Stories from Malaysia
What follows is a slightly edited transcript of a conversation with a migrant worker from Indonesia whom I have known for some time. Personal details have been omitted for privacy. Fluid borders My hometown? Surabaya. Going through immigration is easy. It costs about RM250 to 300 per person. After paying, you just go to KLIA …
Continue reading "How to disappear completely: Conversation with a permanent migrant"
Questions and answers from an interview with an online and print magazine on my work in Kuala Lumpur. 1. Have you always lived in KL? Actually no, I grew up by the beach in Kuantan, far away on the other side of the TItiwangsa Range. All though my schooling years, Kuala Lumpur was like a dream. …
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 …
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 …
When was it that I became aware of the colour of my skin? How different it shone in the sun (and the dark) than those around me? Or worse still, that it mattered at all. Was it when my mother asked in jest “What happened to you? You were born fair. All your relatives used …
For the past six months I've been working on developing a Virtual Reality(VR) multimedia project titled "Elders of Our Forest". The project uses photographs, film, text, sound, and interactivity to create an immersive experience of being deep within the Malaysian tropical rainforest. The first two components focused on the Royal Belum State Park and the …
Now that the euphoria of Pakatan Harapan’s historic win is gradually waning, Malaysians must find the strength to question the undemocratic, and ultimately unconstitutional, agreement for Dr. Mahathir to step down and for Anwar to take over as Prime Minister in an uncertain “year or two”. Prior to this, the decision of who is to …
Mahen Bala 