From an upcoming story on the very cool guys who spend much of their free time chopping up cute little vespa’s and putting them back together in ways never dreamt of by Piaggio. Its a real subculture here in Indonesia, and though its a bit hard to track down concrete numbers as many of these Vespa extremists are rather nomadic; there are hundreds of people around the archipelago who think nothing of putting cow horns, or an extra seat for six onto their rides.
I’m back at work after a lengthy period of dormancy following a knee injury. Here’s my first story post knee repair:
Lombok Island in eastern Indonesia is a tranquil tourist destination which is hoping to duplicate nearby Bali’s success as a place people go to escape the worry and stress of their lives in Sydney, Moscow or New York. But trouble at the massive far away banks of Europe and America has bestirred the residents of Lombok into a frenzied and ceaseless search for gold. The price of Gold has more than doubled in the past three years and interest in the metal is unabated as economic news from the advanced economies of the world continues to worsen. Villagers have left their fishing boats and fields to march up the island’s hilly landscape and dig in the hopes of making a small fortune. No one digging there has much knowledge of engineering or geology and in many cases simply dig into the hills until the tunnel collapses. Its dangerous, hard work but the chance of a big payoff is too hard to resist.
For larger versions of the images, just click on fullscreen button in upper right.
Madi, a veteran handler sits with two of his monkeys
When I first saw the above image in my viewfinder, this painting immediately popped into my head:
Gabrielle d’Éstrées and her Sister in a Bath, c. 1595
That was what first popped into my head. I think I saw that in an art class when I was a kid and thought it hilarious – guess it stuck with me. If you are wondering why Gabrielle is tweaking her sister’s nipple circa 1595 you can turn to WTF Art History, which is where I turn for all of my art historical needs. If you’re wondering why the monkey is tweaking the man’s nipple, thats a longer story with an ambiguous ending. A print of the above monkey tweaking photograph will be available for sale among an assortment of fascinating, brilliant and inspiring imagery at the highly esteemed Foto8 Summershow at the HOST gallery in London. If you really like the picture and cannot make it to the exhibition, you can always contact me to arrange a sale :-)
Trees are some of the most interesting and poetic looking features of our planet, and I’ve been seeing alot of interesting work on trees lately. The Getty Museum, which is beautiful and worth a trip if you are in Los Angeles, has a really interesting collection of tree imagery which you can see more about here. Among the most beautiful and strange of the collection was a photograph by South Korean photographer Myoung Ho Lee. Myoung has been photographing Trees in front of large white backdrops separating them from their environment and allowing us to more easily look at them as objects. I strongly urge you to have a look at his work which you can do at the always interesting Lens Culture Blog, where you can also purchase some of Myoung’s photographs. Here are a few of the beautiful and mysterious trees that have inspired me in my travels:
A Monkey tears off a dolls head it has been trained to wear
Time’s LightBox blog ran my story about a kampung in Jakarta which relies heavily on training and performing with monkeys for its welfare. A fascinating and somewhat creepy place. Please have a look here for the whole story. If you haven’t been to LightBox before, it is one of the best places on the internet to find surprising imagery, in-depth stories, and just an incredible range of beautiful and imaginative pictures. I go for a look at least once a day.
A boy naps wearing his spiderman mask in a slum area near a busy railway
Geoffrey Hiller curates an excellent collection of “The New Breed of Documentary Photographer” at the Verve Photo blog. He was kind enough to highlight my work a couple of months ago, this image in particular. If you haven’t seen his blog, have a look. Its a great place to find new and different looking images and undiscovered stories. Here’s a link to the above image on his blog along with some of my thoughts on the image.
North Korean Waitresses entertain customers at the Pyongyang Restaurant in Jakarta
North Korea, starved of foreign currency by sanctions has long been thought to run a shadowy empire of legitimate and not so legitimate businesses through a mysterious agency, Bureau 39. On the legitimate side of things, an increasing number of restaurants run by North Korean embassies are popping up in Southeast Asia which earn hard currency for the government. The food, if you are wondering, is quite nice and very similar to other Korean food you may have had. The waitresses are very pleasant and seem to be professionally trained singers. They live in rooms above the restaurant.
