Stories from Malaysia
A participatory workshop on mapping physical and cultural connectivity across Java. Description Chu chu cha cha chu..., a train carries many things as it moves across the land; people, cargo, ambitions, ideas, cultures, and histories. The space within a train is experienced as both public and private at the same time, a meeting point for …
“Where are you going?” I asked the man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He didn’t stop, but he looked back and replied, “And why are you standing still?”
Text from my brief presentation at a Virtual Reality (VR) Masterclass at the inaugural Taylor's University Film Festival (TUFF) 20 November 2019. Many thanks to Taylor's University and Ministry XR for the invite. ***** Sunday morning cartoons. Do you remember sitting in front of the tv while having breakfast? Do you also remember your mother …
Continued from Imagined Landscapes No more than four feet by four feet, it was filled to the brim with personal items. “It’s all junk. The house is leaking everywhere, so I put everything in here.” he explained. And true enough most of it did look like they hadn’t been touched or even looked at for …
A city is a built environment, a physical manifestation of our dreams, desires, insecurities, achievements and failings. It is inorganic, unnatural in every way, geared towards an ever-expanding capacity to consume, exploit and overwhelm everything to its very limits. It is only acceptable then that we do the same to ourselves. Kuala Lumpur, 31 October …
My first encounter with the residential complex had been accidental, stumbling upon it while tracing the Kerayong River from its source to confluence as part of a documentary project on Klang Valley's river network. The second visit was to photograph the area, and by the third visit, all the blocks had been demolished. The residents …
Kampung Tanjung, Kuala Terengganu The last time I was here, the house was shrouded in darkness. I could barely see the tail light of a motorcycle, streaking to a halt between the stilts. The house stood alone on an empty plot of land, or rather the land around the house had been cleared. I promised …
Reports of the impending Hagibis typhoon (October 12, 2019) reminded of when I was in Tokyo many years ago. I try to remember the scene. "Strong winds. A typhoon is expected to land in Tokyo tonight." said the woman inside the television, one of two objects didn't quite belong in a fancy jazz bar. The …
A forest has no history. It remembers no beginning, follows no moral, worships no God. Trees fall and sprout anew, rivers flood and dry out, animals kill and then they themselves die, all part of a perpetual state of unguided renewal. Churning itself anew for more than 130 million years, Taman Negara is a 4,343 …
Amanda Nell's latest short film Vinegar Baths just picked up the Next New Wave Award and Best Cinematography at the SeaShorts Film Festival 2019. This is a quick rundown of my notes as Director of Photography. Synopsis: A tired and overworked nurse at the maternity ward finds joy when she is alone roaming the hospital …
Mahen Bala 