Post on 04-Apr-2018
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THE SRI LANKA ISSUE
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METAMORPHOSIS
Shehn Kunk, Gues We
The word brings to mind insects. Science
book diagrams of caterpillars becoming
butterflies. A Kafka story of a man waking
up as a giant bug.
Metamorphosis is something more
than just change. It is a transformation
where the after is unrecognisable from the
before. It can be instantaneous, like Banner
turning into Hulk. It can be prolonged, like a
frog emerging from tadpole, as unexpected
as a kingdom falling or as quiet as ahealing wound.
It is the past becoming the now; the
broken becoming the whole as Sri La nka
is transforming, from war porn to tourist
brochure; from third world mess to Asian
hopeful. Taking its time, some say and
happening too fast, say others. It is the dark
ages before our renaissance, the difficult
puberty that were told will pass.
So how long before our voices crack?
How long before we come of age? Will
Lanka wake to find itself transformed into
a butterfly? Or into a cockroach?
You wont find the answers in
newspapers, on the streets, in the brayingof Parliament or in the forecasts from afar,
but you may find it in a photograph.
A lens can capture a wave unfurling,
a frown deepening or a sunset turning
to gold. It notices change before we can.
Sufferers becoming survivors, landscapes
changing hue, tides shifting, and the
shadow giving way to light.
A camera sees wonder in lovers under
umbrellas, in abandoned bikes, in grass
blowing in the breeze. And transforms the
All images from the series Before Tomorrow
by Yannik Willing
Doorman Chattu Kuttan, Hotel Galle Face, Colombo,
September 2011, Medium Format 6 x 7 negative film
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All images from the series Before Tomorrow
by Yannik Willing
Above: Construction site for a luxury hotel, Passikudah,
September 2011, Medium Format 6 x 7 negative film
Facing Page: Dehiwela Bridge, Colombo,
September 2011, Medium Format 6 x 7 negative film
Page 5: Father and son, Arugam Bay, February 2011,
Medium Format 6 x 7 negative film
Page 6: Galle Face Green, Colombo, September 2011,
Medium Format 6 x 7 negative film
Page 7: Soldier, Arugambay, August 2011,
Medium Format 6 x 7 negative film
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act as silent testimonies to their own volatile histories.
However, the changes in Sri Lanka since 2009, which marks
the end of the civil unrest, have been radical, often media driven,
and very often with the sway of commerce, seeking to globalise,
democratise and popularise. In the midst of this, photography
practice has been difficult to surmise as the contemporary
itself is infused so much with memorythough the process of
ideating and constructing have surely begun. And so, in Sri Lanka,
what may be considered War Photography for instance, is a point
of rendezvous as well as memorialisation, the remembrance of a
space that has now drastically changed, though much censorship
remains. What then does photography achieve, when its reception
is curtailed? The civil war and its resultant pitfalls that marksso much of the journalistic work from the outside looking into
Sri Lanka from the late 70s, lays claim to the present, but there
are moments of imaginative amnesia, and creative zest that
challenges this past.
The contemporary moment and temperament of
photography in Lanka, which would have never been achieved
in this issue without Dominic Sansonis generous advice and
contribution, arises as much from a sense of wondering and
reconciliation as from a fresh self-awareness: life has indeed
changed and so should the visual culture that propels it.
Consequently, the personal endeavours by upcoming as well as
professional individuals manages a clear disjuncture from the
earlier work of the 80s, as does the sense of candidness when
looking at the religious fusion at a societal level. Our interactions
have therefore yielded an embrace of diversity, looking always toundermine the despotism and hatred that was once rampant.
As is the case with most collaborative endeavours, we would
like to mention that this issue provides only one view of the
photography scene in Sri Lanka rather than a blanket about the
state of photography there as a whole. Neither is it intended as
an Indian opinion of Sri Lanka, seeking to achieve its own goals of
authority and claim, as the final selections have been arrived at
after interactions from within. The true chronicle of the aims and
achievements of photography initiatives in Lanka would primarily
begin from inside the country, once the history of photography
practice has been unearthed, archives preserved and studied, and
specific institutions formed to confront the mantle of change.
BEyOnd WAR: A COMMEnT On
COnTEMPORARy SRI LAnkAn
PHOTOgRAPHy
tnv Msh
Doctors are often asked by their patients about how long it
might take for them to recover from their ailments. No matter
how complicated the injury, the convalescence period is one of
healing, transformation and optimism. But what happens when
a community of people, or in fact an entire nation is wounded?
For a country like Sri Lanka, that has been ravaged by civil war for
close to three decades, one may ponder how the citizens have
resurrected themselves, transformed their lives and returned to
some legible form of normalcy.On a recent visit to Sri Lanka, the only country I have
travelled to that has had a prolonged period of conflict in
our recent past, these were some of the questions that came
to mind. The visit, a reconnaissance for this issue, was an
initial effort to uncover what constitutes the contemporary
photography scenario on this island. How was it that in all
conversations surrounding South Asian photography, there
would be mention of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and even Nepal,
but rarely ever, Sri Lanka? Was Sri Lanka itself accountable for the
lack of an engagement with the outside world or was it somehow
a victim to a global, political, and cultural amnesia? Furthermore,
had its volatile history gone so far as to suppress an entire
medium of photographic expression from coming forth?
Within the first few days in Colombo, we were introduced to
the work of Stephen Champion, who for three decades tirelesslydocumented Sri Lanka. From the gruesome reality of the war
to the beauty he found in banal daily life incidents, Champion
developed a visual form that I believe is integral to the history
of Sri Lanka. It bolstered the idea that the photograph is not just
an aesthetic endeavour, but one that serves as a tool to create a
visual database during and post the civil war years, i.e. 1983-2009.
His work therefore opened up the possibility of finding other
photographers who documented, but also emerged from this
crucial period in Sri Lankas history. It was then that we came
across Japanese photographer, Q. Sakamakis images on the same
subject. Shot over a shorter period of time, he captures the high
intensity of the civilian infighting. There are guns and soldiers,
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there are graves and there is family; suicide bombers and refugee
camps; Sakamaki chooses to tell his version of the story with a
humanitarian appeal but with a sharp focus on military propaganda
and the atrocities.
