esti strydom: Meet your neighbour

‘a house is a machine for living in’

Le Corbusier

This idea by Le Corbusier influenced my exploration of the inner workings of our block of flats (Centreville, Cape Town CBD) its residents and others who make up the immediate constructed community.

I found that while the site brings us together (one ‘block’ of flats) the walls and design of the architecture divide us.

I felt alone- I didn’t know any of the residents and wanted to create a project to give me the opportunity to get to meet my neighbour.

I used photography as a means to investigate my neigbour’s living environments in order to find the connections between us as people, not just as residents of the same flats.

Three photos/ experiences stood out for me:

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'Talien' , 2006, photographic print, 28 x 35.5 cm

'Fatima & Abaka', 2006, photographic print, 28 x 35.5 cm

'Bruno', 2006, photographic print, 28 x 35.5 cm

I now wanted to represent the images I had gathered in a way that would further my idea of breaking down barriers. I had my photos scanned in order to project them onto the Omega block’s wall with a data projector. I used the idea of a window as a portal to the inside of the buildings- thereby ‘exposing’ what’s inside, and bringing the inside outward.

I invited the community to come and participate/ experience in this project:

The images were displayed as little windows on the side wall of the omega-block: a constructed view to the inside of the building. By doing this I attempted to break down the borders between us. Physically and metaphorically. A physical gathering outside made it possible for us to interact on a social level and mirrored the idea of ‘inside out.’