Fading Facades
Kuwait
Date: 2023
Medium: Anthotype prints
Date: 2023
Medium: Anthotype prints
In an effort to develop and implement a modern water-supply system in Kuwait, the Swedish company VBB (Sweco) began constructing the water towers in February 1970. The 31 water towers consist of different heights and colors. Their mushroom shape was designed to help provide shade to what was intended to be public gardens underneath. The design of the water towers, as well as the Kuwait Towers, received the Aga Khan Prize for Islamic Architecture in 1980 (source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture).
I took pictures of the water towers in 1985. These towers were originally gray and white before they were painted with stripes of white and blue and became the iconic water towers we know today. In this series, I reprinted the images using the anthotype method—a photographic printing process that uses emulsions made from the extracts of light-sensitive plants, such as flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Because of the photosensitivity of this method, the image may fade if it’s not protected from direct light. This style of printing mirrors the precariousness of most historical buildings in Kuwait, which are unfortunately likely to face demolition or changes to their original facades.
