Photographer Thomas Pringault is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘Dust in the eye’. To see Thomas ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Une poussière dans l’oeil

At the heart of the Bromo region in Indonesia, where vast expanses of volcanic landscapes evoke both the majesty and hostility of nature, a complex and emotional relationship persists between Tengger people and their faithful companions, the horses.

The horses are kept locked up all day in a little dark cage with only a small light bulb to illuminate them, there is sometimes some violent treatment, and quite serious injuries. Despite all of this there is a certain form of love.

The link between horse and man is full of ambiguity.

These images explore the connections between the inhabitants of the Bromo region and their horses. Today, they are essentially used for tourism and are gradually disappearing, replaced by jeeps and motorcycles. The idea is to explore this ancestral connection and its evolution. The aim is also to reflect the challenging living conditions of the Tengger people through those of their horses.

The series is called Une poussière dans l’oeil which is a French expression when someone doesn’t admit he is crying he says:

“No no,

I have just a speck of dust in the eye”.

I come from a small island in the western Indian Ocean, Réunion Island, where I spent my entire childhood between volcanic and maritime landscapes, and the multicultural Reunionese “viv’ ansamb” (living together). After obtaining a literary baccalaureate with a cinema option in Réunion, I decided to pursue higher education in image-related fields. I thus enrolled at the University

of Paris for film studies. After earning my bachelor’s degree, a desire for more hands-on practice, as well as to get closer to photography, led me to enroll at the Gobelins school, from which I have now graduated.

For me, photography and cinematography are mediums for creation, expression, and the permanent development of thought. They make it possible to leave a lasting trace through time while being in dialogue with the Other, the public, in order to allow them to discover, to reflect, to feel new sensations, to experience emotions, to open their eyes, and to heal the ills.

All images and text © Thomas Pringault