Off the Wall

As part of the Mediterranean Voices project, Nicos Philippou has produced a book of photographs taken in Nicosia called Off the Map. The photographs portray a community that considers itself marginalised, or off the map.

All the images in the book have been taken either in the subjects’ home or workplace. He also quotes the people photographed, men and women who reveal, in their own words, how they placed themselves in the communities which they were part of.

Splitinto three sections, the photographs represent the physical, familiar sites of Nicosia including the Green Line.

The second chapter of the books goes into the homes and workplaces of those who populate the old town, also giving their opinions on how they feel. “We were all satisfied with how things were – today, things have changed. I cannot predict the future, but things don’t look good. In all likelihood the small workshops will shut down as there is no need for them anymore,” coffin maker Costas is quoted as saying.

“I have worked in this store for 50 years. Today, people avoid the old part of Nicosia and prefer the modern shops. Some efforts are being made to revive the old city but this is dictated by the needs of tourists so I can’t see how the lives of the local craftsmen would improve,” adds shoe maker Andreas.

The Mediterranean Voices Project represents a three-year ethnographic investigation into 13 locations across the Mediterranean including Beirut, Bethlehem and Alexandria. Funded through the Euro Med programme, it is geared toward valuing the history, culture and tradition of these locations. In Cyprus, the project is focused within the old city walls of Nicosia with a team of researchers from InterCollege recording the lives of people living and working within the walls.

Off the Wall is published by InterCollege Press and costs £10.