Apart from nominating Stephen Champion and Q. Sakamaki
in the Special Features, the other selections for the issue were
selected through an open call for submissions. It was encouraging
to see the submissions ranging a wide spectrum of themes, far
removed from the issue of insurgency.
Almost as an epilogue to Sakamakis chapter, Jagath
Dheerasekaras work titled Victims/Survivorsresounds with irony
as the notion of war comes rushing to mind. The images intimate
that there are also other societal issues, other than war, that
are associated with violent acts that plague the people/womenof his country. His images of female burn victims with masks
covering their wounds spark an interest in the 'veil' that some
of them are forced to wear. It is almost as if they are awaiting a
transformationa physical as well as societal reckoning.
Dominic Sansoni on the other hand chooses to introduce
viewers to the diverse ethnic communities of Colombo 13.
Despite the Tamil-Sinhala conflict, he showcases a community of
Christians, Buddhists and Hindus living together harmoniously in
tightly packed, bright-coloured Lego-like houses. His photographs
successfully portray the lurid aesthetic of the neighbourhood. The
arresting portrait of Mr. Srimas, with Christ on one and the devil on
the other shoulder; bright green walls decorated generously with
posters of Jesus and a sensationally pink interior that marks the
send-off of a Christian bride, Sansonis images draw attention to
the unusual and curious characters of this neighbourhood.Departing from the social commentary format, Ruvin de Silvas
The Dead Girls Project as well as Liz Fernandos Trincomalee: The
Lost Photographs, are both fictional constructs. Fernandos images
attempt to recreate a personal narrative through her fathers
anecdotes. Her photos are like fleeting episodes, momentarily
taking the viewer back to pre-war Trincomalee, a place that has
forever been transformed, existing in an idyllic state only in her
fathers mind, though nurtured once more through Lizs own
intervention. Ruvin de Silvas dead girls however, are entirely
imaginary constructs. In the format of 4 short stories, he looks at
death itself as a kind of metamorphosis, as a process where the
spirit leaves the soul and resurrects, over and over again. These
images seem to show that process in motion, as if each one is
about to disappear in the blink of an eye.
The issue also includes topics as varied as the Sri Lankan film
industry, the little-known Dawoodi Bohras of Colombo, a graphic
interpretation of plants and their role in urban surroundings and aseries of single images by different photographers capturing every
day moments of life in Sri Lanka.
Taking a look at the entire issue, it seems that the medium of
photography in Sri Lanka is just about beginning to emerge, on a
level beyond mere aesthetic quality. The overall healing process
for the country will hopefully provide a greater security for these
creative endeavours. For Sri Lankan photography, this might be the
time to take bolder steps and work towards freeing oneself from
the constraints imposed by their immediate history. This issue of
PIX attempts to begin a dialogue in that direction, to take stock
of that which has now been composed, and use it to rapidly move
forward.
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Alefia Abarall
Acts f Fath : Th Dawd Bhas
Dawoodi Bohras are the main stream of the Bohras, a sub-sect of
Isma'ili Shia Islam, emerging primarily from India. Their spiritual
leader is Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. He is also known
as the Dai al-Mutlaq and is the 52nd Dai in an unbroken chain
of Daiyyun. The Dai al-Mutlaq is the Imam's vicegerent, with full
authority to govern the Dawoodi Bohra community in all matters
both spiritual and temporal.
Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin is the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq
of the largest group of Musta'li Ismailis, the Dawoodi Bohras.
He celebrates Ashura or Ashara Mubaraka (the first 10 days of
Moharram), in any one city around the world. Ashura (the tenth of
Moharram) is the anniversary of Husaynibn Ali's death. This event isof great significance to the community. Members from around the
world descend to hear the Syedna's sermon on the Battle of Karbala
by the Dai. Each city or town has a locally appointed deputy of
Syedna who leads the local congregation during these days.
All images from the seriesActs of Faith
Colombo
2007, Digital
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin being
carried into the Hussaini Masjid.
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Ashura Mubaraka 2007 (Hijra 1428) was heldin Colombo, Sri Lanka. Being born into the Bohra
faith, I had a unique opportunity to capture
the images of Dawoodi Bohras during their
ceremonial practice of the Ashura.
At this time, a visible transformation occurs
in the city that rapidly caters to the swelling
crowds, as more than 20,000 devotees arrive in
Colombo to partake in the ten day ritual. Massive
structures are built, permits are obtained,
roads are formed, and almost overnight, vastexpanses and empty plots are flushed with
food stalls, transportation, security guards and
accommodation facilities.
Ashura brings forth a spiritual metamorphosis
as well. The sense of community is redefined and
the followers are united in one cause, as devotion
and worship meld with time and space to create a
riveting spiritual experience.
Facing Page Above: A senior member
finds solitude reading the Holy
Quran, while others prepare for the
start of Ashura.
Facing Page Below: "Saya", long
white jackets worn by the men in
the Dawoodi Bohra Community, are
placed over the temporary ceiling
fans.
Above: "Mataam", the hitting of
one's chest with one or two hands,
reaches a climax during the last days
of Ashura.
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From the series Acts of Faith
Colombo, 2007, Digital
Women await the arrival of the Dai
al- Mutlaq, the Syedna at Saifi Villa, Colombo.
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All images from the series
Acts of Faith
Colombo
2007, Digital
Above: A young boy peers down
into the mens floor. He stands in
a temporary space, which has been
suspended over the ground floor and
under the first, built to cater to the
massive crowds.
Left: Burhani Guards, the official
security personnel of the Dawoodi
Bohras are flown in from Mumbai for
crowd control.
Left: The elders, with limited
mobility, occupy the driveway of
the mosque premises and watch the
sermon on television screens.
Below: Bohras enter the mosque
premises through the Colombo Plan
Road "under construction".
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The personal documentary film I am producing, titled My
Mothers Village, explores how my Sri Lankan companions are
confronting heredity, and offers a unique opportunity to creatively
explore my own heredity as the son of an anthropologist mother
and filmmaker father.
