Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

InspirationPhotography

The Nomadic City: Photographer documents a brave and fast growing Saharan capital

In his award-winning series The Nomadic City, photographer Christian Vium tells the story of Nouakchott, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania – a relatively unknown place that's braving the unforgiving Saharan droughts to become one of the fastest growing capitals on earth.

Written By:
Man in blue robes selling colourful fabric flowers in Nouakchott's sandy streets, with a dog and unfinished concrete buildings behind him

He reveals its streets and inhabitants through an ethnographic juxtaposition of his own photographs alongside a growing collection of archive images, newspaper clippings, appropriated photo albums, film footage, objects trouvés and a variety of edited written sources such as interviews, letters, diaries, notes, maps, news bulletins, journalistic articles and anthropological essays.

Vium has been working on his project since 2010. He explains: "Engaging with the porous interstitial 'spaces' that emerge at the intersection of nomadic and sedentary worlds, or desert and urban worlds, 'The Nomadic City' maps a particular form of emergent potentially emanating from these fringe landscapes. Using an analogue medium-format camera, a notebook and a handheld GPS, I have systematically mapped the city of Nouakchott aiming to provide a nomadic reading of urban ephemerality in a unique setting: a city which was constructed Ex nihilo in 1957 and now harbours more than a million inhabitants, the vast majority of whom have partaken in nomadic livelihoods now shattered by recurring droughts in the Sahara and Sahel region."

Through his work, Vium has collected a wealth of material, which he plans to turn into a book documenting the history of the city of Nouakchott through to its rapid development today. He hopes his observations will be used by historians, architects, planners and political decision-makers, when considering the needs of rapidly developing cities.

A weathered blue and yellow Sprite sign stands on a wooden pole in an empty desert landscape with scattered buildings visible on the horizon in Nouakchott
A young man stands with hands on hips wearing a graphic t-shirt and jeans in a vast, barren desert landscape with scattered buildings on the horizon in Nouakchott
Vintage beige computer setup on a wooden desk against a weathered terracotta wall, with cables and equipment visible, numbered 4 as part of Christian Vium's documentation of Nouakchott
Sparse sand landscape with scattered buildings and structures stretching across the horizon in Nouakchott, Mauritania
Black and white archival photograph showing two men in traditional dress shaking hands, with blue pen marks annotating the image
Abandoned white and red car partially buried in sand inside a concrete garage in Nouakchott, Mauritania
A collapsible mosquito net with red trim lies open on a patterned red and pink rug against a weathered beige wall in Nouakchott
A woman and three children rest together indoors, looking towards the camera in a warm, intimate portrait from Nouakchott, Mauritania
Two people hold hands while posing for a portrait, the man wearing a blue graphic print shirt and the woman in a black dress with lace neckline detail
Pink fabric bag and brown leather pouch hanging on a weathered wall in Nouakchott
Share

Further Reading