Terra Arisca examines territories stirred by the dispute for land in Brazil, where farms and landless workers camps are neighboring and in unceasing tension.

Over the past twenty years, the invasion of private lands by the landless workers movements has evolved as a favored means of pushing for agrarian reform in Brazil. The landless workers invade private, public, unused, productive, or even legally documented agricultural tracts to bring attention to their quest for land distribution within the country. Landowners and rural workers occasionally have to abandon their properties. Death threats and attempted murder are customarily typical of the conflict.

The images for this project were created during nighttime hours, mirroring the timing of most land invasions. The areas were lit using torches or car headlights, as that is the way these areas are approached and seen in the dark. These images intend to evoke a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty in a social landscape of constant psychological pressure.

Brazil, 2013-2015

(scans from 120mm colour negative)