This project engages with the question of the distribution of wealth by focusing on the use of luminaires in different households, as a way of reflecting on the energy consumption and the type of lifestyle led by their inhabitants.

Although one of the wealthiest boroughs in London and in the UK, a staggering 23% of Kensington and Chelsea’s neighbourhoods fall into 20% of the most income-deprived areas in England and Wales. This is also reflected in the distribution of prices across the built environment and local properties. It is not uncommon for the terraced houses in this area to be divided into several flats with different market values. The basement flats tend to be the cheapest, followed by the first floor and then the top floor. The middle floors with balconies and high ceilings are often the most expensive.

In this project, I have recorded different patterns of use of light and luminaires in residential areas of Kensington. As the UK is currently one of the hardest-hit countries by the energy crisis in Western Europe, the way people use energy (including light) tends to reflect a widening gap between those who are more and those who are less affluent and, therefore, affected by this crisis. This project registers the current use of energy by recording the use of luminaries between dusk and late evening. It also reflects on the wealth distribution through the luminaries themselves, their luxurious or modest appearance, their size, and their visibility.

The chosen medium to express this theme is photography which is the most convenient and intuitive way to record light differences and changes. The walls are darkened, almost black so that the brightness of the windows is highlighted. That way, the background of each photo is infinitely close and the difference between the windows is highlighted. These photographs are folded into a book, based on the production method of the artist’s book Walls Paper by Gordon Matta-Clark. The book has been split horizontally into three parts to reflect the structure of the terraced house: the top floor, the middle floor, the first floor as well as the basement. Three parts can be read separately so that the commonalities of each part are more apparent.