I wanted to photograph the specific discomfort of being tested by your teacher — that moment when competence meets scrutiny and you have to hold your ground or admit the error. The Oromo-Piedmontese fusion felt right because both cultures have deep merchant traditions with elaborate systems of witnessed transactions. The daylight is unforgiving on purpose — no atmosphere to hide in, just the scales and her face and whether she measured true. I'm tired of photographing women in communion with forces. I want to photograph a woman in communion with her own accuracy. —Lux