Bhutan

"Instead of putting the Gross National Product at the centre of our endeavours, let us strive for Gross National Happiness." These words of Bhutan's fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, capture what sets his Himalayan country apart. Bhutan stayed cut off from the world for a long time. Its borders have been open since 1974, though few visitors have made the trip, and since its first democratic elections in 2008 it has stepped into the modern world while trying to stay true to its own traditions. This book is a gallery of portraits of the people who live there: members of the royal family, monks, religious dancers, farmers, herders, artisans, children and elders, women and men. Each of them stepped of their own accord into a portable studio designed by the photographer, a large black cube that can be set up anywhere, from the king's palace to a village square or a monastery courtyard. Its plain backdrop keeps the viewer's eye on the person alone. Each subject gave a name and described where and how they live and earn a living, and this biographical detail deepens the portraits. People have a history, and their history has a face. The studio portraits are framed by photographs of an ancient landscape found along the Himalayan slopes: towering mountains, fortress-like monasteries, grazing yak herds and untouched forests. Together they offer a view of a world changing slowly, one that may have something to teach a world troubled by the speed of modern life.