Life Under the Blocks is a long-term documentary project centred around a post-war social housing complex designed by Belgian modernist architect Renaat Braem. The buildings were constructed in the 1950s in response to a severe housing shortage after the Second World War and were originally conceived as progressive spaces, shaped by ideals of light, openness, and collective living.

Over time, both the buildings and their social meaning have changed. Today, the blocks are often perceived as neglected or marginal, and the lives unfolding within and beneath them are frequently reduced to stereotypes.

Through repeated visits and long-term presence, this project focuses on the everyday reality of people living in and around these structures. Rather than photographing the blocks as architectural objects, I approach them as lived spaces, shaped by routine, waiting, care, and proximity.

By bringing together human presence and architectural context, Life Under the Blocks seeks to reconnect with the quiet dignity embedded in the original vision of the buildings, and to challenge the way these places and their inhabitants are commonly seen today.