VEINS OF THE DEVIL'S VALLEY

The study of Burmese amber presents a significant ethical dilemma in paleontology. Mined in the Hukawng Valley, also known as Devil’s Valley, in northern Myanmar’s Kachin region, Burmese amber is the only known source of amber fossils from the Cretaceous era. However, its trade and acquisition financially support Myanmar’s oppressive military regime, exacerbating the human rights crisis in the region. Control of the amber trade often falls into the hands of armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, leading to violence, exploitation of resources, and the displacement of local communities.

The project explored how the indigenous Kachin people might benefit from the amber trade, analyzing the role they currently play in this system through activist reports and articles. It proposed a strategy involving the construction of clandestine tunnels and chambers within the rugged terrain, designed to discreetly protect the infrastructure behind amber production and distribution.

The project also sought to highlight the lives of those involved, creating a narrative that emphasizes the resilience and evolving nature of the system. Animated visualizations of the tunnel network from the inhabitants' perspective were used to portray this. However, the use of game engines as architectural representation tools presents a tension, balancing the severity of the subject matter with the potential for oversimplification through gamification.