These visual notes from the field offer behind-the-scene
fragments from the production of my personal documentary
film. In one sense, the subjects and participants are obscured or
hidden because I don't fully understand them; on the other hand,
I am attempting to exploit the benefit of being an outsiderof
potentially seeing things that residents are perhaps too familiar
with, and hence may not notice. As a consequence, this selection
of images reflects my personal impressions and journey of being 'inthe field'.
Aaro BurtoTh Dstanc f a Whs: Nts f th Fd
A few years before I was born, my mother, Sharon Bell and father,
Geoff Burton, made a series of three ethnographic films in and
about Sri Lanka. Four women, a community of fishermen, and a
traditional dance instructor became their subjects and friends.
Three decades later, I had the privilege to revisit my parents films,
return to the villages where they lived and focus my lens on the
next generation of cultivators, fishermen, dancers and family
friends.
Top: Vimalasiri is the son of one of the original participants of my mothers film
Dancers Were Only Allowed to Dance, filmed in 1978, about traditional low-
country dance and corresponding caste discrimination at that time.
2011, Digital
Bottom: Chandrawathie is one of the original participants of my mothers film
Four Women also filmed in 1978. My mother lived in Kanewala village for two
years conducting anthropological field research.
2011, Digital
Facing Page Above: Morning train from
Colombo to the cool climate hills of Kandy.
2010, Digital
Facing Page Below: Entrance steps to
Lunuganga Estate, country home of renowned
Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa.
2010, Digital
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From the series
Deinstituionalisation
Ararat
September 2011-January 2012
Digital
From left to right:
Hand basin, October 2011
Baking area, December 2011
Criminal ward, September 2011
Above: Mirisavatiya Dagoba, built by
King Dutugemunu, in the sacred city
of Anuradhapura. 2010, Digital
Right: Standing Buddha image in the
ancient city of Polonnaruwa.
2011, Digital
Dawn fishing at Arugam Bay.
2010, Digital
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Dehiwala Beach.
2011, Digital
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StepheChampioCs f Chang
SpeCiAl FeATure
In this body of work, I show
the themes of my books War
Stories and Dharmadeepa and
excerpts from my new work,
Colours of Change.
Facing page: Bloody
aftermath of bombing,
Jaffna, 1988, Medium Format
From Sri Lanka War Stories,
2008
This is a photographic study
created with the passage
of time about balance
(Dharmadeepa), conflict (War
Stories) and the new urban
(Colours of Change).
Left: Shop full of corpses,
Batticaloa. 1988,
Medium Format
From Sri Lanka War Stories,
2008
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poster hoardings advertising paradise dominate the skylines.
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Left: Internally Displaced People's (IDP)
camp, Trincomalee. 1991, Medium Format.
From Sri Lanka War Stories, 2008
Facing Page: Refugees returning from
India to Tallaimannar. 1989,
Medium Format
From Sri Lanka War Stories, 2008
Below: Patient at prosthetic limbreplacement centre, Killinochchi. 2004,
Medium Format.
From Sri Lanka War Stories, 2008
The show has been created over nearly three decades from the
1980s until the present day. The exhibition ponders Sri Lankas
changing cultural and physical environment, the legacy of conflict
and the rapid shift of rural and urban lifestyle.
It has been a photographic journey through the cold brutality
of war, the warmth of thatch and home long since gone, and
the searing heat of the new, the modern, the luxurious and the
energetic.
The cities that were once villages have been replaced by
concrete and plastic jungles that begin to close in on us and fill our
days with text and idle chatter.
At what price have we traded those carefree days, for the hurry
and hustle and bustle, perhaps only to achieve a little less?
Even greed is good tonic for the tragedy of war and the
vaccuous legacy that remains. Construction fills the air and
Memories fade and plastic flowers in bright colours clash
and collide in the new chaos of it all. These are the colours of
change.
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Above: Farmer, Vavuniya. 1994,
Medium Format
From Dharmadeepa 2009
Below: Mother bathing child,
Tangalla. 1994, Medium Format
From Dharmadeepa 2009
Facing page: Young man in doorway,
Trincomalee. 1995, Medium Format
From Dharmadeepa 2009
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Facing page: A9 road worker, near Mankulum. 2012,
Medium Format
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Medium Format
From Colours Of Change 2012
Below: Imitation flowers, Jaffna. 2010,
Medium Format
From Colours Of Change 2012
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Bridal parlour, Kalpitiya. 2011,
Medium Format
From Colours Of Change 2012
Sri Lanka was once admired as a land of balance and was known
as Dharmadeepa meaning Island of the Dharma. The island was
renowned for its fertile natural beauty, advanced irrigation systems
and sophisticated intellectual culture which drew admirers to its
shores from all over the world Today some villages remain oases
of kindness and tolerance, promoting the art of living simply in
an increasingly fractured landscape and often, violent world
In the aftermath of bitter war, forgiveness and reconciliation
must replace the hatred and suffering, so that all those who have
been trapped in the decades-long cycle of violence, will be free to
rebuild their lives and realize the true wealth and beauty of their
land and culture.
Text excerpts from Dharmadeepa
(2009, U.K.)
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dipti desaiSvns
The Gardener
Poem by Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe
A small bamboo plant is pushed firmly into
the earth.
It will grow precariously, high
above the ground.
This is a Japanese Garden
on an apartment balcony,
its design fed everyday in the gardeners heart.
But the gardener has reached out across
the borders.
Now, no concrete ledges, nor time
differences, nor continental oceans
can hold back all that is pouring
into his temperate world.
The walls have burst
and everything
larger than that he is, is flooding in.
Monsoon torrents. Tropical heat.
Suddenly the gardener lets
go ofdesigns and titles.
He dances with the plants. The peat.
The rocks. The water. The air.
The light blinds him.
He knows only that
the heat of the sun searing his skin,
the rain scouring the bamboo earth,
will form their own design.
there are no longer hands separate from the plants bodies
separate from the land, the gardener is everything
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All images from the series Souvenirs,
Colombo,
November 2011, 35mm Digital
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From the series Souvenirs,
Colombo,
November 2011, 35mm Digital
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Vcts/Svvs
Text by Sanjana Hattotuwa
Jaathdheeraseara
Susan Sontag noted that in one version of its utility, the camera
incriminates. But who or what does it incriminate? The subject,
photographer, context, or the viewer? Jagath Dheerasekaras
photos bring this fundamental question to sharp focus and are
to the conscience what deep cerise cuts are to the women he
framesthey hurt.
