JANEK SCHAEFER/GINO ZARDO

ino Zardo is a photographer and field recordist born to Italian parents in Australia in 1968. He lives New York and has worked along side with some of the most prominent photographers in the world for 15 years. Walking East is his debut release. Walking East is a photographic sound portrait of my travels through the North Western provinces of India, the Himalayas of Nepal and the Island of Papua New Guinea. I set out to explore, through the people I met, the way in which my photographs and sound recordings could magnify the sense of time and place. I began the project in January 1999. Covering 50,000 miles over the next 12 months. I found myself trekking for days through the vast contrasting of landscapes, a western desert, a tropical monsoon, and a dense jungle before I would reach a remote village. Camping along the way and living amongst the families and tribes, I was able to experience their daily lives and acquire an understanding of their histories and cultures. Documenting a variety of people as they performed in music festivals, worked in steel mills, sold their wares in markets, and celebrated their tribal rituals together, I found many similarities. The presence of community; joy, hardship and survival are universal. My thanks to everyone I met throughout my journey who shared their homes and lives with me. I would like to dedicate this project to Moke, a friend I had made along the way, whose courage and honour saved my life...Special thanks to To Aimee, the power of my strength, the love of my life, and also to Janek, whose patience and gifted talents helped me develop and complete the project.