Maesot, Thailand 2010

Mae Sot, Thailand, three miles from the border with Burma/Myanmar, has been a key destination for displaced persons fleeing the conflict and economic hardship of the repressive military regime which has ruled Burma/Myanmar since 1962. On the dumpsite around 70 Burmese families work long hours each day scavenging for recyclable materials to earn a living. The photographs of the bordertown convey the binaries of the real and representational in the use of posters, advertising and media. Other photographs convey critically the conventions of the picturesque, within the landscape of a dumpsite.