NABIL AL-KINANI
URBANIST & BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONAL

CASTLES

Sometimes referred to as ‘the Ends’. Sometimes referred to as ‘the Block’. Sometimes referred to as ‘the Hood’. All referring to the corners of the city that belongs to the Mandem. 

For decades, our homes have been characterised by mainstream media narratives as uninhabitable and antisocial spaces. The term: ‘sink estates’ has become almost synonymous with the Ends, creating a narrative that the Ends is a place for the socially deviant and criminal. This ‘sinking’ narrative forms the foundation for the pursuit of ‘estate regeneration’ - which is typically accompanied by the process of gentrification.

Using photography, Castles seeks to offer an alternative characterisation of the Ends:

  1. The Ends are modern-day Castles.
  2. These modern-day castles are inhabited by kings and queens.
  3. And the Ends, along with its inhabitants, are nothing short of beautiful

This photo-essay is shot on a 35mm Canon AE-1 Program using Kodak Colourplus 200 film - and is intended to showcase the majesty of inner-city social housing estates across the city. Providing commentary on perceived ‘beauty’ in the built environment, whilst touching on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of value & taste.

Visit the socials:   @castles.jpeg

Locations shot: (June 2022 to August 2024)



 Photo-essay to be released soon.  
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InstagramMore ABOUTBy day, Nabil Al-Kinani is a built-environment professional with a keen interest in urbanism, placemaking, sustainable development and place vision. By night, he is a writer and cultural producer that uses creative practice to deliver works that draw focus on the relationship between spaces and stories. Other strands of his work includes the exploration of spatial politics, identity, culture and migration.