On the grey, powdery ground of the Kawah Ijen volcano, two bamboo baskets loaded with blocks of sulphur wait to be transported. Their bright yellow colour contrasts with the scorched earth and acid fumes of this lunar landscape. These baskets are the essential tools of the Indonesian miners who extract the solidified sulphur by hand from the edge of the fumaroles. Each block weighs several kilos, and the whole can weigh up to eighty kilograms per load, carried on the shoulders to the valley.
This setting, both majestic and hostile, bears witness to the paradoxical alliance between natural beauty and the harshness of human labour. Sulphur, here a symbol of chemical richness, also becomes a metaphor for sacrifice: the sacrifice of these men faced with stifling heat, corrosive gases and extreme fatigue. The carefully woven baskets embody the tradition and resilience of a craft that has endured over time, in the heart of one of East Java's most spectacular landscapes.
The image captures the fragile balance between nature and humanity, between mineral brilliance and silent effort.
Passionate about photography, I travel the world in search of the most beautiful shots.
Currently in Thailand..
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