Explore our planet’s most unique places and cultures

Our physical world is changing faster than ever. Climate change and global socio-economic shifts are threatening our magnificent natural landscapes and disrupting small communities. In keeping with this, there is value to be found in confronting and documenting our at-risk environment. For World Photography Day, we invite you to explore A World of Difference, a new online exhibition on Google Arts & Culture offering a perspective of these diverse stories through the lens of Italian photographer Angelo Chiacchio, in collaboration with Art Works for Change. Follow him on his solo journey around the world to capture some of the most fragile landscapes and cultures.

From the resilient women of Namibia’s Himba Tribe to the other-worldly landscape of Venezuela’s Mount Roraima, discover the stories of over 25 locations and communities who call these endangered places home. Explore Tibetan culture in the Himalayas, how life is changing for Tanzanian communities near Mount Kilimanjaro, and how locals are adapting to winds of change in Brazil’s wet desert. Learn what traditions and crafts teach us and how communities are overcoming new challenges to preserve their way of life.

• A display of Himba otjize-textured hair plaits.

  Otjize-textured hair plaits of a Himba woman in northern Namibia. Himba women use mud to style their hair and adorn themselves with handmade jewelry, a symbol of their society.

• Aerial view of white sand dunes and valleys of fresh water lagoons.

  Sunset across the wet desert of Brazil’s Lençóis Maranhenses. Discover how an age-old fishing tradition between sand dunes is developing a sustainable tourism industry in a landscape sculpted by sand, rain and wind.

• A woman from Shimbwe, in colorful local clothing, with eyes closed and hands clasped.

  A woman of the Chagga community who depends on the microclimate near Mount Kilimanjaro. Their ancient way of life is threatened by climate change.

• Landscape of Roraima, with a flat trail, green plains, and blue skies.

  With its 400m high cliffs, Mount Roraima in Venezuela is one of the least accessible places on the planet. Many of the flora and fauna found on top cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

The lessons learned during Angelo’s journey to document the earth’s fragile heritage are those of respect for the natural world and balance in how we live in it. Although the Miccosukee people of Florida’s Everglades mostly live a modern lifestyle, they still find ways to preserve their heritage. The Uro community of Lake Titicaca, who have lived on floating reed-built islands for thousands of years, have found a way to strike a balance with its growing tourism industry and offer an opportunity for their youth to keep their traditions alive by hosting visitors through homestays and sharing their culture first-hand. Across the territories and cultures of this exhibition, Angelo unearths life philosophies that are universal in their application, and utterly breathtaking in this medium.

Explore more stories of the people and ecosystems of Angelo’s journey on the Google Arts & Culture app for iOS and Android.

by Chance CoughenourGoogle Arts & Culture via The Keyword