An Homage to our Workers – Stephen Champion

For more than 35 years veteran photographer, Stephen Champion, has photographed Sri Lanka in all her complexities. He has observed stunning natural and urban landscapes, the every day joys, hardships and disruptions of her peoples, both in times of great unrest and in times of blissful harmony. His haunting portraits, studies of village culture and temple, urban and rural architecture and modern kitsch, are all bound within his two major archives; ‘Dharmadeepa’ and ‘Colours of Change’. In this photo edit for Polity, Stephen shared with us 16 portraits from this collection spanning three decades. Ordinary folk countrywide are his heroes and heroines here. They are people whose working conditions are often difficult and whose incomes are modest and precarious. Their day to day labour sustains us all.