All image from the series
Victims/Survivors
Burns Unit, National Hospital
Colombo, 2008, Digital
The photos frame Arendts notion of the
banality of violence in the flesh. The women
in these photos are clearly subjects of violence,
but not from a domestic context alone. The
photographers distinct perspective
humanises a horror that many would deny or
underplay the existence of in current day
Sri Lanka. In one photograph, medical
personnel are situated in an operating theatre,
contemplating surgery on a grotesquely
mutilated arm but are transfixed by what they
see. Doctors are not strangers to violence, but in
their gaze is a l arger questionhow do we really
engage with this violence and its perpetrators
especially when either of the two may be close
friends, family, relatives, lovers and colleagues?
There are no satisfying answers to this question
though we may need to reckon with our own
apathy to engage with the situation, at times
justifying a sense of distance by considering it
a private affair. A fleeting gesture, captured by
Dheerasekara, is also transformed into a
powerful symbol of how prevalent gender-based
violence is within our societyit is ordinary,
unexceptional and accepted.
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In another photo, a medical staff member filling out recordsoccupies most of the frame, but then we observe a hand. But
not just any hand. It is a hand waiting for something. Not unlike
women who have gone through the most brutal physical and
psychological scarring, who then seek justice, this handmarginal
to image but absolutely central to the frame once observed
waits. There is a bizarre, almost darkly humorous quality to some
of the images, which is at first jarring but then serves to amplify an
essential humanityeven in pain, it is possible to laugh, including
at oneself. Two of the photos capture women in full frontal portrait
style. The violence captured here is not communicated by a focus
on a sickening stain, scar or swelling, but through how much theyare covered in bandages. In other photos, hands of medical staff
clench and point, visual compositions that intimate the dialogues
between women under treatment and their doctors trying to help
them regain muscle movement and dexterity. It is almost as if the
hands are symbolic of an empathetic bond between patient
and healer.
The photos focus on, but also help to free the subjects.
Dheerasekara takes us into a Burns Unit, but whats framed is more
than brick, mortar and victim. His photos capture survivorsthose
who endure, and those who go on to live. The photos, on theother hand incriminate society, you and I, for often allowing and
instigating violence that creates the subjects in the images.
But far from isolating them as pitiable and weak, the photos
portray women who are already braver, better and more beautiful
than many of us.
All image from the seriesVictims/Survivors
Burns Unit, National Hospital
Colombo, 2008, Digital
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LizFerao
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FeraoTnca: Th lst phtgahs
This is a work about a journey through my
father's memoriesa journey to a place where
the objective of a photograph ponders an
evolving interplay between its fragile and fugitive
existence. At a personal as well as academic level,
my own research into the role of photography
in South Asia highlights the different meanings
that photography inhabits, often dealing with the
notions of memory wherein the personal archive
occupies a fundamental space, both aesthetically
and practically within non-western cultures.
Trincomalee in Sri Lanka became synonymous
with the war-ravaged northern region. In
contrast, my fathers stories are not nostalgic
ruminations on its political history but nave and
beautiful little conversational episodes between
a Tamil girl and a Sinhalese boy, describing a
childhood lived in innocence, free from existing
social restrictions. It is a visual journey to a
forgotten past preserved in my minds eye
through precious oral histories relayed by my
father. Though they are at times ambiguous andungraspable, I have tried to formulate them into
touchable and palpable pictorial narratives that
I feel are essential for cultural change and social
development within Sri Lanka. The text, an extract
from a larger piece of writing, oscillates between
the present and the past, dealing with memories
that linger and continue to haunt.
All images from the series
Trincomalee: The Lost Photographs
Trincomalee,
January 2011, Digital
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The earliest memory. Bold letters.
Destination: Trincomalee
Early morning on a November day The
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Early morning on a November day. The
whispering waves of the Gulf of Mannar feel as
close as the familiar calling of the crows.
Every step closer to Trincomalee, the words
around me turned into something alien. Fifty
years ago, Badra the maid used words unknown
to me but she did not speak the language he
speaks to me. I excavate into his mind searching
for memories...
Suddenly he begins to sing; his arms mimicking
Kathakali dance movements and for the first time
I hear him speaking the forgotten language of his
childhood. Pachaikili Paduthu.
I dance and sing with him like I have seen in
the Tamil movies, my skirt, whirling with the shiny
bangles on my wrists, tinkling and, yet his eyes
cannot not follow me.
I close my eyes but the wheels of time
constantly turn around. Dust and wind blow
around my ears. I see a dense green rushing past.
Harsh sunlight breaks into soft shadows.
*That voice, over and over again. Penetrating
my sleep. Carrying me away. Breathing softly
into my ear. Her voice floating from the temple,
Hindi words interjecting ever so often. Her voi ce
wakes me, my eyes still bleary; it comes closer,
from the brimming market nearby. I follow the
small path.
Small, bare feet, my own, running, faster and faster, following
Chandra and the soft clink of her bangles. I heard the tinkling of bells,
fixed on delicate chains running around her fragile ankles while she
dances.
*His dark brown eyes like little buttons look at me and he gives me
his warm hand.
We start singing, and his mother claps her hands, leaning against
the door at Moor Street 60/3, Trincomalee.
All images from the series
Trincomalee: The Lost Photographs
Trincomalee
January 2011, Digital
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All images from the series
Trincomalee: The Lost Photographs
Trincomalee
January 2011, Digital
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Abb RobisoF indstText by Sasanka Perera
Abby Robinson's work on the film industryoffers a momentary space to reflect upon film,
politics and society in Sri Lanka. Despite being
in existence for over fifty years, there is very
little serious scholarship dealing with Sri Lankan
cinema or even the film industry. Sri Lankan
media usually only focuses on the perceived
glitter of the movie industry, and its decay
as reflected in the lack of a well-conceived
cinema archive for the country hardly enters
the discourse. The resultant loss of historically
significant films is often neglected by the
authorities.
