Taxi Driver-Turned-Photographer Opens Up About His Work Going Viral
In 2014, taxi driver Mike Harvey, unexpectedly found himself the centre of attention when his photography work went viral.
‘£7.63′ Mike Harvey
It’s been a year since Mike Harvey’s work was featured in Vice; the article that that caused his pictures to go viral and even be made into a stage play. We caught up with him ahead of his London exhibition to find out what impact all the unsolicited attention has had on his life.
The Swansea-born cabbie says he’s fascinated by the brief, often intense interactions he experiences with his passengers. “People open up a lot, they talk a lot about things they would normally keep private because they trust the space as being anonymous,” he tells me in his melodic Welsh accent.
‘£13.90′ Mike Harvey
Mike’s seen some pretty heavy scenes unfold in the back of his cab. He’s coaxed someone on the verge of suicide into letting him drop them off at their parents house, he rushed a woman in labour to hospital and resuscitated a badly injured young man by the side of the road.
He put his own life at risk when he intercepted a scene of domestic violence. “I just drove off with her in the back, the door shut, and I said, ‘just tell me where you can go to be safe tonight’,” he recalls, his voice heavy.
‘£3.06′ Mike Harvey
Mike says for the most part, the people he meets are lovely, but he’s troubled by some of the things he’s seen. “I’ve always wanted to believe that people are inherently good,” he says. Though he admits this rosy view of humanity may have been naïve. “What I’ve learned from taxi driving is that some people aren’t nice,” he says thoughtfully. “It can be a dangerous world.”
In 2010, with no particular agenda, Mike found himself following his instincts down a creative rabbit hole. He began fervently photographing his passengers, waiving the taxi fare by way of thanks. “I was captivated by the people and I just thought, with their permission, I could turn the camera on them.”
‘£5.15′ Mike Harvey
In 2013, 46 of Mike’s photographs were shown at a friends gallery in Swansea. The exhibition was scheduled to last for one month but was so popular it ran for a year. After that, things unexpectedly snowballed; he started to receive enquiries from the press wanting to talk to him about his photography. “I didn’t realise it would be taken up as widely as it was. It felt completely bizarre,” he says.
‘£5.72′ Mike Harvey
‘Taxi’, is a compelling collection of photographs, offering a sharp, uncensored glimpse into the transient world of the taxi cab. Mike’s incredibly respectful of the people in his photos. He’s wary of his pictures being sensationalised and is extremely careful not to attribute specific stories to them. “They’re separate,” he stresses. Each photo is simply titled with the price of the journey. “There’s a cabbie code of privacy in my eyes and I think I’ve got to honour that.”
‘£42.94′ Mike Harvey
Mike has the air of someone who feels deeply, he’s sensitive about his work and doesn’t want to be misunderstood. With his pictures in the public domain he’s been open to criticism, not all of it pretty. He’s seen negative comments on social media about the appearance of the people in his photos - a reaction he wasn’t expecting. “I felt defensive of the people in the pictures,” he says. “Is it because we’re so used to seeing people from advertising and everything that are always good looking? My pictures were attempting to be non-judgemental, to just lay bare as is.”
‘£2.87′ Mike Harvey
Mike has an appreciation of art in all it’s mediums but unlike the roads of Swansea, he feels at odds navigating the art world as an artist. “I’ve heard people call me an artist or a photographer quite a few times. I’m very conscious about not keeping my feet on the ground,” he admits. There’s a sense he’s wary of being caught out as an impostor in a world where he doesn’t belong. When I refer to him as an ‘artist’ he cringes. It’s a cumbersome title that sits awkwardly with him. “I don’t want to appear like I’m deluded,” he says.
‘£4.00′ Mike Harvey
Mike’s a busy man. As well as driving cabs, he teaches children with profound and multiple learning difficulties, bringing his love for art into the classroom. He talks about his pupils with effervescent enthusiasm. “We discuss, we paint, we draw, we get lost in making. Their artwork is so beautiful, it’s so abstract.”
He has dreams of creating a multi-sensory project in the future, inspired by the work he’s done with the children.
‘£4.66′ Mike Harvey
When I ask him what’s next for his artistic endeavours, he chatters excitedly. “I want to go to India next to photograph passengers there in the same style that I’ve been doing with the ones in Wales.” He plans to spend the 2016 easter holidays doing just that. “I’ve got an addiction to travelling,” he says. “I want to represent every continent, funding trips by driving cabs.”
‘£3.82′ Mike Harvey
For Mike, ‘Taxi’ is a lifelong project. He says the media attention he’s received has given him a “kick up the bum,” but he remains coolly down to earth.
“I view taxi driving as being one of the most fundamental educational experiences of my life. I think that’s why I’m so hooked on it,” he says.
“Those strangers become acquaintances over a short period of time and then you may never see them again but they’ve imparted something to you that’s absolutely made a profound effect. It’s extreme participation and observation that you can’t predict and you can manufacture. It stays with you.”
Mike’s work will be featured as part of the ‘Made In Wales’ exhibition at Carousel, London from 9 - 20 November 2015.
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