working in Brighton. His project Wasted On The Young is in service to the understanding of the intersection of aging, youth culture and identity. In line with his previous projects, it uses photography’s power to connect – here to re-engage with various obsessions of his past that were once the building blocks of his persona. As we slip quietly into middle age, many of us find ourselves adrift, life in the home taking over from communal obsessions that drove us as adolescents. The subjects of these photographs have found a space in their lives to stay connected to the parts of themselves that felt meaningful at 17, 25, 31 (the latter being the age when most give up on clubbing). Wasted On The Young is a celebration of the continued connection to meaningful activities, a recognition of the effort it takes to step away from the screen and stop doom scrolling.

This initial chapter of a broader body of work selects images from the project that use the body in space as a means to communicate the joy of these activities and draws connections between them and a calmer world away from the dancefloor. Arms play a key role – raised to heaven as if in worship, opened wide to invite the world in, gesturing at the wonder the world can still inspire.

Wasted On The Young makes no judgement on whether everyone should hold onto a part of their youth so directly, but offers it as a potential path for reconnection with either the world or a sense of self.