Disobedient Digital Exhibition: London

Disobedient Buildings is a digital exhibition that offers a unique perspective on London’s ageing tower blocks, inviting visitors into the lives of those who call them home. These buildings, often seen as failures due to their physical decline and the challenges they face, are revealed as overlooked yet valuable resources. Through the voices, images, texts and samples of residents, this exhibition focuses on the care and creativity that sustains everyday life within these spaces. Drawing on thirty months of ethnographic research, it explores how residents of post-war tower blocks continue to create a sense of home despite uncertainty, neglect and stigma.

Rather than focusing on the next generation of housing, Disobedient Buildings asks a fundamental question: what if we cared better for what already exists? These blocks, built between the 1950s and 1980s, stand as a testament to an era when housing was seen as a universal right. Yet, decades of systemic neglect have left them struggling with decaying infrastructure and growing social challenges. This exhibition is a call to rethink how we value and maintain the places where people live, work, and build their lives. By highlighting the resilience and informal support systems that emerge within these spaces, Disobedient Buildings challenges us to reconsider the true value of housing and the vital role of care in sustaining communities.