Breathing Walls

By definition, walls are barriers. They can also act as windows to the conflicts engulfing their surroundings. In times of strife walls offer a means of communication and self-expression for members of all social and religious communities. They have proven themselves an effective tool in establishing dialogue between suppressed voices and opinions by offering a canvas or soapbox for the oppressed. The Berlin Wall and The Peace Lines Walls of Northern Ireland are but just two examples. They are storytellers--absorbing and reflecting their surroundings--and becoming silent witnesses to our lives and battles. Breathing Walls is a project I originally started photographing in Lebanon, my country of origin. I felt the necessity to document these ephemeral testimonies of life as a record of an important period in time. With the rising of the Arab spring I decided to broaden my project and begin documenting other countries in the region where the walls are a crucial tool of communication and an unbiased reflection of the socio – political status. Egypt being the most recent series, I intend to continue to photograph this country and others in the region in order to archive the constantly evolving urban landscape.