New Philosopher – July 2019

NewPhilosopher

dying in his bed and he’d be there for

three days and people would come by

and it was not like something to put

away. It can really have heavy conse-

quences if we don’t start talking about

it, if we don’t realise that we have to

die, and get familiar with it.

This isn’t the case everywhere, as you

know all too well. In many places death

isn’t hidden away, it is in full view such

as with your photos of the Ma’Nene ritual

of the Torajans in Indonesia. Was it con-

fronting for you to look death in the eye

through your project?

No, I really get excited when these

things happen. It might help that I

have a camera in front of my eyes, but I

am not scared of looking at dead peo-

ple who have died a natural death. My

first real dedicated trip on the project

was to Haiti, where death is really up

front. I knew it would be possible to

study many different aspects of death

in Haiti, and I spent two and a half

months digging into the subject. I had

to find out if there were any images

in my idea about documenting death

rituals – or if it was just a crazy idea.

I also had to find out if I could stand

looking at all these dead people. And

would I be able to photograph it in a

proper way so that other people could

stand looking at my work? Also, could

I get access and could I document it

in an ethical way with respect for the

dead, the relatives, and the viewers?

Earlier in my career I worked

in conflict zones, I went to Haiti af-

ter the earthquake several times, I’ve

Dead and alive

Below: Santiago de Sacatepéquez, Guate-

mala. A Mayan family is burying a young

family member who died in a car accident.

Photo: Klaus Bo.