Xuan Ha closely approached the business of extracting and mining white sand in her hometown (Thang Binh, Quang Nam) – where the glass is produced to export to developed countries. Xuan Ha reflected on the impact of the business, which is led by large companies, on the physical and emotional wellbeing of the locals. Wandering along the coast she picked up the glass bottles that drifted to the shore from various directions, as if they were returning home to their source; the sand they were made from. Overexploitation spreads across the seaside communes. The communes are built on sand, planted on sand and buried under sand and yet their land is being exported away from under their feet. The sand is a nonrenewable natural resource. Once taken it can not be replaced.
The idea “The White Sand In Exile” originates from the culture of the people that live in the Central. They use the sand to make a small white pile to burn the incense on the house altar. It is believed that the sand is a spiritual door between both worlds of the living and the deceased.
