Monday, December 30, 2013

Theo

While sitting at the Rum Diary bar in Brunswick St, we noticed a ghost walk past and stare into shop windows. I grabbed my camera and ran across the street to investigate. The gentleman under the fabric's name was Theo. He had draped a curtain and walked down the street because he was bored.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Santafest

About 10 days ago, my friends Megan and Laurens were out searching for a bar to head to when we noticed a whole people of dressed like santa dancing to the likes of MC Hammer, ACDC, KISS and Public Enemy.

I asked a guy what it was. He told me it was Santafest. Here are the pics. This is why I love this city.

I approached this lovely gentleman and asked what was happening. He asked me if I wanted an edgier pic. With his back to the cops, he pulled out a baggie.






Thursday, December 12, 2013

Family Photos

When my family escaped from Vietnam they managed to bring over a handful of photos. Most of them have been tucked away in cupboards for years. I found out about them and scanned them. I decided to try colour some of them. