By Hannah Stevens @Hannahshewans
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Workers at the Kawah Ijen volcano travel into its depths several times a day to haul up to 90 kilos of sulphur up to the surface.
Photographer Fabian Muir decided to visit the mines after seeing Michael Glawogger’s documentary entitled “Workingman’s Death,” which explored the extreme working conditions of low income workers around the globe.
Muir said: “His portrayal of the sulphur miners particularly fascinated me. On many levels it had a sense of conditions that might have looked much the same 200 years ago and I found it shocking that people should be working like this in the ‘modern’ era.
“Workingman’s Death was filmed in 2005 and I wanted to see if anything had changed a decade later — it hasn’t.”
The three kilometre hike into the volcano takes several hours in each direction, but for every full load - weighing between 70 and 90 kilos - workers will earn just €4.20-€5.40.
At the top of the remote volcano, a sign rests at the crater prohibiting people from descending into the crater but the photographer said there was not a soul in sight controlling access.
Conditions in the volcanic crater are harsh and workers struggle daily with the perilous climb in and out of the crater, as well as the constant stream of noxious volcanic gases engulfing them.
Fabian said: “The smell of the sulphur is tolerable until one gets caught in the smoke. With the wind shifting around unpredictably it’s a question of when this will happen rather than if, and the fumes are very toxic.
“If they envelop you it’s literally impossible to breath and completely blinding. A few of the miners have primitive gas masks, but a great many work without any protection.
“The overall topography combined with the tonalities of the site give it a distinctly otherworldly feel.”
Despite the brutality of their daily work, Fabian said the miners held themselves with impressive dignity and positivity.
The Sydney-based photographer added: “A great deal can also be learnt from the quiet dignity of the miners.
“None of them complained, none of them asked me for any kind of payment and many of them had ready smiles in conditions of extreme hardship.
“Unfortunately these images are unlikely to improve conditions on the ground, but at the very least, they might put many westerners’ supposed problems into a proper perspective.”