Bali’s Serenity: People and the Water celebrates the interdependence between Balinese subsistence communities and the landscape. While traveling through Bali in 2011, photographer Caroline Braker captured intimate moments of people’s peaceful relationship with nature: working hard in the rice fields or fishing at sunrise or simply enjoying the beauty around them. The people Caroline met seemed less rushed and stressed than those in the industrialized world.
The story of the Lone Fisherman encapsulates the essence of the Balinese people’s deep connection with the water. Having watched a man on the sea one morning at sunrise, Caroline was lucky enough to talk with him afterward. Speaking in broken English, the Lone Fisherman shared with Caroline the art of fishing, only taking what his family needs. The core of his livelihood and daily ritual relied on delicately balancing the needs of his family with those of nature.