A ghostly portrait of abandoned architecture by Nelson Garrido

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by The Spaces, a digital publication exploring new ways to live and work.

CNN  — 

A single light illuminates a gloomy housing block in Portugal, casting a haunting glow over its abandoned shell. Is there life inside this monolith after all?

“The light reminds us of the difference between what reality is and what it should be,” says photographer Nelson Garrido, who has spent over four years documenting the effects of the Portuguese financial crisis on the country’s housing stock.

“A lot of people became homeless after the crisis. This was my way to represent them.”

Garrido captures everything from empty multi-storey blocks to detached homes across the country for his aptly titled “Home Less” series.

”[‘Home Less’] goes beyond the revelation of ruins,” Garrido explains. “It intends to provide an experience of place.”

Head to The Spaces to find out more about Nelson Garrido’s “Home Less” series.

“Home Less” is on view at the “Time – Space – Experience” exhibition at Palazzo Bembo during the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, until November 27.