the (un)divided city
The (un)divided city is a contemporary documentary series centering around the theme of divisions, those that exist within cityscapes. By documenting spaces that lack divisions, this project aims to bring attention to the problems that come with a divided city. These photographs take you on a journey on the London Underground, which is commonplace for every Londoner. It conveys a sense of commonality and mutual humanity among us all, where divisions become invisible, and people can take their masks off. Black and white, blurry and high contrast images bring out the feeling of raw humanness and strip them of their individuality to show the 'undividedness' of the scene. The use of grain and slow shutter speeds to blur out people evokes a sense of ambiguity and a feeling of incompleteness. It attempts to show the lack of segregation and compartmentalisations that subtly exist in the public transport system. It indicates how this journey on the tube brings with it conflict and confusion because the feeling of safety and belongingness is fleeting, and eventually, we have to come out of that space and face the realities of living in a big city where everything remains divided and increasingly categorised and where people are treated differently. The underground functions as a fascinating space that pledges to remain undivided in an increasingly divided city, and this body of work attempts to celebrate that. I, for one, have always remained fascinated with this state of confusion that travelling on the tube evokes because, as it forces our identities to become obscure, it is in that state of mind where my most significant discoveries have come to be made.
the london underground
the tube as londoners call it
a fascinating network of underground railway system
built beneath the city of london
a place of refuge. a safe haven. an escape from the real world.
a place to daydream endlessly.
where you can find people from every walk of life, every culture, race, class.
and people from the most arcane corners of the world. you name it.
the part of the city that masks the divide between its citizens and visitors alike.
where everyone, irrespective of their status, income,background and religion,unite towards a common goal.
of arriving at their respective destinations.
a captivating public space that reinstates the commonality among us all.
that despite our vast differences, we're not all that different after all.
for a fleeting moment, the tube reminds us of our dream of a socialist and egalitarian world.
before we have to come out and face the realities of living in a divided city.