Triggered: Scarlett Hooft Graafland
Sw Sw 2, 2004 ©Scarlett Hooft Graafland
In 2004, during my first visit to Bolivia, I was immediately struck by the bright colors and the enormous wide open skies. Especially at the Salar salt flats, at an altitude of almost 4000 meters, the light was totally overwhelming! There, at the salt desert, the miners build small salt mountains to let the salt dry so it can be transported easily to the factory.
Local Aymara women have an inferior position in their society. Therefore I wanted to invite some Aymara female miners to sit on these small mountains, like pedestals, in a proud posture. I wanted the shape of their brightly colored skirts to perfectly encircle their thrones. I liked the contrast of the sweet cotton candy against the salt.
It turned out to be quite a challenge to find several local women who wanted to help me with my project. They needed the permission of their husbands to cooperate. After days of negotiating to get their approval, I finally succeeded to shoot my ‘Sweating Sweethearts’.
Check out more of Scarlett Hooft Graafland’s work here.
