Bolivia is home to the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world. At just over 4,000 square miles across, the fantastically surreal terrain was created by prehistoric lakes that have long since dried up, leaving a shimmering white crust behind. The region is known to be both enchanting and dangerous, many people getting lost in the expanse. Here weather can create dramatic changes and rain transforms the earth into a reflective pool of endless sky. Photographer Scarlett Hooft Graafland creates dreamlike panoramas in Salar de Uyuni, using the unearthly location for her images full of color and whimsy.
Graafland has been traveling to Bolivia for more than a decade, teaming up with performance artist Gastón Ugalde to make art in the sweeping salt and sun. Playing upon the strange beauty of the land, they use everyday materials and objects to create quirky scenes full of geometry and hands-on ingenuity. Shooting with analog cameras, the photographs are not digitally altered in any way, the fantasy of dancing hats and exploding trucks all an actual performance caught on film. The series makes magic in an already spectacular landscape, proving that with a little imagination, the entire world can be your canvas.
All images © Scarlett Hooft Graafland 2014
via Kinfolk