Develop Participant Farihah Chowdhury sharing a story behind her photograph Three Lil Pigz.
A project inspired by my experiences within social housing, and the ongoing feeling of displacement and instability. The task set by creative directors (Dan and Ray) during my internship at Wieden and Kennedy for a photography brief, to capture one image based on our given fairy-tale.
Three Lil Pigz: A Tale In Tower Hamlets
Once upon a time in the 'SLUMZ OF BETHNAL'
Lived three brown piggies
Tall block of bricks nothing special, but:
A place where the little ones called 'Home'
A place where mandem would often roam
And a place where you never felt alone
But as the years went by and the size of the rooms weren't too fly
The BIG BOOKIE HOUSING ASSOCIATION came knockin nearby!
Proper polished concrete the next block they moved to was,
A cinema on the doorstep, it was so sick cuz
Poppin bars, there was defo a buzz
And a peng view of the entire park
All quite perfect apart from the security's bark...
But a place where you can't visit the sweet old cockney neighbour on the lower floor
cos the key fob only has access to your own door
And you don't actually see kids in the park anymore
Each white walled "Home" felt like a clinic..chained to restriction
Inspected annually by the BIG BOOKIE HOUSING ASSOCIATION
Will they stay?
Or will they go?
I would say the home was then blown away
But was it ever a home?
– Farihah Chowdhury