The channel reaches the gardens on a schedule measured in shares of time rather than volume. Who receives water, and for how long, is settled by a system that predates every clock in the village.
Photographed over three days, mostly in the two hours when the shares change hands.
01The Place
The channel enters the gardens at the lowest point of the village and splits four times before it reaches the last plot.
02The Person
The turn belongs to whoever holds the share for that hour. Waiting happens in the shade of the wall.
03The Environment
Each garden has a small earth dam and a stone to hold it. Both are kept where they can be reached without looking.
04The Action
The dam is broken with one push of a foot, and the water finds the row it was meant for in about four seconds.
05The Detail
The mark on the wall shows where the water should stand when a share is full.
06The Relationship
The handover happens without much conversation. The next share is already standing at the corner.
07The Quiet Moment
Between two shares the channel runs empty for a minute, and the sound changes completely.
08The Closing Image
By late morning the water has moved on, and the ground holds the shape of where it went.
Field notes
- Photographed across three days.
- Permission to photograph inside the gardens was requested from each garden’s holder separately.
- No elements added or removed. Edited for tone, colour and crop only.
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