A thick layer of fine dust covers everything in this apocalyptic landscape. The ground is burning, and a vast area is oozing with toxic gases, fire, and smoke. Amongst all of this, there are people digging in the soil with their bare hands. In Jharkhand, India, coal is mined everywhere. The locals call it »Black Diamond«.
There is a fragile balance between nature and mankind. The human inability to break patterns is painstakingly visible in these photographs, as we knowingly keep on extracting the ground beneath our own feet.
Sebastian Sardi began his work on photographing mines in 2008. Black Diamond is a close portrait of the people who extract coal, as well as an exploration of our dualistic human nature.

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