Book
- Dum Spiro Spero
Date
- 2025. Rough dog press
Info
- Photographs and text by Olof Jarlbro Text: Sven Kristensson, Thomas Niklasson, Martin Schibli.
144pp, 24x28cm. Hardcover, Language Swedish English. ISBN 978-91-981210-5-6.
Dum Spiro Spero
Dum Spiro Spero takes you to the active Kawah Ijen volcano and is the only manually operated sulphur mine in the world. The work in the mine is called the worst job in the world because of the toxic gases around the crater, which measure 4o times higher than what can be considered acceptable for humans to stay in. The book and exhibition Dum Spiro Spero is the result of a unique collaboration with the Nederman Group, where the air we breathe is in focus.
"Based on the individuals’ stories, which become small micro-histories, Jarlbro ultimately generates a larger perspective at the macro level on what the world looks like today, how we use the earth’s resources and means of production, and how the global cycle is connected between continents and shifting social classes."
Among the hundreds of tourists are about 40 miners, who are also waiting for the gate to open so they can start the day’s work. Sulphur mining began in 1968 in Kawah Ijen and remains the only manually operated sulphur mine in the world. It has long been called the world’s most damned job, due to the fact that many of its workers die before reaching the age of 40.
The mining companies have installed ceramic pipes from the southeast part of the crater, which allow them to channel the sulphur vapor, which condenses almost immediately into liquid sulphur, which then drips out and solidifies into lumps of sulphur, which the miners chip away at. Many of the workers lack vital protective equipment such as gas masks and instead rely on a piece of cloth in their mouths. This has resulted in several fatal accidents since mining started in Kawah Ijen. Constant coughing attacks, followed by runny noses and eyes are commonplace for the workers in the crater. The toxic gases around the crater are concentrated sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide gases measuring 40 times higher than what can be considered acceptable for human habitation. The miners risk irreparable damage to the lungs and reproductive system followed by continuous exposure causing the miners’ teeth to slowly dissolve.
At the bottom of the crater lies the almost two kilometres long turquoise lake that glows deceptively beautiful in the dark. The lake has a pH lower than that of battery acid and is strong enough to dissolve metal. It is the world’s largest acid lake on earth. Volcanoes are generally described in sacred writings as hell and from this the yellow sulphur has been called the Devil’s Gold.
