Shrouded stone man sitting... It's amazing how much exposed rubbish there is in Kuwait..! Take any short walk along any residential street, or peek into the backyard of any public or commercial building, and you're next to certain to find a pile or two of junk. Exposed refuse and litter seems to be the norm rather than the exception here in Kuwait. At least in part this must be due to the car culture in Kuwait, as through the car window such 'details' are reduced to a street-side blur that are easy to ignore (click here for a related earlier post). Excessive sterility can of course be equally calamitous, as a bit of grime, it can be argued, adds 'character' to a streetscape - dirt deepens the shadows of a city's nooks & crannies (assigns them with a role) and provides a bit of subversive variability to an urban vernacular. There is, however, a limit...
Curtains and leaves...
There is a somewhat blurred threshold beyond which the aforementioned 'character' becomes a sign of apathy. Exposed trash reveals the degree to which a city's inhabitants care for their city and environment. Look in between the city's malls and skyscrapers and its true disposition and temperament is revealed. What do the streets, sidewalks, parking lots, public squares (or lack of such) tell you about your city..?
Rope calligraphy...
The included photos were taken at various locales around Kuwait City. They simultaneously expose and celebrate two seemingly contradictory aspects and qualities of urban living - the way anything and everything, even in a 'modern' city, is inevitably whittled down by entropy, and that, in moderation, grime can be good, seductive, wanted...
Dots and two pigeons...
Footprints in concrete (walking towards)...
Abandoned shoes...
Wrinkly sidewalk curb...
A headless camel...
It used to be a building...
Two types of wire-mesh...
Curtains and leaves... There is a somewhat blurred threshold beyond which the aforementioned 'character' becomes a sign of apathy. Exposed trash reveals the degree to which a city's inhabitants care for their city and environment. Look in between the city's malls and skyscrapers and its true disposition and temperament is revealed. What do the streets, sidewalks, parking lots, public squares (or lack of such) tell you about your city..?
Rope calligraphy... The included photos were taken at various locales around Kuwait City. They simultaneously expose and celebrate two seemingly contradictory aspects and qualities of urban living - the way anything and everything, even in a 'modern' city, is inevitably whittled down by entropy, and that, in moderation, grime can be good, seductive, wanted...
Dots and two pigeons...
Footprints in concrete (walking towards)...
Abandoned shoes... 
Wrinkly sidewalk curb...
A headless camel... 
It used to be a building... 
Two types of wire-mesh...
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