Dust

Egypt is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and has a colonial history that stretches back centuries. From 1882 until 1952 it was under British rule although nominal independence was granted in 1922 with the exception of four 'reserved' areas: foreign relations, communications, [...]
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Egypt is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and has a colonial history that stretches back centuries. From 1882 until 1952 it was under British rule although nominal independence was granted in 1922 with the exception of four 'reserved' areas: foreign relations, communications, the military and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Between 1860 and 1940, Cairo and other large Egyptian cities witnessed a major construction boom that gave birth to extraordinary palaces and lavish buildings. These incorporated various architectural styles, such as Beaux-arts or Moorish Revival, with local design heritage influences and materials. Today many lie empty and neglected with no legislation protecting historic buildings less than a hundred years old from demolition. In 2006, Russian born photographer Xenia Nikolskaya began the process of documenting these extraordinary structures. She has gained exceptional access and has photographed at some thirty locations including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Minya, Esna, and Port Said. Sadly, the state of Egypt's colonial architecture is now rapidly succumbing to time, real estate frenzy, and an ongoing overpopulation crisis.Since she began the project a number of these spaces have been demolished, whilst others have gone through a process of regeneration and modernisation. 'Dust' is not just a documentation of these fascinating architectural spaces. It also traces the idea of a typology of absence: dust, haunting, emptiness, departure, abandonment, waiting and stillness. The project was completed in January 2011 just before the Egyptian revolution of January 17 and the final selection was completed on February 11 - the day that Mubarak stood down.