Malawi Boats

Nkhotakota, Malawi, Africa

Camera: Hasselblad XPan

What makes it special: Along the wanderer's path, unforgettable moments of minimalistic form and balance present themselves.

The story:  "Sculpted by the elements of time, they often are integral parts of daily life, shapes of functionality and utility emanating a peaceful Zen vibration of natural color and form.

Located in the heart of Africa, Malawi is a small, narrow country that surrounds an incredibly clear, beautiful lake. It is a desperately poor country filled with rich hearts and laughing souls. They are warm, happy people who live colorful but primitive lives along the shoreline. Like so many Third World places, the presence of modern technology is sparsely mixed in with the rudimentary handmade tools of the land. It presents a visual contrast, reminding us of the time's evolutionary processes, contrasting the ways of old, traditional, grounded life with the introduction of modern tools and modern times.

For hundreds of years, the Malawian boat was carved out of the trunk of indigenous trees. Their form has not changed for a very long time. They are extremely heavy and slow in the water, and precarious to balance, but they remain the primary mode of transport for a large portion of the fishing population. Over time, the boats, crafted from the land with tools from the land, disappear into and become one with the land by the lake they ply. Their weathered lines are a crisscross of scars and patched holes, monolithic, aquatic forms that belong to the land."