TourisMe

The serie “TourisMe” presents a place which has started to undergo mass tourism : the lake Baïkal in Siberia. It is situated on at the border between Asia and the West. In the winter, desert streets of the Olkhon island (situated on the lake), contrast with tourists who browse around on the frozen lake inside vans, looking for “taking good pictures”.

Tourists coming mostly from Korea and China (with some Russians), stage and strike the pose to digital cameras or smartphone, in front of rustic buildings.

The inhabitants of the island have received electricity since 2005, and now they try to preserve their way of live which is suspended in time, but they also wish to take part in capitalism by increasing their income.

That is the reason why they have created some accommodations and attractions to be conform to mass tourism uses which is becoming more and more intense.

This photographic series shows that the desire of consuming the world contributes to reduce borders but also the singularity of territories.