Parallel world

_{A visual essay}

Due to coastal erosion, the Thai village of Ban Khun Samut Chin struggles for its existence. Since 1984, the sea has continuously claimed coastal land. Many households were forced tomove several times, and the village went backfrom 250 households to a mere ninety today. Here, the climate crisis is a daily reality.

Satita Taratis, a Thai photographer and visual storyteller born in Bangkok (about forty kilometers from Ban Khun Samut Chin) started frequenting the the village in 2019, and kept coming back throughout the following years to document the villagers. They spoke to her about the past — when you could catch prawn and crab with your bare hands in the Chao Phraya River estuary. Those days are gone, because of a manmade dam upstream. Her time there led to this reportage, that she called Parallel World. The village is a place, she says, that « exists in parallel, yet we feel like we have nothing to do with it. »

_{The coastal plant known as cha-kram (seablite) has salty leaves that locals collect for tourists and restaurants. The leaves are used to create easy and delicious dishes, like omelets made with cha-kram leaves. The Thai herb is also recognized for its properties that help ease constipation and act as a mild laxative.}