Landslides in Armenia

My project is dedicated to Landslide in Armenia. The second natural disaster after the earthquake in Armenia. Why do this project? Because nobody imagines the potential danger of landslide. Some people have no idea what it is. By shooting this story I wanted to show the life of people living in landslide areas to the world. Many victims of this phenomenon don't even know that they are to blame for their fate as well, since landslide is not only a natural disaster, but also a disaster caused by people themselves. About 47,000 people, which is the 1,5% of the whole population of Armenia, are under the threat of a natural disaster called “landslide”. A landslide is a collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff caused by the force of gravity, which is triggered by a number of factors, such as earthquakes, seismic triggers, and human activity. Clay layer landslides are very common in Armenia, where the water is gathered between the two layers, and eventually the top layer starts to move as a result of the external factors. They occur mainly in mountainous areas, from habitation areas to pastures and hills. The best way to prevent landslides from occurring is not supporting their creation. Humans are the main culprit behind disasters, the rest are natural phenomena turned into disasters by human negligence. “Don’t go that way. It’s very dangerous there. The wall can crumble and hurt you” – people I was taking taking photos of warned me. Poor people, they go to sleep with anxious thoughts, not knowing if they will get up with the walls standing or crashed. For instance, during my shootings, I witnessed a wall standing one day and completely ruined the following day. Landslide is a periodical phenomenon which might not occur for many years, but arise unexpectedly within a second. So people living in risk area wish and hope that it will sleep for years and years. The photos capturing everyday life of the local inhabitants were taken in Sovetashen cemetery, Getahovit and Voghjaberd villages in the course of a year. Multimedia - https://vimeo.com/79377742