The hallmark Sinhala movie Kadawuna
Poronduwa (Broken Promise), produced in the
1940's, with heavy South Indian influence
ranging from acting style, costuming and stage
sets to technical knowhowwas in many ways,symptomatic of the Sri Lankan cultural landscape
of the time. This continued well into the 1950s,
when the emergent nationalist ethos among the
Sinhalas tended to be reflected in film as well. This
meant that South Indian imagery, music trends
and even technical expertise were self-consciously
localised and in many ways Sinhalised. This phase of
nationalism threw Sri Lanka into a destructive civil
war since the late 1970s, ending only in 2009, and
paved the way for the dawn of an equally disturbing
set of postwar realities.
The bombed out remnants of the once iconic
Regal Cinema in the northern town of Jaf fna which
Robinson has captured, places in context one visual
frame of this widespread destruction. Though movie
theatres are scattered around the country, allowing
Allimages fromthe series
FilmIndustry,
2004-05
Above: Take Two (Bollywooddirector:
Amit Saxena),
BedroomShoot,Colombo,
2004,Panorama Slide
FacingPage: Walapatala/Penumbra
(Sinhalese director:
Vijitha Guneratna),
Police StationShoot,
Neboda,2005, Panorama Slide
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for the popularity of movie-going, the industry has
lost many theatres owing to the advent of television
in the 1970s. In this context, many people stopped
going out for films, which was made much worse by
the ensuing anxieties of the lack of s ecurity as the
civil war raged through the 1980s.
For a considerable time however, the varied
landscape in Sri Lanka has attracted many
filmmakers who now consider the country as a
destination for on-location films, ranging from
David Leans Bridge overRiver Kwai to sections of
Steven Spielbergs Indiana Jonesandthe Temple
ofDoom. More recently, directors from Bollywood
such as Amit Saxena have also started eying Sri
Lanka as a viable destination not only due to its
scenic splendours, but also due to the relative cost
effectiveness in filming. Of late, several Sri Lankan
directors have also been winning international
awards for what may be called art movies produced
in the Sinhala language. But for a majority of
the people in the country, watching movies is
primarily done for a sense of release or to enter
into the imaginary world they offer, away from
daily hardships rather than for their aesthetics or
political nuances.
*Thispho tography project wassponsored by
a grant fromthe AmericanInstitute ofSriLankan
Studies.
Above:Savoy Theatre
Colombo,2004, Panorama Slide
Left:Aynn Theatre,
Mannar,2005,
MediumFormat Slide
Page 54-55:Raja Theatre,
Jaffna 2005,Panorama Slide
Above: Walapatala/Penumbra
(Sinhalese director:Vijitha
Guneratna),
Make-up& DressingRoom, Neboda,
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Above: Poi/Lies (Tamil Nadu director:
K. Balachander),
Beach shoot near Galle,
2005, Medium Format Slide
Top: Abandoned theatre near Galle
2005, Panorama Slide
Bottom: Vijendra, Anuradhupura,
2005, Panorama Slide
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Above: Regal Theatre, Jaffna,
2005, Medium Format Slide
Above: Poi/Lies (Tamil Nadu director:
K. Balachander),
Crane Shot, Sigiriya, 2008,
Panorama Slide
Left: Jeevan Theatre,
Panadura, 2005, Medium Format Slide
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SpeCiAl FeATure
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Q. Saamai
This photo essay is a coverage of Sri Lankas civil war in the
summer of 2006 when the fighting escalated severely. At the
time, most of the international community thought the war
would be prolonged, and both sides used unwarranted and
unethical tactics, often violating human rights, to get the upper
hand in the war.
S lanka Cv Wa
Above: Tamil civilians undergo
military training in Kilinochchi, a
stronghold of the LTTE rebels, as
the fighting between the Sri Lankan
government and the rebels escalates.
Sticks and branches are used instead
of guns, although rebels have
distributed firearms to the civilian
population.
June 13 2006, 35mm film
Above: The soldiers at the funeral
of a general killed by suicide attack.
June 28 2006, 35mm film
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Above: Children playing soccer in
a field in a war-torn town in North
Sri Lanka. Every day and night the
fighting continues around their
apartment buildings.
June 2006, 35mm film
Above: Muslim civilians including a
baby, who escaped from a nearby
LTTE-controlled village because of
the fighting. They stay at a refugee
camp at a school in a Muslim
Majority area called Mutur, a town in
the Northern Province.
June 17, 2006, 35mm film
Right: Tamils obtain water from a
well in the war-torn town of Jaffna.
June 2006, 35mm film
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Below: Sri Lankan Special Forces
patrol in a war-torn majority Tamil
area in Jaffna.
June 2006, 35mm film
Right: Family members of victims
of the June 15 bus attack mourn
the death of thier relatives before
the mass burial. The attack was the
biggest tragedy since the 2002
ceasefire agreement. The Sri Lankan
government accuses the LTTE rebels
for the terrorist attack, but the Tamil
political organisation denies the
allegation. Kabithigollewa, Sri Lanka.
June 16 2006, 35mm film
Left: At a religious poster shop
in the Tamil area in Sri Lanka,
the photos of martyrs, or suicide
bombers, are also displayed.
June 2006, 35mm film
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The shadows of mourning relatives fall on a mass
grave, the result of the June 15th bus attack which
killed more than 64 people, many of them women
and children. The situation in the country is at the
brink of all-out war. June 16, 2006, 35mm film
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domiic
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domiicSasoiCb 13
Colombo 13 is a neighbourhood by the harbour
of Colombo that hosts a thriving, vibrant and
heterogeneous community of people. A church
dedicated to St. Anthony, frequented by peopleof all races, religions and creeds is situated beside
the harbour wall and dominates the area. It is
often said "Kolomba 13, Api okkama ekai", Colomo
13we are all one. The neighbourhood inspires
and intrigues me as a fine example of urban life.
Along the streets a few of the original houses
remain, but most have been converted into
larger residencies. The homes are very colourful,
mirroring the residents who live there. The
community is used to my wanderings around
their streets, have sensed my curiosity and
respect, and fortunately, many have invited me
into their homes.
The pictures have been taken over a period of
fifteen months. My documentation of the area
and its people is a work in progress.
