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Through a labyrinth of narrow alleyways, tangled electrical wires and water pipes, life finds a way in Shatila refugee camp.
In the heart of Beirut and roughly one square kilometer in size, Shatila refugee camp was formed in 1948 as a temporary shelter for a few thousand displaced Palestinian refugees. Today Shatila has an estimated population of over 40,000 residents and is considered one of the most densely populated places in the world.
Violence, disease and a lack of infrastructure that includes clean water, electricity and proper sewage makes life in the camp almost unbearable. Today the camp is shared not only with generations of Palestinian but also Syrian refugees, economic migrants from Bangladesh and poor working class Lebanese. Despite its hardships life endures between the twisted wires and dark alleyways of the camp.
The following images were made during a period of three years visiting and living in the camp. I carried a small camera for capturing moments that left an impression in between filming Ahmad, a young third generation refugee and barber for independent documentary: This Is The Camp.