From issue: #17 The Graduate Issue 2022

Seasonal Worker

In 2019, RoN was working in his hometown of Mexico City when a friend told him about cannabis-harvesting work in northern California, which offered the chance to make a lot of money in a short amount of time, as well as a way to travel. It seemed an unmissable opportunity to RoN, who set off shortly afterwards. However, upon arrival he faced hostility from the locals for being a foreigner and a ‘trimmigrant’, a term used to describe immigrants working seasonally in cannabis harvesting. After a few months of intense work, RoN realised he was no longer the same person and remembered a phrase he’d once heard: ‘No one can remain untouched by their surroundings.’ He turned to photography to retain his sense of self, recording his work that year and when he returned to California for two subsequent harvesting seasons. These images reappear as memories, RoN says, confirming his presence in both the past and present. 

© RoN Weed. From the series Seasonal Worker, 2019-2022

RoN was born in 1998 in Mexico City, where he still lives and works. He studied photography and film at the School of Photography and Visual Media in Mexico City, graduating in 2022 with two projects, Seasonal Worker and Se Va. RoN’s work, which centres on travelling, does not fall within the typical boundaries of documentary. In addition to photography, he has worked on several audiovisual projects. RoN has asked to remain anonymous.

© RoN 299. From the series Seasonal Worker, 2019-2022
Thanks to Spectrum Photographic, Photoworks’ official print partner

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