All images from the series
Colombo 13
Digital
Left: Mr. Srimas Harrison of
Ratnam Road, March 2012
Page 70 Bottom:
Holy Pictures, October 2011
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A bride about to leave for her church wedding, October 2011Hindu Temple and Catholic poster, June 2012
Text by MASii
I look after them like my own children; Constant Henry Lucia
Emilia weighing 2000 pounds, Francis Theresa, 1400 pounds, and
Jean Baptist Edward Anna, who at 950 pounds is the smallest of
them. Of course, Anthony Thomasthe biggest at
4300 poundswill always hold a special place in my heart.
Anthony Thomas is only rung on special occasions and has a bell
tower all of his own, but that does not stop me from polishing him
every week like the rest.
In fact, they are the only family I have left and St. Lucias
Cathedral here in Kotahena, the only world I know. I have worked
here all my life, as did my father and his father before him, going
back to 1760, when there was only a small thatched hut here.
Anthony is my name tooas was every first born male in
our family. Dedicated to the work of this church at childhood, I
was named after the master craftsman from Pondicherry who
supervised the constructionAnthony Pillai Tittaravu Pillai.
My day begins at 4 a.m. when I light a candle to gaze on the
dusky face of Our Lady of Kotahena. I treasure this time alone
with her; soon I will have to share her with an unending stream
of humanity, bringing their trials, their tribulations and only
occasionally their triumphs. Her beauty, but more her patience,
never ceases to amaze me.
Today is no different. Except that I have an uneasy feeling that
I cant find the words for. There is something Soon it will be the
Feast of St Lucia and my namesake will peal out to all of Kotahena;
all the way till where Pettah ends, climbing up to Mutuwal and
eastwards to Grandpass and Hultsdorp.
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As usual, my mind wanders to the past and other happy
occasions. In 1950, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was brought
here. Then there was the visit of His Holiness, John Paul the Second
in 1995 to beatify Ven. Joseph Vaz. The Universal Jubilee was
celebrated with the opening of the main Cathedral doors in 2000.
But the year I was born Anthony Thomas ran out to warn
It happened on the 25th of March 1883, on Easter Sunday. My
grandfather told me of the Kotahena Riots, in which one Buddhist
and one Roman Catholic died and some thirty others, including
twelve police officers, were wounded. .
But what point did these memories serve? Why now? This isnt
1883 Nor is this Black July of 1983
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Left: The bookmaker, June 2012
Below: Home Interior - Newham
Square, April 2012
But the year I was born, Anthony Thomas ran out to warn
Colombo of the air raids which caused the cracks on the dome of
my beloved cathedral.
It is silent today. Perhaps too silent. My disquiet once again rises to
the surface crowding out the memories, but there is one that wont let
go. One that goes back to a time before Anthony Thomas was around
1883. Nor is this Black July of 1983.
What am I afraid of? Wasnt it just yesterday I heard it said
Kolomba 13, Api okkama ekai, Colombo 13, we are all one?"
Facing page:
Wall shrine to St. Anthony,
April 2012
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Right: Christian corner store,
June 2012
Below: Christian shrine &
Buddhist home, May 2011
Left: Naval Guard of Honour.
St, Anthony's feast, June 2012
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Text by Indi Samarajiva
A few seconds before his scrawny body became highly and bloodily
compressed on the cobblestones, all of Andares ex-girlfriends
flashed before his eyes.
First there wasthe name slippedthe make-up smeared
one. She was there, falling backwards, away from him. At first he
thought shed come to lift him up, but in the end she was just
drawing him in. Then she split into two, this mercurial Gemini, as
he passed in between.
It was raining again. Sureka was there, in her blue raincoat,
looking sweet, if a bit bloody about the mouth. But now the flesh
cleaves off her skull, her arms spring from their sockets. She is a
corpse, like all these girls h e might have grown old withtheyre
all dead now, springing from stone to drag him in.
The next is Niluka, dressed like a kabuki village girl.
Unknowingly, she stands close to where hes about to land,
curiously, perhaps expectantly. He sees himself springing back
up, bloodied but not unaware. Hes borrowed her clothes. She
looks through him as he rises again. He has a final glimpse of her
All images from the series The Dead Girls Project
Colombo
May 2012, Digital
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cleavage, something green and red, like fire. That last memory, as
vision and image slips away. Time condenses into the final essential
moments which have his full attention.
His last words: Youre just a falling young man, with your young
loves flashing before your eyescurious, detached, deadeven
undead. These were all vectors to some genetic digital eternity,
but now theyre just flickers on your retina, light sparks within your
brain.
Andare falls, his teeth and skull shattering against the uneven
road.
This is what happens when you take photographs from a ladder.
This image is from the series
The Dead Girls Project
Colombo
May 2012, Digital
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Timoth
B
SiNGleS
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kaa
Aruasalam
Bala Tampoe, the 88-year old union leader
addresses a workers' strike in the outskirts
of Colombo
2011, Digital
Ravi runs a small tailor shop by the side of the Batticaloa
road in Sri Lanka. He has 3 daughters. His wife had passed
away some years ago and he has to be the father and the
mother to the girls. "I was a farmer but because of the
War, we had to move. I could not find a job in this area,
so this is something I thought to do myself. All I have is
my girls and this old sewing machine. Thats all I need,
he told me.
Barco
Tailor shop Ravi
Batticaloa
2008, Digital
Poem by Roel Raymond
Knock.
If you will,
you will find nothing.
Gaze into my eyes,
if you will.
You will see nothing.
Oh,
but I am not nothing;
time wrestled me to the
ground,
punched me
left me for dead.
Memory clung on to me,
weighed my every step,
etched cruel lines on my
face;
experience bent me,
stiffened every bone,
And yet,
If you will,
Knock.
You will find only love.
Gaze into my eyes,
you will see only the locked
secret;
the strength of eternity.
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Olivia BoalSasoi
In July 1991, a young soldier from the Sinha Regiment earned the
gratitude of the Nation. Cpl. Gamini Kularatne, later known as 'the
hero of Hasalaka', saved the Elephant Pass camp at the cost of
his own life. In recognition of his heroism, he was posthumously
awarded the 'Parama Weera Vibusha-naya', the highest honour for
bravery in the Sri Lanka Army.
