DUST
When I arrived in Siem Reap in November 2014, Cambodia felt strangely familiar—almost like Tamil Nadu. It didn’t feel foreign at all. I sensed an unspoken historical connection between my hometown, Kanchipuram, and this place.
At first, I wasn’t sure what story to pursue for the workshop. So I chose to stay open. I didn’t overthink it. I simply observed—watching the people, the rhythm of life, and the subtle details that revealed themselves.
Cambodia revealed itself as a place of contrasts—the old and the new, the serene and the vibrant. One day, during a trip to Tonle Sap Lake, about eighteen kilometers from Siem Reap, I noticed a road under construction next to the lake. What struck me most wasn’t the construction itself, but the thick, persistent dust in the air.
As I walked the stretch from Chong Khneas village to the lake, I realized everything was coated in dust—and soon, I was too. It immediately reminded me of the dusty roads of Chennai. Even under a clear, bright sky, the colors felt muted.
That’s when I began photographing these moments. Later, I titled the work Dust. The government was building a new road, and it felt like people emerged from the dust only to dissolve back into it. This work is an attempt to capture that atmosphere—the textures of daily life shaped by a landscape in transition.
This work was made during the Angkor Photo Workshop 2014
Special thanks to Kosuke Okahara / Ian Teh (Tutors), Jessica Lim and Sohrab Hura