Global Daydreaming

A project to capture daydreamers from around the world, contemplating their life from all corners of the world: London, Budapest, Gaza, Turkey and Dubai. 47% of our average day is spent daydreaming where we slip into a stream of consciousness that takes us to a more internal space.

Ashoura, Lebanon

A Prison Within a Prison: Inside Gaza’s only Female Prison

The Gaza strip is one of the most overpopulated lands with 1.82 million Palestinians within a 141 square mile area, and the highest youth unemployment rate in the world. With entry and exit tightly controlled by Israel, Gaza is often referred to as an “open air prison”. The only female prison in Gaza currently has a small population of 40 inmates, incarcerated for crimes ranging from ‘moral’ to drugs.

The Kushti Fighters of Dubai

Hailing from a 3,000-year heritage spanning India, Pakistan and Iran, Kushti fighters traditionally adhere to strict training programmes. Mohamed Shahed is a 23-year-old Kushti fighter from Pakistan who is currently working in Dubai as a labourer, sending most of his meagre daily wages of $16 back home to his wife and three children. Shahed comes from a long lineage of fighters – his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all practised Kushti fighters. His now-deceased father dreamed of Shahed becoming a famous fighter and making their family proud.

Roof Knocking

‘Roof Knocking’ is a warning to inhabitants of a building that involves the firing of ‘a low yield device’ (a bomb) to the roof of a house whereby the occupants have up to 5 minutes to evacuate before the house is completely destroyed. This practice is used by the IDF in Gaza.

The Future of Cuban Boxing

Familiar Strangers: The Dom of Lebanon

On the fringes of Lebanese society is the Dom community whose origins go back to India from where they originally migrated to the Middle East. They now reside in countries including Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. They suffer from extreme poverty and social marginalization despite having been granted Lebanese citizenship in 1994. They have little access to health, education, formal employment and adequate housing. Despite having rescinded a nomadic lifestyle, many still face discrimination with a third surviving on less than a dollar a day. Having led a nomadic life until the mid/late 20th century, they are now largely sedentary. Yet the Dom from Syria are on the move again, this time not to practice their crafts and trades but to flee from a ruthless conflict with no end in sight.

Living in a Gazan Graveyard

Around 60 people currently call the Sheikh Sheban cemetery in Gaza city home. Some families have been living there since the Nakba in 1948, their fathers and themselves were all born there. Some residents make money collecting rubbish whilst others rely on minor donations from aid organizations or the generosity of individuals. “Everyone has their own situation, this is our life,” says life-long resident Hisham Khalid Al Ghorabey.

The Pharoah’s Son