This video was made during a time of rapid transformation and political unrest for the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Province - the largest region in northwestern China. Authorities were beginning to destroy the old city in Kashgar, the cultural heartland of the Uyghurs that stood for more than 2000 years. The labyrinth of alleyways has been essential to the livelihood and identity of a close-knit community, yet more than 200, 000 Uyghurs were being relocated to modern surveilled apartment blocks on the outskirts of town.

As I started to photograph the destruction of these beautiful buildings in the old city, many locals invited me into their soon-to-be demolished homes and spoke of their great sadness to be forced to leave their roots and their community.

While the official stance deemed the resettlement necessary for local safety against potential earthquakes, others believed the project was rather about Han Chinese control and national security.

The Uyghurs have continued to face further persecution since these images and video were made. The rise to power of Xiping in 2013 ramped up the brutal crackdown on religion, language, culture, and personal freedom in Xinjiang. According to the UN, more than one million Uyghurs have been imprisoned since 2017 and those not detained have been subjected to intense surveillance, religious restrictions, forced labor, and forced sterilizations.

Sadly, the old city pictured here was completely erased by 2020. Only a small tourist-friendly facsimile remains, that has been stripped of its authentic cultural elements.

‘Made from Earth’, documents a time when the labyrinth of tightly interlocking alleyways of the old city in Kashgar was still inhabited by a vibrant population of Uyghurs.