Railway Community | Insight into Phnom Penh's Railway Districts

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Railway Community | New York Photography Awards

6 Kilometers

Over 300 families live in Phnom Penh's “Kilometer 6” commune, located alongside railway tracks that stretch from the districts of Tuol Kork to Daun Penh and Russey Keo. Steff Gruber's Black & White photographs; Railway Community provides an insight into the society living in Phnom Penh’s Railway Districts in Cambodia. Gruber is internationally known for his documentary film: "Location Africa", for the shooting of Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski for the film "Cobra Verde".

Railway Community | New York Photography Awards

The Railway Community has been the home of some of the poorest people in the city, often running small businesses and living in the form of small kiosks within the community. These families live in self-built shacks along the stretch that often consist of a single room. Due to limited space available, residents are seen spread out over the train tracks during the day. In his photographs, one can see the lives of the Railway Community living in poverty, with refuse littered alongside the rails and their homes.

Railway Community | New York Photography Awards

Children are seen playing and enjoying their time along the rails as the adults watch over them, as the pathway where freight trains pass becomes clear it becomes the center of life for the community. As seen in his photographs, many of them suffer from the lack of proper amenities such as water and electricity. Like many Phnom Penh families before them, the Railway Community faces eviction, a reminder by Gruber that across the world where we live, there are families that are constantly in danger of eviction while living in uncomfortable situations.

Railway Community | New York Photography Awards

Gruber's masterpiece shot in black and white is a deliberate action, as removing color from his images assists in eliminating distractions and allows the viewer to focus on the core elements of the composition, in this case; the living conditions of the society in Phnom Penh’s Railway Districts in Cambodia. Additionally, the colors black and white provide a viewing opportunity to see the world from a different perspective, almost with a child’s eye, analyzing everything and learning from the most simple things.