Sara Cafaro

The Inbetweeners

Essentially The Inbetweeners is a body of work looking at children between the ages of 10 and 14 years old. By capturing moments of the “Inbetween” stage of a child’s life, during which adolescence is beginning and childhood is fading one hopes to recall the viewers’ own complex and deeply personal emotions that they experienced during this exciting yet troubling time.

The motivation for this project came from the photographer’s own family experiences, whose younger brother and sister (aged 10 and 12 years old) are like kids of their own age group who; strive for greater independence from their parents, seek increasingly more contact with their friends and are becoming more susceptible to peer pressure. As they physically develop their sense of identity grows and their individual personalities become increasingly aware of their own sense of self. This transition from primary to secondary school is both socially and academically challenging and the strength of their relationships with their family, teachers and friends plays a significant role in helping them to acquire self-esteem and a positive outlook on life.

However life is not easy, even for grown-ups and this is especially the case for these aspiring adults who are struggling to find themselves and their place, in terms of gender, social status, and beliefs. As in the wild this is the stage at which they are most vulnerable and the fear of them falling prey to gang violence, drug pushers or paedophiles is a constant threat. This is a portrayal of life in its most exciting, yet daunting phase, inbetween the safety of the womb and the harshness of the world.