First We Take Manhattan
In many rapidly growing cities, large apartment complexes seem to appear almost overnight, reflecting both expansion and the constant reshaping of urban life. In Beijing, for example, long-standing hutong neighborhoods have been replaced by new developments, while large housing complexes on the outskirts of the city accommodate those who have been displaced or relocated in the process.
These environments often emerge under pressure, built quickly to meet urgent demand, resulting in living conditions that can be dense, provisional, and uneven in quality. At the same time, they become home to thousands of people navigating work, migration, and everyday life within these shifting urban landscapes.
Tenement Rising is a 3.5-meter-tall, 3-meter-wide wall composed of small-scale apartment buildings pressed together into a single, towering structure. The clustered facades form an expansive surface of concrete, plaster, windows, and worn yet vivid exteriors. Through the curtained windows, small lights, images, and video fragments reveal glimpses of interior lives.
The accumulation of these structures speaks to the complexities of density, housing, and adaptation in cities around the world—highlighting not only the pressures of growth, but also the resilience and presence of the people who inhabit these spaces.