UAE: Italian expat embarks on art project to capture country’s ‘invisible’ residents

UAE: Italian expat embarks on art project to capture country’s ‘invisible’ residents

Through his project, Marco Fraschetti explains that he wants to help the country's 'cartonmen' that carry boxes on their bikes adopt safer pratices

Published: Sun 5 Mar 2023, 9:17 AM Last updated: Sun 5 Mar 2023, 9:39 AM

They are everywhere, but they are ‘invisible’. You see them balancing flat carton boxes, like the ones discarded after a TV is unpacked, that are piled up high and tied to their bicycles as they ride through the busy streets, and sometimes even fast highways. One Italian expat did notice them, however, and decided to put them under the spotlight.

“You can see them on the same road close to luxury cars, making the same route, but with different destinations. I give them the visibility they deserve." This is the description of the Instagram page ‘Cartonman Project’ started by Marco Fraschetti, a performing arts consultant, photographer and musician who has been living in the UAE for the last 20 years.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Marco said that there are moments in which he looks around and he notices new things in the city, and new perspectives. At some point he started noticing the ‘cartonmen’ carrying the carton boxes on their bikes, and he started to take