honorable mention
Steff Gruber switzerland
title
Living on Water
The population is a mix of ethnic groups: Cambodian, Vietnamese and some Chinese families all crowd onto the self-built boats and rafts. Floating stores, schools, an ice factory, a Buddhist pagoda and even a Catholic church have been built. The inhabitants make a living from fishing or bartering. Chinese vegetable and rice sellers supply the people with basic essentials by boat. In the eyes of the authorities, they are living there illegally. As «sans-papiers», they are neither registered, nor do they have access to state education, the health system, or any other rights.
Today, the fragile niche ecosystems as well as the rural livelihoods of Tonle Sap are in danger. Dams, overfishing, illegal wood harvesting, further resource exploitation, and pollution all impact the stability of the socio-ecological system of Tonle Sap.
The existence of the villages is additionally threatened, because the government intend to close them down in the foreseeable future and relocate the inhabitants.
Based on his interest in documentaries, Steff Gruber began shooting photo stories in various countries, focusing, in particular, on human interest subjects and humanist concerns. Visiting places and people on repeated occasions, many of his photo series were produced over a period of several years.
In 2020 Steff Gruber opened the Lumiere.Gallery for digital photo exhibitions.
Steff Gruber is a member of the Swiss Association of Journalists and Photographers IMPRESSUM.
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entry description
The Tonle Sap Lake near Siem Reap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It’s one of the richest inland fishing grounds in the world and home to over one million people. Many of these people live directly on the water in houseboats which create pockets of floating villages throughout this 1,042 sq mile lake in Cambodia. The inhabitants make a living from fishing or bartering.The population is a mix of ethnic groups: Cambodian, Vietnamese and some Chinese families all crowd onto the self-built boats and rafts. Floating stores, schools, an ice factory, a Buddhist pagoda and even a Catholic church have been built. The inhabitants make a living from fishing or bartering. Chinese vegetable and rice sellers supply the people with basic essentials by boat. In the eyes of the authorities, they are living there illegally. As «sans-papiers», they are neither registered, nor do they have access to state education, the health system, or any other rights.
Today, the fragile niche ecosystems as well as the rural livelihoods of Tonle Sap are in danger. Dams, overfishing, illegal wood harvesting, further resource exploitation, and pollution all impact the stability of the socio-ecological system of Tonle Sap.
The existence of the villages is additionally threatened, because the government intend to close them down in the foreseeable future and relocate the inhabitants.
about the photographer
Steff Gruber (1953) is a Swiss photographer and filmmaker. He worked as a press photographer for Keystone Press and was one of the first filmmakers to explore the docudrama genre. He became internationally known with his documentary LOCATION AFRICA about the filming of COBRA VERDE, the last collaboration between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. His award-winning films have been shown at various international film festivals.Based on his interest in documentaries, Steff Gruber began shooting photo stories in various countries, focusing, in particular, on human interest subjects and humanist concerns. Visiting places and people on repeated occasions, many of his photo series were produced over a period of several years.
In 2020 Steff Gruber opened the Lumiere.Gallery for digital photo exhibitions.
Steff Gruber is a member of the Swiss Association of Journalists and Photographers IMPRESSUM.
back to gallery