Being Private in Public Places

Bas Losekoot takes Shyam Khandekar on a journey of cities and their public spaces where people thrive in their solitude amongst lively crowds

As an urban designer, my interest is in creating public spaces in cities. You prefer photographing the way people use these spaces. What exactly are you looking for?

In 2011, I started a visual exploration of the consequences of growing population density. I selected nine fast growing megacities around the world that each hold 20 million inhabitants or would reach this number in the next couple of years. These cities grow at the rate of 50 new inhabitants an hour. How do people react to one another in areas of overpopulation? How do we define personal space in the public domain?

I observe street-life with a sociologist’s state of mind. I am drawn to little details in people’s behaviour, like small gestures, the position of the hands, the way people’s eyes are in search of one another or, on the contrary, try to avoid making eye contact. How do we present ourselves and what is it we try to hide from each other? What are the roles we play in our everyday lives and which masks do we don to perform them? To me, street life is a continuous stream of split-second urban encounters.

When you photograph users in the public domain in busy cities, how do you register the anonymity of each person in the crowd?

The anonymity of the man in the crowd is an important part of the metropolitan experience. There are unwritten social rules that provide everyone with a certain space and freedom, if we leave each other alone. Within certain boundaries, you can watch and observe something in public that is private. We are alone in a crowd, in the company of strangers.