(Little) Leaders of Hope

Today’s global youths are at the forefront of activism, changing and shaping the political landscapes of their respective countries. While political leaders around the world promise rather than keep, it is the children of our planet continuously keeping policymakers accountable. As the pressure to initiate real change rapidly mounts, they share raw and unfiltered truths, vigorously paving a new path for humanity’s future.

Photography by Edgar Berg, styling by Angel Macias
Interview by Sophia Schwan

Sophia: Why did you decide to shoot in Bali with local children? What is your connection to the land and its people?

Edgar: I had been to Bali a year before the lockdown and had fallen in love with its people and the diverse and lush landscape. I didn't have any specific projects planned but wanted to let my camera and the island guide and inspire me. Upon arrival at the airport, I met a driver named Wayan, who picked me up and we kept in touch.

A few weeks after our initial meeting, he invited me to his village in a region called Tabanan, which is relatively untouched by the tourist industry. There I met his wife and children, and it inspired me to create a project around these amazing kids and their neighbourhood friends that goes back to the roots of my photography.

Sophia: How did you source and customize the clothing? What is the symbolism of the workwear-inspired styling?

Edgar: Angel and I challenged ourselves to only source clothing and accessories from flea markets. With a DIY approach in mind, we painted and repurposed all pieces for our project by adding colourful and joyful elements. The main idea was to portray the kids as small grown-ups who break free from the daily grind culture of work and society’s embedded structures.

Sophia: The colour blue dominates throughout the editorial. Does it hold a symbolic value?

Edgar: The colour palettes play an important role in most of my projects. I try to visualize how everything will fall into place before the shoot: locations, people, styling, etc. I wanted to create a calm, peaceful but also joyful story and the colour blue embodies these characteristics. In addition to that, one of the children’s names was Krisna. He is named after the blue god of protection, compassion, tenderness and love, magically closing the circle on the symbolic nature of the story.