Perception

This photograph of the completed artwork, taken by Mahdi Khmili, became the defining image of Perception — published in hundreds of magazines and press outlets around the world.

When I arrived in Cairo, I knew this project would be unlike anything I'd done before. The neighborhood we worked in presented its own set of obstacles — strong smells, daily climbs up hundreds of stairs, and the task of capturing the essence of a community through a lens.

My role was to document the entire process, from the creation of eL Seed's monumental artwork to the transformation it inspired within the community. Initially, the locals were hesitant about being filmed, but as trust grew, I was able to tell their story authentically.

When I started filming Perception, I found myself in the middle of a massive project, trusted with telling the story of an entire community and an artist creating a huge artwork, with just two Canon DSLRs and a tripod.

Some might see that as a limitation. I saw it as a challenge. Because storytelling isn't about the gear — it's about the eye that knows what to capture. Instead of worrying about what I didn't have, I focused on what mattered: the life, the pride, and the simple happiness of people in that neighborhood.

Perception is eL Seed's project — his artwork, his vision. My role was the visual storytelling: trusted by him, and by the community, to tell the story of both the work and the people it was made with. The garbage collectors of Manshiyat Naser, a marginalized community in Cairo, who live and work among what the rest of the city throws away.

So I captured both — the garbage collectors working as they recycled, and the artwork taking shape above them. Two different forms of labor, both demanding, both meaningful. Side by side, they revealed the strength, dignity, and resilience of this community.