After two weeks of summer voluntary work in a children shelter in Bulgaria, I was struck by the fact the children didn’t have any sense of will and choice, given the condition in which they were living. No mirrors anywhere either, putting the sense of personal identity at stake as well.

In order to overcome this status quo, with the help of a WHO (World Health Organisation) manager and an Italian company, I turned the place Inside-out. In the span of 5 months, a septic tank, plumbing and repair work was carried out locally and children received their portraits, lived in an environment whose wall colours they chose, full of mirrors and corkboards to create islands of personal space.