The project „In the desert of the Aral Sea“ deals with the environmental catastrophe of the Aral Sea, whose dehydration has a big impact on the everyday life and culture of the people in this region. The photographic work is structured through long shots and half-totals from everyday situations and group portraits.
Aralsee is located in the territory between Kazakhstan and the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, which is part of Uzbekistan. In Soviet times all Soviet countries got an economic plan. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan should plant cotton in very large quantities. Thus, both countries began to intensively use the water for irrigating the cotton fields from two large rivers Amudarya and Syrdarya. Less and less water reached Aral Sea. So began his dehydration, which also caused the other problems. Pesticides used to irrigate the cotton fields enter the ground through groundwater or through the rivers around Aralsee. The desiccation turned 100 kilometers into a salt desert, there was no drinking water left. The people who live in this region have thereby got lung problems, intestinal diseases. All fish works were closed. There are hardly any fish in the Aral Sea today, only plankton Artemij. Many fishermen remained without work, without food. People have left their homes and moved to other cities or neighboring countries in search of work.
The consequences of this man-made disaster are still visible. On May 28, 2018, salt storm was fixed for the first time in history, the consequences of which can only be predicted.