A visual essay by Laia Font
Experiencing Non-existence
Atacama, Chile
A vision by Laia Font
I entered the Atacama desert looking through a bus window with a golden curtain, feeling like I was in the first scene of Paris, Texas. The driest non-polar place on Earth, an extension of more than 100.000 km, containing areas where rain has never been recorded. It emerges like an endless extension of stillness and beauty, so overwhelming that it feels surreal —like being the first human on Earth. The desert makes you feel so insignificant, it's almost like experiencing your own non-existence.
A local driver tells me that twenty years ago, the area was isolated, with only a weekly bus that connected it with the exterior. Now el Valle de la Luna, los Geysers del Tatio and las Lagunas Altiplánicas are crowded with travellers from every corner of the world, who engulf the village of San Pedro de Atacama throughout the year. But in contrast, the presence of indigenous communities and traditions still prevail, showing that wiser and more respectful ways of life are still alive. In Atacama, nature still reigns.
A local driver tells me that twenty years ago, the area was isolated, with only a weekly bus that connected it with the exterior. Now el Valle de la Luna, los Geysers del Tatio and las Lagunas Altiplánicas are crowded with travellers from every corner of the world, who engulf the village of San Pedro de Atacama throughout the year. But in contrast, the presence of indigenous communities and traditions still prevail, showing that wiser and more respectful ways of life are still alive. In Atacama, nature still reigns.
Photography & words by Laia Font
Edited by Bis Turnor
Traveller/s
Laia Font
Writer & Photographer
Laia Font started writing and taking pictures when she was a kid, but she chose the former and ended up studying journalism and writing about culture, feminism, and social issues for magazines and newspapers. However, during that process, and after living in the Czech Republic and Chile, she rediscovered photography not only as a complementary language to her work but also as a way to explore more intimate and poetic narratives.
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