Sala Mayor

Photographed by Siobhán Doran, these are the sala mayor (living rooms) of The Houses that Sugar Built – mansions in the Philippines financed by the sugar trade.

As seen at the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House.

This series is part of a book project, Houses that Sugar Built: An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes, for which I was granted access to these historic mansions. I largely set about photographing the houses against a spoken ‘backdrop’, as my colleague interviewed the owner or custodian, but sometimes worked in complete silence. The sala mayor (main living room) typically showcases the character of the architecture and the lifestyle of the people, but also leaves room for the viewer’s interpretation of these unique residences.