honorable mention
Emiliano Pinnizzotto italy
title
OPIUM
There is no presence of army or police, this facilitates the opium's couriers to arrive undisturbed on foot from Burma through paths surrounded by dense vegetation. While the women go to the fields to work, toiling all day in all weather conditions, men gather in a hut to smoke opium, and get high with this drug.The children are left in the same house used as a opium's den, under the control of the elder's sister.Gathered around a fire, scrupulously perform everything a ritual: starting with the boiling of the substance, then pass to the mixing of the liquid with a craft tobacco, obtained from the drying of the leaves of a plant present in the surrounding forests.
Then, with the pipes of wood, carved by them, smoke in large quantities from the first light of the day. They flee so far away from their actual condition, a very poor life.
But the awakening from this mental state, has been accompanied by great confusion and bewilderment.to buy the substance will have to remove funds to an already poor family, living in bamboo huts, with the roof in banana leaves or palm, with the floor made only of earth, fire as light and heating and little food to eat.
I started to taking pictures since as a child. Around 16 years old i began to direct my passion toward photo-reportage
especially in social, anthropology, and travel photography. i really like the traditional and spiritual aspect of different
people and culture that i meet in journey. I always use the natural light present in the place when i take pictures and for
the digital postproduction i use only the techniques similar at those possible in the "darkroom".
I use both digital and analogic film reflex camera.
I have published my images in several newspaper and magazine in italy, and some images in Photographic Book edited
by Graffiti Press Agency which i collaborate from some years.
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entry description
In last years, Myanmar has begun strongly to produce and export opium throughout Asia. This has brought, especially in the most poor's areas, increase of the use, that it seems to be doubling almost every year The addiction to opium and heroin is creating irreparable damage in Burma's social fabric and to neighboring countries, as the region of Nagaland, India. The villages on this border’s region, are very difficult to achieve, and it seems to have been completely forgotten by both nations.There is no presence of army or police, this facilitates the opium's couriers to arrive undisturbed on foot from Burma through paths surrounded by dense vegetation. While the women go to the fields to work, toiling all day in all weather conditions, men gather in a hut to smoke opium, and get high with this drug.The children are left in the same house used as a opium's den, under the control of the elder's sister.Gathered around a fire, scrupulously perform everything a ritual: starting with the boiling of the substance, then pass to the mixing of the liquid with a craft tobacco, obtained from the drying of the leaves of a plant present in the surrounding forests.
Then, with the pipes of wood, carved by them, smoke in large quantities from the first light of the day. They flee so far away from their actual condition, a very poor life.
But the awakening from this mental state, has been accompanied by great confusion and bewilderment.to buy the substance will have to remove funds to an already poor family, living in bamboo huts, with the roof in banana leaves or palm, with the floor made only of earth, fire as light and heating and little food to eat.
about the photographer
was born in Rome on 25 June 1983.I started to taking pictures since as a child. Around 16 years old i began to direct my passion toward photo-reportage
especially in social, anthropology, and travel photography. i really like the traditional and spiritual aspect of different
people and culture that i meet in journey. I always use the natural light present in the place when i take pictures and for
the digital postproduction i use only the techniques similar at those possible in the "darkroom".
I use both digital and analogic film reflex camera.
I have published my images in several newspaper and magazine in italy, and some images in Photographic Book edited
by Graffiti Press Agency which i collaborate from some years.
back to gallery
