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A wide aerial view of a coastal city skyline under a pale sky. Traditional wooden boats are moored along the shore, with modern skyscrapers and low-rise buildings stretching across the horizon.

Lee Mawdsley shoots Qatar for CBQ and make us want to emigrate, fast.

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Date
16 May 2013

I’ve never really seen that many photos of Qatar before, and if I have, they were nowhere near as beautiful as these shots by Lee Mawdsley. Lee was summoned by the Commercial Bank of Qatar to help document the beauty and mysterious, pure architectural style that it boasts. Among birds-eye shots of the city, that seems to be developing at an incredibly fast rate, are sunny, clean photographs of robed men and women wandering through marble corridors and walkways.

With stunning architecture and breathtaking references to the absurd amount of wealth to be found in that part of the world, Lee’s series has a narrative running through it that is at once engaging and as alien as you can get. Lee has also just completed a fantastic study of the infamous architecture of London’s Barbican which you can see here.

A person wearing a white thobe and ghutra stands in a minimalist stone corridor, looking down at a phone. They are framed by large, sandy-coloured pillars under bright, natural light.
Above

Lee Mawdsley: CBQ

An aerial view of a busy multi-lane road junction with cars and a light blue bus. The vehicles are spread across the asphalt, surrounded by manicured green verges and sandy patches.
Above

Lee Mawdsley: CBQ

A large, white oval building with ribbed detailing sits between two pale stone walls. A construction crane looms over the structure against a pale blue sky.
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Lee Mawdsley: CBQ

Two people walk through a minimalist architectural space made of pale, textured stone. High walls and columns create a series of stark, geometric shadows under a bright sky.
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Lee Mawdsley: CBQ

Two people in white traditional dress stand on the deck of a yacht. In the distance, a city skyline of tall skyscrapers rises from the water under a clear sky.
Above

Lee Mawdsley: CBQ

An aerial view of a construction site shows several people in high-visibility vests working on a dark, textured floor. They are surrounded by a complex web of white cables and scattered wooden beams.
Above

Lee Mawdsley: CBQ

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About the Author

Liv Siddall

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Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

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