The Taklamakan Desert

 

Deserts have always fascinated me. The unique silence, the clear starry sky and the solitude fill me with awe.

Outside the oasis, 4 o'clock in the morning, somewhere on the edge of the Takla-makan desert in western China. After two hours of walking, the oasis is far out of sight and earshot. I'm standing alone before sunrise in a seemingly endless, over-dimensioned "sandbox". The air is still cool. There is not the slightest plant to be seen. The early morning light creates a fantastic structure on the monotony of this landscape and emphasises the harmonious shapes of the dunes. The harsh contrasts of the grazing light reveal the perfect geometry of nature. Photographically enhanced contrasts of detail show the individual building blocks of the up to 100 metre high dune mountains, the grains of sand.

The sandy desert has its own music. The wind blows the grains of sand over the ridges and creates sounds. The "singing dunes" are said to be driven by the wind. They wander.