Long used as a means of measuring itself, immeasurable sand is infinite. Our cities are built from it. Our phones and computers can’t run without it. The windows we look through — and so many other things we take for granted — wouldn’t be possible without it.

Because sand is easily obtained, its sources are quickly exhausted. In our rush to get more sand, our river banks are collapsing, fish stocks depleting, and entire ecosystems put at risk.

These images from Cambodia and Vietnam are part of a project that I’m working on which takes in India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, France and Canada. These images explore the past, future, and shape of the land made with sand and changing because of sand.

• Tags: Free to read, Tim Pelling