Our Hidden Room

Explores the fragmented, complex bond between a photographer and his father. Set in Egypt, it reveals the father's struggle with bipolar disorder, his reclusive obsession with a hidden darkroom, and how untreated mental illness led to his tragic suicide.

As an artist with dual nationality, this project explores my identity as part of an ever-expanding diasporic community based in Wales. I draw inspiration from the memory of my complex yet loving relationship with my father. I reflect on his own personal struggle with bipolar disorder, made clear to me by his erratic, reclusive, behaviour and his obsession with the small dark room, hidden within our family home.

Through my lens, I seek to explore the complexity of the human experience and the legacy of a traumatic and uncertain childhood, of living within a fragile environment and the desire to escape memories. My personal conflict about belonging is represented through the people I meet and the lands that I explore, both in Egypt and Wales. The constant feeling of displacement and questions of identity are forever present.