Tariq Zaidi

The White Building Living in the Shadow of Modern Phnom Penh What does a five-year-old girl, a mother of four, a seamstress, a nun, a heroin addict, a ladyboy and a sex worker have in common? In the heat and chaos of Phnom Penh, they are all residents of the White Building. A structure where symmetry, harmony and balance lies only in the eyes of its residents. Tired mouldy walls hold together a dilapidated cubical building, without sanitation, or ventilation, a world within a world, full of the best and worst of life, which is home for 2,500 people. This unimaginative multiple apartment block was built to house artists and low-income workers in the time of Cambodian urbanisation in early ‘60s, and except for a brief break during the Khmer Rouge rule (1975- 1978), it has been a place of creativity, inspiration and extremes. Personal view from the photographer: “I was magnetised by the dignity, creativity and human spirit of the residents of the White Building, living in such challenging circumstances. Many families have already started moving out as plans emerge to demolish the building in the near future, after a structural crack was discovered”, said Tariq Zaidi after his last visit, earlier this year. He was granted unprecedented access to photograph the lives of its residents living in striking harmony with one another and plans to return to continue documenting this extraordinary place. In the heart of the capital of one of the fastest growing economies of Southeast Asia, the White Building, stigmatized by crime and all the darkness of an urban slum, represents a portal into a micro world where lives blend together and people co-exist peacefully. Tariq hopes to publish a book on The White Building by the end of this year. His work forms part of an ongoing personal project to develop a visual anthology capturing the dignity of mankind in some of the poorest communities in the world.