On the night of July 13, 1991 over 5000 LTTE cardres
surrounded the 600 -strong army garrison located at Elephant
Pass, Alimankada. Elephant Pass was known as the gateway to the
northern Jaffna Peninsula. Corporal Gamini Kularatne, along with
the rest of his regiment, was tasked with watching for possible
LTTE infiltrators.
Kularatne, holding two grenades in his hands, dashed out
towards the oncoming bulldozer tank, clambered up the tank's
ladder and tossed the two grenades inside it. The billboard
memorialises this act of bravery.
"Ode to a Hero"
Diptych: Elephant Pass (Alimankada),
North Sri Lanka,
May 10, 2012, 35 mm
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Iuil
Muasihe"My Wife"
Viharamaha Devi Park , Colombo , Sri Lanka.
May 29 2012 Digital
devaa
Seevirate
Motorbikes and bicycles are by far the most popular
mode of transport in Sri Lanka in general and the Wanni
Abandoned bike yard, Kilinochchi,
Sri Lanka, June 1, 2011, Digital
Petrol sold in Coke bottles, Karunatkerni,
Sri Lanka, June 2, 2011, Digital
in Kilinochchi, the de facto LTTE capital. Two
years after the war ended, the bikes remain
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Muasihe May 29, 2012, Digitalbrand in particular.
When you are on the run however, even the bikes
get left behind. As people moved on to safer areas, bikes
and other vehicles were abandoned. This is a bike yard
hundreds of them, with weeds taking over.
The petrol sold in Coke bottles are for the
lucky few who lived to find their bikes.
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Avai Taa
Well isn't this nice,
to sit side by side
with my thigh on your skirt
where we don't need to hide.
Your Thathi, he's scary
(I don't think he approves...)
And we shouldn't be touching
according to their rules.
But none of that.
I love you.
So let me kiss both your lips
as I hold both your hands,
under our little umbrella
on the kind Galle Face sand.
From the series Lovers
Galle Face, Colombo
July 2011, Digital
desha
TeeooThe southwest monsoon causes
flooding in the capital.
Lauries Road, Colombo 3
May 17, 2010, Digital
LoversPoem by Shruthi Mathews
88 | P i X S i N G l E S | 89
Wts
SANjANA HATToTuWA is the Founding Editor ofGroundviews
(www.groundviews.org), an award winning citizen journalism
initiative in Sri Lanka. He is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for
Policy Alternatives, and a TED Fellow Alumni.
rAmyA CHAmAlie jirASiNGHe is the author ofTheres an Island
in the Bone, Rhythm of the Sea and Trinity. She is the winner of the
State Literary Joint-Award, 2011. Her work has been published
in anthologies and TimesOnline, 2009 contemporary war poetry
selection She is the Deputy Director for the US-Sri Lanka
SHruTHi mATHeWS is a recent English graduate from University
College London. She spent the last year writing for The Hindu in
India and has contributed to a variety of publications including The
Sunday Leaderin Colombo.
SASANKA pererA, trained as a social anthropologist, is Chair
and Professor in the Department of Sociology and Dean at the
Faculty of Social Sciences at South Asian University, New Delhi.
With an academic interest in urban space, migration and the
politics of culture he is also a blogger a photographer and poet
phtgahs
AleFiyA AKBArAlly is an award-winning Sri
Lankan born photographer living in Houston,
USA. In 2011, she won a prestigious Black
and White Spider Award for a creation from
her fashion portfolio. Her work has appeared
in Vogue Australia, The British Journal of
Photography, Bently UK and Business Traveler
Asia. Her documentation of social issues include
work on a cancer hospital teenage mothers
Indian Express, Outlook, Le Monde, Paris Match
and Financial times. www.diptidesai.com
jAGATH DHeerASeKArA is an Amnesty
International Human Rights Innovation
Fund Grant recipient. His second spell of
photography began in mid 90s with his return
to Sri Lanka from France. He was a finalist for
the William and Winifred Bowness
Photography Prize in 2011 and 2012 and deals
Colombo based collective called Three Blind
Men. What Dominic likes doing best is traveling
the world with no agenda.
www.threeblindmen.com
oliViA BoNAl SANSoNi was born in Paris to a
French father and a Sri Lankan mother. She is
an avid traveller and passionate photographer
who believes in the importance of pursuing
photography with humor compassion and
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selection. She is the Deputy Director for the US Sri Lanka
Fulbright Commission.
Sri Lankan writer SHeHAN KAruNATilAKA is the author of
Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, which won the 2012
Commonwealth Book Prize.
mASii (miKe mASilAmANi) has had his poetry read and
performed at venues ranging from the British Council in
Colombo and Kandy to the Galle Literary Festival. The Travelling
Refugees Circus adapted from his short story The Boy who
Spoke in Numbers, was performed in Chennai at the Hindu
Metroplus Festival 2011.
Passikudah, 2011
From the series Before Tomorrow
byYannik Willing
Medium Format 6 x 7 negative film
politics of culture, he is also a blogger, a photographer and poet.
roel rAymoND is a mother, model and journalist based in
Colombo, Sri Lanka, interested in issues relating to human
rights, justice and public policy. Blogs at http://kataclysmichaos.
wordpress.com/ and Tweets at htt ps://twitter.com/
kataclysmichaos
iNDi SAmArAjiVA is a Sri Lankan blogger at indi.ca. He runs kottu.
org, a blog syndicator of over 1,200 people and has co-founded a
Colombo city guide at yamu.lk. Hes done TV and newspapers and
stuff, but the blogging is honestly better.
work on a cancer hospital, teenage mothers,
a missionary school and the biography of an
acclaimed artist.
KANNAN AruNASAlAm uses documentary,
photography and multimedia forms of
storytelling. Originally from Jaffna, he grew up
in England and returned to Sri Lanka in 2004. His
films have been screened at international film
festivals and broadcast on Aljazeera. He is also a
qualified media lawyer and a correspondent for
Radio Netherlands Worldwide.
TimoTHy BArCo is an artist from Sri Lanka who
is also a photographer/filmmaker by profession.
