The Coal Mine Village Jharia
29 NOV 2014
Photographer award documentary Onbit
Best 11 documentary photographer
Shinhan Gallery, Seoul, Korea
Description of work
India has everything’s. A lot of various country from luxurious to rough and poor. In the middle of country like that, some of people had to live the changed environment as coal mine. I decide to take photograph in there.
The Jharia coal mine are comparatively well knowing situation. There are burning the coal under the soil over 100 years long. Local people burning the bituminous coal daily for remove the poisonous gas to sell the market. Easy to guess the air pollution such as that environment in Jharia. And besides mine waste make pollute water and soil. Namely have to be no man lands.
But many people living in that land who against migration policy by government and mine owners. Have to do gather coal or even stealing in mine to be live besieged high pollute water, air and soil. None the less people learn skill and adaptation that situation to living generation by generation. Move without government supporting is mean like sentence of death. That`s why they deny policy. Consequently, they have to living without government protect and supporting. Even hunted by mine guard. But they life goes on every single day.
They have to destroyed environment for survival. That`s absurdity. But they is not so different than us. Just one of extreme case. All the people destroyed they’re environment for survival. Like All the people carry the coal basket and get suffer from poison gas burning coal. There are reflection of our life and express the inconsistency of capitalism.
I used photograph with lighting equipment and digital after work process as like commercial skill. I believe that point make distance between poor environment reality and high-quality detail as commercial model. That process makes visual distance, and besides, make distance of sentiment. The distance symbolizes them and us, you and me, pathos and logos.
Spring 2014, Kwon Hak Bong