Baby doll masks have become a popular prop for the monkeys. A man is training his monkey to wear the doll head in Kampung Munyet (monkey village) in Jakarta
Stopped into a new, for me, club the other day – Masberto which serves up noise, sweat, and intensity seven days a week – proving once again that Indonesia is where the punk scene is still relevant. If you like punk music or just punks – check it out. I haven’t really done justice to it here so please do check out the excellent piece by my friends Maria Bakkalopulo, an ethno-musicologist(which must be one of the coolest job titles in the world), and Ayumi Nakanishi, a great photographer who have been studying Punks here in depth.
An Indonesian man uses a computer at a public internet shop
The BBC has done an excellent special report on what it means to be without internet. A category which includes much of the developing world. In Indonesia, public internet shops like the one above provide access to the world online for those that cannot afford computers, but Indonesian’s are increasingly getting online using only mobile phones. You can see the BBC report here.
Evening in Jakarta – a man operating a mobile kids’ ride heads home after a day of entertaining children.
Thai soldiers shield themselves after a series of grenade explosions in a central Bangkok district
The Thai Military are another major player in Thailand’s ongoing political conflict. The Thai military overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, sparking 4 years of almost constant turmoil. Civilian rule was restored in 2007, and the military has mostly stayed on the sidelines trying to restore order without overtly taking sides. Please click here for more images
Thai people calling themselves the "No Color" people, but largely pro-government, and pro-Monarchy demonstrate against the "Red Shirt" takeover of a glamourous shopping district in central Bangkok
The Thai middle class and cultural and business elite are another group that has taken center stage in the ongoing political conflict in Thailand. They support the current government and are largely pro-monarchy and fiercely opposed to Thaksin and his political allies. Please click here for more images.
Thai "Red Shirts" shout at pro-government demonstrators opposite their encampment in a glitzy shopping district in central Bangkok
Thailand’s 4 year political upheaval seems like it never really ends – just carries on with different players taking the lead for a time. At the moment the leading player is a group of largely rural Thais who form the “Red Shirts” who are demanding that the current government step down to allow for new elections. The “Red Shirts” are the largest voting block in Thailand and have been closely allied with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was deposed by a military coup in 2006 and is currently in exile facing corruption charges. please click here for more pictures
Abandoned home for Dutch nurses during Indonesia's colonial period
The tropical environment so quickly reasserts itself over man made structure. Here are a couple images from an ongoing series exploring that theme
A Karaoke Hostess waits for customers in a windowed "viewing room" at a bar in Bandung
Officials in West Java have finally decided to use Indonesia’s controversial Anti-Pornography law to prosecute four women who police say were dancing indecently at a bar in Bandung. The over four hundred page law leaves alot of room for police and prosecutors to decide when the law has been broken.
Acehnese Schoolgirls walk through the grounds of Banda Aceh’s main Mosque on the way home from their schoolAcehnese schoolgirls walk through the grounds of Banda Aceh’s Grand Mosque on their way home from school. Shariah Laws being proposed by Aceh’s government, including stoning to death for the crime of adultry, have raised eyebrows among Indonesian government officials as well many citizens who oppose the strict enforcement of Islamic law. Please click here for more pictures.
I stayed on a beach nearby with a couple of friends and watched and listened (the explosions are really loud) to the remnents of the Kraktoa volcano erupt all night. It is just amazing to watch the earth remake itself out in the middle of the Sunda Strait. I’d recommend the experience to anyone. More pictures here
Indonesian soldiers patrol a business district where two hotels were bombed 17/07/2009
Terrorist bombs ended an all too brief 4 year period of peace and calm in Indonesia last week. As I heard the news and rushed over, I felt a real heaviness in the pit of my stomach. I thought that Indonesia’s intense and often successful campaign against terror groups had put an end to the yellow tape, mangled bodies and grief-stricken relatives; and the feeling of dread whenever a bus tire explodes. Its a sharp reminder that as long as even one motivated and twisted person remains at large, these things are possible. Please click here for more images.