Simon Norfolk - A former teahouse next to the Afghan Exhibition of Economic and Social Achievements in Kabul

Inspiration from the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry.

From a series of photographs showing the war scenes in Afghanistan, how war makes the world we live in and how it changes the landscape. The buildings are results of the war. The buildings give an idea of what’s happened here, the devastation that has affected this area. It does however make you ask what exactly happened here? What has now made this area so different that there are now balloon sellers?

Balloons were illegal under the Taliban, but now balloon sellers are common on the streets of Kabul, allowing for a small treat for children. It shows that there is still some hope in this place, in an area affected by war. It’s something to bring cheer to children; it’s surprising that such a simple thing would be wanted here. It is also ironic, there’s humour to the image, who’s going to buy a balloon here?

Not only does it look like a deserted area, with no one there but there, but also the area looks destroyed, not somewhere you would expect to see balloons.

 The brightly coloured balloons are such a contrast to the background, where there is no colour to be seen, displaying what happened to this place, and the feel of being there.

The building even use to be a tearoom, not something you would expect in this place. Why did war come to somewhere like this, and how was it destroyed. There is just the frame work of the building left, a symbol of what’s left of the area.