About

When in 2008 I decided to pursue a PhD in (urban) sociology at the London School of Economics (LSE), I so much wanted it to be a visual investigation, despite lacking professional training in photography. I wanted to bring into visibility aspects of everyday life which were beyond the headlines. Although the LSE is a traditional academic institution which did not and does not offer practiced-based PhDs, my supervisor, Professor Paul Gilroy, is not and was not. Committed to the production of empirical and evidence-based knowledge but not compromising my passion and strong belief in the power of images, especially when embedded in a written text, and thanks to the generous support and great supervision I had from Professor Gilroy, I managed to produce a PhD which was simultaneously visual, ethnographic, theoretical and theorising. 

My photographic practice puts people at the centre. Providing the platform to tell their stories, and treating them with respect, dignity and humanity are my guiding principles. My style is immersive and engaging. It explores the everyday and the mundane, the human and the urban, the cultural and the social, the political and the economics. It celebrates urban conviviality and visualises inequalities in health, housing, displacement and infrastructure and their intersection with class, race, gender and coloniality. Campaigning for housing rights in East London, I was the first to document Focus E15, a single mothers housing campaign against eviction and in support of social housing in London, which became inspiring for other housing campaigns and gained national/international recognition. For ten years my photographic work remained largely private. It was only in late March (2018) that I had finally collated some of my photographs in a portfolio. My photographs appeared in The Guardian, Le Mond Diplomatique, The Observer, UN publications, e-flux, Qalandiya International (Palestine Art Biennale), Autograph, LSE photography exhibitions and Hackney Museum. A selection of images is part of the Museum of London collection.

 I feel creative and buzzing with ideas. I feel that the camera is my theorising tool and lens which prompts me to pause, ask questions, reflect and understand my surroundings.