A window into life on the
Regent’s
Rose Palmer's portraits of boat owners shot through their windows encapsulate the cocoonlike cosiness of a narrowboat on chilly autumn evenings.
canal
W O R DS SIVA TH A N G A R A JAH
W
hen Rose Palmer, a documentary producer and photographer, moved to Mile End in the middle of the pandemic, she became intrigued with the canal boats on her walks along Regent's Canal while she was on maternity leave. She explains the genesis of her idea to take photos of people inside their houseboats from outside their window: 'My husband cycles to work along the canal and he mentioned one day that he liked peeking through the window at people settling down for the evening on their boats.' And so this project captures houseboat dwellers in their quiet evening routines through their window panes. Taken in November, Palmer wanted to capture the cosy feeling of being huddled in the warmth during the colder months. 'I wanted to capture intimate scenes of people’s autumn evenings on the boats. The project worked well because I took the photos while social distancing and through a barrier of glass, so everyone felt comfortable.' To get these photos, Palmer knocked on the doors of canal boat homes and asked if she could take their photos through their windows. 'Almost everyone said yes, which I wasn't expecting!' She says. Palmer explains that it was strange,
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PHOTOGRA P H S S HOT BY RO S E PALME R
My husband cycles to work along the canal and he mentioned one day that he liked peeking through the window at people settling down for the evening on their boats.
