Once an urbane symbol of modernity and refined city living, the Al-Sawaber Complex in Kuwait City is today a blot on the urban landscape. Slated to be torn down years ago, the complex has been mired in legal cases filed by flat owners who have resisted being evicted. While most residents left after being offered money or alternate homes, these holdouts are staying put, clinging on in the hope of higher compensation, even when power supplies were cut.

With urban decay, can vandals be far behind? In the rubbish-strewn parking areas of the once-futuristic buildings, multiple graffiti artists have left their mark. The scrawlings in distinctive lettering stand out as gaudy splashes of color defacing the drab grey concrete walls. Not of the cheerful variety, though - a bit creepy even. Some are highly intricate, some basic, some profane.

Built in 1981 based on designs by renowned Canadian architect and urban planner Arthur Erickson, Sawaber represents a distinct architectural, economic and cultural period in Kuwaiti history. One of the first high-density complexes in the country, it is located on approximately 245,000 sq m of prime real estate in the heart of Kuwait's financial district. The complex includes 33 buildings and more than 520 residential apartments.

Many of the buildings are now empty shells, ravaged by a string of fires and blighted by neglect. The government stopped providing utility services years ago. So there is little likelihood of the graffiti - some very recently sprayed - being hosed off anytime soon. The drawings will remain until the demolition crews arrive, shattering into colorful dust as a failed experiment of confining citizens into high-rises comes to an ignominious end.

Photos and text by Shakir Reshamwala