Laos through my eyes – Tessa Bunney

This article is part of a series of guest blogs contributed by Brits who have lived and worked in Laos, or who have other interesting links to Laos.

As a photographer, I have a particular interest in different landscapes and the way they are shaped by human activity.  Working closely with communities and individuals, my work explores people’s relationship to the environment.

In 2009, whilst working in south west China I met three Aini (Akha) minority women who had walked several kilometres over the border from Laos to sell produce they had collected from the forest or grown at home.  Beautiful and strange fruit and vegetables; dried bamboo shoots all laid out on banana leaves sold directly from the pavement of Mengban for the eager Chinese customers to buy.  Dressed in their traditional costume, these women stayed in my mind and in 2011 I decided to visit Laos for a short research visit and my photographic project Field, Forest and Family was born.

After a period of intense fund-raising in the UK to continue Field, Forest and Family, I moved to Vientiane with my husband and son to work on this project for six months including making a photo-film and working on an editorial commission about an all-female bomb disposal team in Xieng Khouang Province in collaboration with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) which was published in the Financial Times in April 2013.  The photofilm can be viewed on-line at https://vimeo.com/73657656

Fourteen months later we are still here and I am continuing to enjoy exploring rural Laos, freelancing for NGOs and working on editorial assignments throughout the region.

Field, Forest and Family is supported by Arts Council England.