Hartmann Books
Wolfgang Bellwinkel
Book design
Vast Land by Wolfgang Bellwinkel is a photographic study of the last three capitals of Myanmar: Mandalay (1857–1885), Yangon (1885–2005) and Naypyitaw (since 2005). Bellwinkel’s photographs tell the story of a country in which one tragedy has followed another since the mid 19th century: colonial appropriation, world and civil wars, natural disasters, military dictatorship, ethnic conflicts, expulsions. In contrast to the drama and density of the events, Bellwinkel’s images are sober and precise photographs with which he exposes the character and the different layers of time of the three cities. Complementing the photographs, the 20-page essay by sociologist Heinz Schütte provides an in-depth look at the history and present of the featured cities.