Cells - Coffins of Hong Kong (17 photos)

Inside Hong Kong's 'Coffin Cages': Photographer Benny Lam

Benny Lam





Benny Lam has taken to illuminating places beyond the reach of the neon lights of booming Hong Kong. In his series called 'Trapped', he shines a light on the inhabitants of tiny 'coffin cubicles'. The photographer shows how people, forced out of the glittering metropolis by sky-high rents, huddle in cubicles measuring about 1.5 square metres.

Hong Kong is one of the world's financial centres, a city of shiny signs, luxury brands, tech innovations and skyscrapers. It is home to almost 7.5 million people, and the housing market has become one of the most expensive in the world. The inability to cope with rent has forced about 200,000 Hong Kongers into apartments ranging in size from 1.5 to 9 square metres.

The conditions of such existence became the subject of a photo essay by professional photographer Benny Lam. Over four years, he visited more than 100 apartments in the old part of the city. Recalling his first impressions, Lam said: “That day I came home and cried. I felt so bad, this life should not be normal… Living here is like being in a cage, trapped.”

These dwellings are called "cabin coffins" or "cage houses." To create them, owners of apartments of about 37 square meters illegally divide the space into 20 beds in two "floors" separated by, for example, plywood. Each of these places costs about 250 US dollars a month to rent. The space is too small to stand up. In some, you can't even stretch your legs. The photographer says: "Many of them are ashamed to live in such cramped spaces, but they hope that once people see these photos, they will receive some support."

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