Uchujin, aka Adrian Storey, a British photographer and filmmaker based in Tokyo, drolly explains his rather unusual business moniker: ¡°I¡¯d rather be an alien than an outsider.¡± Although usually translated simply as ¡°alien,¡± ¡±uchujin¡± has a universe of meaning in his storytelling world.
Storey¡¯s work in photography and video frequently chronicles people outside the norm. A recent documentary introduces the only ethnic Japanese Muslim imam (teacher) in Tokyo. ¡°Other outsiders that interest me are the body modification people (tattoo, piercing and suspension, etc.), the gay and lesbian community and graffiti artists,¡± he says.
His 2010 photo essay, ¡°The Kibera Boxing Team,¡± chronicles the dreams of aspiring athletes in Kibera, the Nairobi slum whose claim to fame is that it is the largest one in all of Africa. Despite the area¡¯s misfortunes, it is also home to a boxing club, and a few of Kibera¡¯s members have even won places on Kenya¡¯s Olympic team.
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