ABSTRACT

Sophia Klaase first used a camera in 1999 when she participated in a photography project as part of a long-term study in the village of Paulshoek, a remote settlement in the communal area of Leliefontein, Namaqualand. At the time, she was only sixteen years old and eagerly exploring the limited outlets for her untutored imagination and vivacious nature. It is evident that drugs and gang culture have found resonance with the youth of Paulshoek, and although HIV/AIDS has affected individuals in the village, it is rarely spoken of openly. Sophia's images were made with simple disposable cameras, instamatics and latterly, digital cameras. Despite the hardship of the landscape and of daily life in Paulshoek, these photographs capture moments that contradict the idea of victimhood. In spite of the isolation and lack of opportunities, the residents of Paulshoek manage to create a sense of the extraordinary as portrayed in Klaase's visual archive of village life.