SULFUR'S SLAVES

In East Java, Indonesia lies Kawah Ijen volcano, 11.500 ft tall, topped with a large caldera and a 650 ft-deep lake of sulfuric acid. The quietly active volcano emits gases through fumaroles inside the crater, and local miners have tapped those gases to earn a living. The first miners arrived here fifty years ago. Stone and ceramic pipes cap the fumaroles, and inside, the sulfur condenses into a molten red liquid, dripping down and solidifying into pure sulfur. Miners hack chunks off with steel bars, braving extremely dangerous gases and liquids with minimal protection, then load up as much as they can carry for the several kilometers to the weighing station. Loads can weigh from 170 to 220 lbs, and a single miner might make as many as two or three trips in a day. At the end of a long day, miners take home approximately 6 $. The sulfur is then used for vulcanizing rubber, bleaching sugar and other industrial processes nearby. Fumes of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide attack mucous membranes, lungs, eyes and skin. The life expectancy of these men rarely exceeds 50 years.

French-American, Valerie Leonard travels the world following her theme that she named “Labours of Hercules" where she attempts to show with utmost respect the dignity of women and men living and working in particularly hostile environments. She takes the time to live with the people and be fully accepted before starting her work. There is no staging, with patience and respect, she waits for the right moment, the right light to tell the truth, but in terms of beauty. Far from seeking aesthetic or false compassion she intends to change the way we see a forgotten humanity.