Working in hell

• Photographer
  Thomas Vanden Driessche, Belgium
• Date of Photograph
  online
• Website
  http://www.phototvdd.be

In Jharia in the middle of the indian state of Jharkhand, overexploitation of coal since more than a century threatens hundreds of thousands of people. Underground fire arising from the spontaneous combustion of coal in the region has transorm this land in a real hell on earth. In this moon like landscape then of thousands of people try to survive by scratching the earth to extract illegaly a few pounds of coal that help them to feed their families.

• Biography
  Thomas Vanden Driessche was born in Leuven in 1979. Holder of a master's degree in journalism and a master's degree in humanitarian management, he has been working for the United Nation Development program in Morocco, for the Belgian Red Cross and for the International Committee of the Red Cross Delegation to the European Union and the NATO. Freelance photographer working regularly for the Belgian news magazine Le Vif L'Express since 2010, Thomas joined Out Of Focus in February 2011 and his since early 2012 a nominee photograph in the french agency Picturetank. Strongly attached to the "New Documentary Tradition", his photography is often frontal and tries to split up reality with a special emphasis on portrait. His most recent photographic series tackle Contemporary India and its fast growing economy. Thomas is also working on a long-term project on some forms of trivialization of violence in Europe. Rewarded with a "Parole Photographique" price in 2009 and five PX3 awards in 2010-2011, his work has been recently displayed in Paris (MK2 Library, Gare de l'Est, Galerie Dupon), in Lille (Transphotographiques 2011) and in Brussels (Palais des Beaux-Arts, The Egg). In 2011, Thomas was invited to be a jury member of the prestigious "Visa d'or Humanitaire" awards. Thomas lives and works for the moment in Brussels