Psychogeography in Qatar
Exploring territory and mindscape during my residency in Qatar, 2014. For some years afterwards, I resented not having a better camera by then. All of these photos were made on my smartphone, some of them in movement behind car windows. It's been now almost a decade, though, and I think these images do have some value beyond technicalities of photography. They are more clues on some lessons learnt about consumerism, power and exploitation, but also diversity, labour, and resilience. Those phallic buildings, and others that look like safeboxes. And all that unwalkable space between them. Busy playgrounds after sunset. The red sea. Pearls and famous architects. A cultural centre that reminded me of Borges' Immortal or Lovecraft's Nameless City. The reconstruction of the city centre and a recently built market that looks too organised to be real. The reliance on expensive cars, air conditioning, and desalinated water to survive. Autonomy bought with money - on underground gas transformed in money. Imported temporary labour and lack of representation.
And of course, coffee.
