Chelsea Cafe Project
Chelsea Project Space
London, 2019
‘Current research on homes in Karachi’ (2016-2018)
These photographs are of homes in Karachi built in the 1900’s as part of a burgeoning interest in families investing and developing the city’s urban frame. As part of this project, I had conducted interviews with owners or the ‘next-in-line’ owners of the properties. These photographs touch upon my interest in listening to the stories which revolve around a home and the difficulties of leaving it. Through guided tours of rooms, kitchens and backyards, it was interesting to hear how multifunctional these structures have been for a family and how there is a narrative behind each item. While the photographs overtly emulate a sense of nostalgia, I am more interested in capturing the way the homes stay static in their current condition. Today, the homes are cornered by a new visual language of residential and commercial spaces in the urban city and not only are these structure architecturally lonely, they are constantly eyed-up by real estate agents.
The Cafe Project is a series of displays of work by students and staff from Chelsea College of Art and Design. These changing displays are a chance to see some of the talent here at Chelsea from across a diverse range of disciplines. The series is curated in collaboration with Chelsea Space (opposite) as part of the Public Programme.