Words & Photographs by Luca Vincenzo. This article was originally published in Volume VIII.
Last year we were hyped to share Walk Good, a short film shot in Jamaica by Adriaan Louw and Roberto Colombo.
Several months later we revisited the project by publishing a photo series in Volume VIII, that was shot on the same trip by our dear friend Luca Vincenzo. For those of you who missed out on our last print edition, we’re delighted to share the photo series online alongside some words from the man himself, and some quotes from various characters that the trio met along the way.
Suddenly the Jamaican coastline cuts a shape in the blue ocean beneath the aeroplane hot with bodies, eager for tires to strike tarmac and each person to filter out into the tropical climes.
For a place with a mellow mythos, life sure can come at you quick and fast if you tag onto the various veins of energy pulsating through the island. Before you have a chance to loosen a shirt button and down an ice cold cola as the sun sets behind you, moonlight illuminates the coastline and the sound systems bass bins cave out your chest cavity and blast any notion of negating tinnitus damage into smithereens. Men and women take turns holding court on the soft sand dance floor. Nearby motorcycle engines are revved into the red as their petrol tanks are lit on fire, instantly sending any grasp of fuel and flame safety protocols you held up in a blaze. The senses are stimulated into delirium; surely a large energy life source exists here under this land.
Blue Mountain sparks curiosity and so you hoot your way around each tight turn and follow the whiff of coffee beans or cannabis buds like a cartoon hand made of smoke that beckons you along with a finger. Each morning, the ocean water welcomes you with a warm embrace like an old and familiar friend, who dresses exclusively in tones of blue and aquamarine and turquoise that magnificently change colour depending on the position of the sun. Days are hot and melt into each other over sweet slices of relief each cool evening, but heat rises off the earth 24/7. Kindness begets kindness, community welcomes communion. Put your feet down one after the other and walk good.
“The mindset of a Jamaican, first and foremost, is you’re born and grow knowing you have to work hard for what you want—nothing comes easy.” – Chris, Hellshire
“Come on John, free your mind, free your soul, Come on John, release your mind, release your soul…” – Sheldon R. Shepard
“When you have problems and you ride a motorcycle, it’s like you forget about everything. That is the most important thing—motorcycles make you free! Bless up all the good people in the world. I wish all people could show more love, it would make our world better.” – Charles, Montego Bay
“Dancehall is Jamaican dance style. It’s freedom of expression, it’s raw, it’s a way for Jamaicas to express what is happening to them. If it’s anger, you can express it in a dance move. If it’s happiness, there’s happy dance moves. There’s a lot of elements to it. We party in the streets, yeah, which is the most exciting because you can look up and see the stars.” – Latonya Styles
