Altiplano
On a multi-day trek through the mountains of northern Laos, I documented remote communities whose lives are deeply shaped by rice cultivation, opium farming, livestock herding, and hunting.
Inside the houses, it is almost completely dark. Above the open fireplaces, soot hangs from the ceiling in long strands, while sunlight filters through gaps in the wooden beams, revealing the dense smoke from green tea and opium pipes.
Women carry out much of the daily work, sustaining households and communities through their labor. At the same time, these villages are undergoing profound change. A planned mining project by China and the construction of a new road are reshaping both the landscape and traditional ways of life.
Occasionally, traces of new technology appear inside the homes: an LED headlamp, a solar panel, a mobile phone. Old and new exist side by side.
My photographs explore everyday life in these communities — how people work, celebrate, and live within their surroundings — while observing how traditions, social roles, and living environments are gradually changing.
