Salay Mayor

This photography series is part of a book project, Houses that Sugar Built: An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes. My colleague, author Gina Consing McAdam, and myself were granted access to photograph these historic mansions. I largely set about photographing the houses against a spoken ‘backdrop’ of Gina’s interviews or sometimes in complete silence. The ‘Sala Mayor’ (main living room) typically showcase the character of the architecture and lifestyle of the people, at the same time, leaves room for the onlooker’s own interpretation of these unique residences.