May 19, 2010

I’ve lost my head from the fumes of violence. The crackdown on the protest was dreadful. The vitriol unleashed by the government against the protestors (not to mention the bullets) has led to a Mao-ist like cultural policy. University professors who supported the protestors getting dragged off to army camps for questioning, facebook gangs “outing” prospective uni students as red sympathizers AND the universities withdrawing admission, winner of Cannes Palme d’Or (Thai) getting dis-invited to Cultural Ministry dinner because he criticized Thai gov’t censorship.

The only good thing is our cafe and gallery has opened and is doing well and has become a refuge for sane people in our neighborhood.

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Bitter Truth

“Look, I met you in person only about an hour ago, though I am familiar with your photos and I remember a few things that I have been told about you. If I had to express the idea that I have of you, in a single sentence, I would say “He lives out of a sleeping bag.” That would sum up your way of using your time, which is different from mine, and probably more efficient. It’s not that I am dissatisfied with my own life. But I know that too often I have done things that didn’t really interest me, or that distracted me from what I thought was my real purpose, because I forced myself to respond to the ideas or the desires of others. I believe that if I was allowed to move back and to relive some hours of my life, the moments I would choose would be those when I was photographing for myself, in the streets of New York or in India. Or even some moments in the studio, when making portraits.”

Brutally honest, self awareness… hits home.

Great conversation here between Frank Horvat and Josef Koudelka.

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Leftovers

I think some of the best meals I’ve made are from riffing with leftovers. The limitations help the improvisation. That also seems to be the case with the construction of WTF. Small budget, small space and limited time have meant a great deal of compromise, but that has focussed the creative solutions. The previous tenants (owners of a supermarket) had stored a bunch of shelves and random AC covers that are now elements of benches, tables and screened partitions.

Perhaps even my photography is best when a job has extreme limitations. I’ve always found the best pictures have come from circumstances where the setting/town is uglier than anticipated; the light is fading fast; the subject is recalcitrant.

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Still Working

I’m not a full-time bartender yet. I just got the latest Monocle with a story I photographed on a “hot” neighborhood in Bangkok. Lots of fun to explore a place I knew only superficially. The story looks nice too — even ran some food shots and an additional pleasure of working for Monocle was they paid me on time. (Truly astounding in these times of 90++day invoice delays.)

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