Art photography is his biggest outlet.
www.timothybarco.com
AAroN BurToN is a documentary filmmaker
and photographer specialising in combining
digital photographs and video into personal
documentary installations. His work intends to
traverse the boundaries of documentary, visual
ethnography and video art. In 2009, Aaron was
awarded the inaugural Jeremy Hynes Award by
the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, for his
body of video-based documentaries.
STepHeN CHAmpioN, a London freelance
portrait photographer during the early
1980s, began photographing Sri Lanka in
1985, creating several international touringexhibitions and three books: Lanka 1986 - 1992
(1993 UK), Sri Lanka War Stories (2008 UK) and
Dharmadeepa (2009 UK). Colours of Change is
Champions latest exhibition. It opens in April
2013 at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London.
DipTi DeSAi is a documentary photographer
based out of Bangalore. Her concerns about
the swift erosion of cultural diversity and
practices by the forces of globalisation has
been an oft-visited theme in her photo essays.
She contributes regularly to national and
international publications including The Hindu,
Photography Prize in 2011 and 2012 and deals
with social and environmental themes in his
documentary work. He has presented his work
in a number of solo exhibitions, selected group
exhibitions and photo festivals in several
countries.
liz FerNANDo was born in West Berlin and is
a recent graduate from the prestigious LCC BA
Photography program. Her work was exhibited at
Tate Modern London and is showcased by
Photoworks Brighton. Currently her award
winning work is on a travelling exhibition with the
World Bank Art Program, New York. She lives and
works in London, Berlin and Colombo.
iNDuNil muNASiNGHe is a final year student at
the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka
and is interested in art photography.
ABBy roBiNSoN lives/works in New York and
teaches at the School of Visual Arts (NYC). Many
projects have been done through grants
the Asian Cultural Council, the Fulbright
Program, the American Institute of Sri Lankan
Studies, the Siskind Foundation and New York
Foundation of the Artsand her photos are in
the collections of The Whitney Museum (NYC),
the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX), the
Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), and Light
Works (Syracuse, NY). www.abbyrobinson.com
Q. SAKAmAKi is a New York-based Japanese
documentary photographer. His photographs
have appeared in books and magazines
worldwide. He has received many international
awards, including World Press Photo and Olivier
Rebbot of Overseas Press Club. Sakamaki holds
a Masters degree in International Affairs from
Columbia University in New York.
DomiNiC SANSoNi is a photographer based in
Colombo, Sri Lanka since 1979. His recent
publications include Bawa Gardens, Mauritius
Colourband Incognito. He is also part of a
photography with humor, compassion and
curiosity.
DeVAKA SeNeVirATNe moved from a career
in writing and producing television and has
been a professional photographer since 2004.
Commercial and advertising photography
provides the business end to his work, but his
real passion is travelling, documenting the
country, the landscape and its inhabitants.
www.devakaseneviratne.photoshelter.com
ruViN De SilVA wears his heart on his sleeve
and holds his camera in his hands as sets
about capturing the deeper, the darker, the
intricate, the secret, the beautiful and the real.
Ruvin expresses himself through photography,
theatre and the arts. He is the Associate Artistic
Director at the Mind Adventures Theater
Company.
AVANi TANyA, like most people, loves to travel
and take pictures. She is currently based in
Bangalore.
DeSHAN TeNNeKooN read Law at King's
College London before pursuing a career in
photography. In 2009, he received a Fulbright
Award to conduct a photographic project at the
University of California, Berkeley. He is currently
part of a group documenting the changing
landscape of Kalpitiya, a high-biodiversity
coastal area in Sri Lanka.
yANNiK WilliNG studies Integrated Design
in the Master of Arts program in Bremen
(Germany) with a special focus on documentary
photography and publishing. He has a B.A. in
photography from the University of Applied
Sciences and Arts Dortmund (Germany). His
projects have been presented internationally in
galleries and photography festivals.
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recovery is the theme for the next quarter
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RecoveRy: cRe, ReconstRcton, Resce nd RestoRton
From the ongoing series Bou by Tanvi Mishra, Puri, Orissa, February 2011, Digital
The early part of the 21st century has been dominated
by acts of confrontation, resistance and resolution in thepolitical, cultural as well as ecological sphere. Constantly inmotion, these essential aspects of life go through cyclicalprocesses whereby the manner in which we engage withdifficult situations needs to be creatively and constructivelyapproached. Hence, if we perceive this moment as one thatis inspired by a surge of change, transformation and culturalevolution, we could consider that devastating circumstancesthat cause alterations in life are eventually followed by a timeof healing and recovery.a time that is essential in order to
move on.
This issue of PIX seeks to identify with the necessaryrecuperation period that takes place after one is confronted
PX is about investigating and engaging with broad and expansive fields of contemporary photographicpractice in India, ranging from the application, conceptual standing and adaptability of photography to its
subjects: its movement, transmission, appropriation and distinct relation to the allied arts. The quarterly
seeks not only to present photography in temporal, spatial or historical terms, but also in personal, self-
conscious and aesthetic ways.
with an altercation, whether social, political, ecological or
cultural. The gradual change that occurs in an individuals orin family life in the aftermath of a drastically transformativeevent, also expresses the diverse ways in which people aswell as spaces experience, and adjust to life, often expressingtheir adaptability. This might occur in their interactions withone another or the places they live or work in. How, then, canphotography express this moment, this passage and growthfrom one state of being into another? Are changes always forthe better? or is there indeed recovery at all? On the otherhand, the idea ofrecovery, can also be interpreted as a form
of anaccumulation, a gathering of what really matters at theend, and hence a percolation of lifes essential impulses thatare navigated and often change course, ideally for the better,but at times quite unexpectedly otherwise.
At a thematic or pictorial level such an issue could addressaspects of identitychange, even physical changes inarchitecture or landscape, through reportage or evenconceptual ways of addressing this notion. It is left to thephotographers interpretation given there is a legitimatereason provided.
note: The issue will incorporate works from India and Japanprimarily, with a portion dedicated to works from other S.Asian countries.
Lst dte FoR sBMssons: December 15, 2012.For more information visitwww.pixquarrl.i or email pixl2011@gmail.m
with support from