Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl
Valentin Valette
Basalte Éditions
Arabic, French, and English
Texts by Phillipe Gervais-Lambony and Thibaut Klinger
Hardcover
Edition of 700
240 pages
231 x 296 mm
2026
ISBN 9791098534508
Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl explores the economic development and territorial planning of the Sultanate of Oman in the face of the depletion of oil and gas resources and the country’s monarchic transition following the death of Sultan Qaboos. “Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl” also delves into the lives of thousands of men, the workforce and builders of the country, mainly from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. This project aimed to illustrate their major roles in the ongoing development policy while highlighting their working conditions often neglected by Omani decision-makers and entrepreneurs. Because workers are not the sole actors in this development, this documentary project also intends to showcase, in contrast to the employees, the prevailing lifestyles of Omani entrepreneurs and their families. It seeks to foster dialogue between two categories of populations: those who employ and those who are employed. A series of portraits – sometimes in the form of diptychs – but not only, emphasise the connections and hierarchies embodied in this phenomenon of globalised labour migration. “Ashes of the Arabian’s Pearl” is multidisciplinary, combining a collection of archives (resignation letters, cancelled visas, medical orders and reports, pay stubs, dietary regimes, circulars, time sheets, etc.), sound recordings, objects found in abandoned labour camps – photographed in the studio as an inventory – (tools, clothing, maps, personal items, etc.), and a set of over a hundred medium-format photographs. Like the Sultanate of Oman, this project exists on the border of a dual temporality, thus becoming a bridge between past and present.
(Source: https://www.thelibraryproject.ie/collections/photobooks/products/ashes-of-the-arabian-s-pearl-valentin-valette)
About the Artist
Valentin Valette is an independent photographer, artist, and visual anthropology researcher, born in 1994 in the Atlantic-Pyrenees, into a French and Algerian family background. Valette has been trained in the social sciences and humanities at the European Institute (2019-2020) and Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence (2020-2021). Valentin Valette develops a practise that bridges research and artistic creation, using the image as a means of engaging with reality.
https://www.valentinvalette.com
(Source: https://www.valentinvalette.com/about/biography)
About the Publisher
As a publisher of photography books, Basalte explores unique territories and perspectives that reveal reality in a new light. The book is conceived as a space of resonance, where images and narratives engage in dialogue.
https://basalte-editions.com
(Source: https://basalte-editions.com/pages/informations)
