Three Minutes to Save a Life

Whilst on holiday in Phuket, Thailand in 2004, Sykes found himself caught up in one of the worlds worst natural disasters. Sykes, who was having his breakfast not aware they had been an earthquake earlier that morning, made a quick decision to go back to his room to retrieve his Ray-bans not knowing at the time that this decision would save his life. The three minutes it took Sykes to get back to his hotel room, panic had set in with people screaming. Upon looking over the balcony Sykes saw the first of the waves smashing through the room where he had just eaten breakfast. Three Minutes to Save a Life was shot on 5×4 colour film using a homemade pinhole camera. Sykes exposed each image for three minutes. Using the pinhole camera Sykes attempts to explore the trauma he suffered at the time and the guilt of surviving whilst so many did not.