'Kenny the Kilt'

Deirdre O'Callaghan's Hide that Can series is the culmination of four years of spending time and photographing in Arlington House in North London. This hostel is home to mainly Irish men in their fifties and sixties who came to London as young adults to earn money as manual labourers. O'Callaghan moved to London in the early 1990s, in search of work, as did many young Irish men and women, and her initial affinity with the residents of Arlington house came from their shared economic migration. But it was equally her differences from the men - her age, her gender and, of course, her choice to enter the lives of Arlington House - that became the keys to this documentary project. Taking these photographs created a routine from which the communication between O'Callaghan and the men was created. Her role in providing the time and the excuse for the men to reflect on their lives was confirmed when she was invited to document their holidays to Ireland arranged by the House.

Hide that Can is a traditional version of humanist documentary photography, one in which O'Callaghan attempts to give a dignity to the men of Arlington House and show her empathy for a forgotten generation of migrant workers.

This portrait of resident 'Kenny the Kilt' listening to music on a set of headphones is accompanied by the text "My brother ended up being the goody goody - I was the one they had high expectations for, but I ended up being the black sheep. I have a degree in biochemistry, and one in physiology. My IQ is 168. I try not to indulge in excessive self-recrimination about the past drinking and missed opportunities. AA does not stand for Automobile Association or Alcholoics Anonymous, it stands for Altered Attitudes. At AA you will always use the term recovering, not recovered."