鈥淚鈥檝e always thought of myself as more of an archaeologist than a photographer,鈥 writes
Nigerian-British documentarian Simon Norfolk (b. 1963). 鈥淲e’re all used to the idea that
history alters landscape, but it was not until I placed a camera on an ordinary Afghan
landscape, repeatedly, every month over the course of a whole year that I appreciated how
a terrain swells and falls on a human scale.鈥 Time Taken follows the story of Afghanistan鈥檚
central highlands throughout the seasons, as summer fades towards autumn and winter.
Norfolk wanted to counter conflict-filled press representations of the region. By contrast,
his images of Bamiyan province turn attention to growth and renewal. Farming is a central
focus; the land is carefully crafted, prepared, harvested. 鈥淚t intrigues me that the camera
can appraise these landscapes with a year-long, unblinking honesty that humans are
often in too much of a hurry to perceive.”
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All images courtesy of Simon Norfolk.
