Adam Robert Young

One of Adam Young's major continuing projects is an exploration of the lives of migrant workers and their families living in the city of Guangzhou in southern China. These workers flock to major cities from rural areas, and wind up living in densely clustered low cost housing. Living in these urban villages, they create unique, closely knit communities. Unfortunately, these communities are now under threat as the government pushes to modernise the city. Many of these urban villages are being demolished to build modern highrise apartments. Ironically, it is the very same migrant workers who live in these communities that are hired to demolish them and to build the new ones. Sadly on their low incomes, they will never be able to afford to live in the new complexes, and as affordable accommodation becomes more and more scarce, many are forced out of the city. These images are an effort to record slices of life in the alleyways before they disappear forever.

(Click on thumbnail to view larger version)