Picture of the Week 15.12.14 – The Corridor of Opportunity
By Tessa Bunney on 15 December 2014A Hmong woman splicing hemp in the remote and roadless village of Ban Chalern, Phongsaly province. In Lao PDR, hemp is now only cultivated by the Hmong in remote mountainous areas of the north. Ban Chalern will soon be relocated away from the Nam Ou river due to construction of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project Dam 7.
This week I’ll be spending a couple of days working with Passa Paa a cultural design collective in Luang Prabang – photographing their work using traditional hemp fabrics and Hmong patterns to “explore the language of design that has evolved in textiles in Laos” and creating new and exciting products.