Borneo, best known for it’s pristine beaches and ancient, biodiversity-rich rainforests including orangutans and clouded leopards, is also home to a unique community of stateless citizens who are born, live and die at sea.
Traditionally Bajau Laut are a boat-dwelling nomadic group that can be found on the Celebes Sea in the Sabah region of Borneo. The group, known more broadly as Sea Gypsies, live through trading and subsistence fishing. Today their population is diminishing, with many moving to the mainland to seek work.
Their close proximity to the Southern Philippines and the home of the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist network with international links, has seen the movements of the Bajau Laut restricted due to recent kidnappings in the area and associated curfews enforced by the Malaysian Military.
Combine this with ongoing challenges, including a high dependence upon marine resources and depleting trade and food sources. There are also outside pressures for cultural assimilation and modernization, presenting more reasons for many of the local sea gypsies to abandon their culture and lifestyle and move to nearby towns to find work.
Travel into the depths of the Indonesian jungle in West Kalimantan, Borneo, and you will find the Iban Dayak.
Considered the original wild men, today around 280,000 Iban Dayaks live in \"Rumah Panjai\" or longhouses and their surrounds, usually close to one of the hundreds of rivers located in the region.
Makrana is the marble capital of India. It is renowned for producing fine-quality, elegant white marble, which also covers the Taj Mahal, one of the most recognisable buildings in the world and a symbol of eternal love. In stark contrast to the beauty and positive symbolism the Taj represents, Makrana, located in Rajasthan’s Nagaur District, is a town marked by sorrow, hardship and illegal working practices. Makrana is home to a number of small marble mines, which are difficult to regulate. Many fail to comply with the safety standards required by Indian law. The stakes are high for the workers earn around $2.50 for eight to ten hours hard labour, with approximately three deaths per month recorded." }, "overrides": { "transitionType": "hScroll" }, "isIndex": false, "alias": "The Marble City" }, "PERSONAL WORK | Mark Lehn Brisbane Photographer/Lotus Centre Mongolia | Mark Lehn Reportage Photography": { "id": 14, "key": "PERSONAL WORK | Mark Lehn Brisbane Photographer/Lotus Centre Mongolia | Mark Lehn Reportage Photography", "label": "Lotus Centre Mongolia | Mark Lehn Reportage Photography", "password": "", "visible": true, "media": [ 10386, 10135, 10599, 10600, 10357, 10595, 10130, 10125, 10601, 10133, 10602, 10603, 10604, 10129, 10596, 10122, 10392, 10136, 10139, 10137, 10140, 10138 ], "mediaItems": [ 10386, 10135, 10599, 10600, 10357, 10595, 10130, 10125, 10601, 10133, 10602, 10603, 10604, 10129, 10596, 10122, 10392, 10136, 10139, 10137, 10140, 10138 ], "subTitle": "", "overrides": {}, "thumb": { "type": "", "size": "", "gap": 10, "defaultOn": false, "titleBlock": "
The Lotus Centre is a Mongolian non-profit, non-government organisation. Founded in 1995 by Didi Kalika, an Australian moved to action by the children on the streets of Mongolia’s capital, today the Centre goes beyond providing just basic care for vulnerable and abused children. Orphans are given an education and are part of a caring community. 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These projects are about more than documenting people and places. They are about building connections. Photography has the power to spark interest, challenge assumptions and create empathy by bringing distant stories closer to home. Whether photographing Indigenous communities in Borneo, maritime cultures in Southeast Asia or individuals navigating a changing world, the goal is always to share authentic human experiences with respect and understanding. Many of these bodies of work develop over time through travel, conversation and immersion. Rather than arriving with predetermined narratives, I approach each project with an open mind, allowing the people I meet to shape the story. The resulting images aim to celebrate cultural diversity while highlighting the values, aspirations and challenges that unite us all. In an increasingly connected world, understanding different cultures has never been more important. 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Mozambique is home to some of the poorest and most marginalized families in the world. For these vulnerable families every day is a struggle to achieve basic securities like food and shelter. Illnesses, including HIV and AIDS are common, as is economic migration. Often children are left without parents to care for themselves or are taken in by elderly grandparents.
The UN, in collaboration with the government of Mozambique, have taken steps to help these families and provided them with opportunities to access greater security and contribute to social growth and development. However, this work is far from complete, the impact of poverty, HIV and other illnesses is still highly visible. The stories of these families inspire hope, as change happens through individual and institutional actions.
Around fifteen percent of Ethiopians live below the poverty line. HIV/AIDS is a key challenge for many of the most vulnerable populations, including women and children. This project tells the story of some of the many women and children living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. In 2013 an estimated 790,000 individuals were living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. There is also an estimated 900,000 orphans living in Ethiopia as a flow on effect from the disease.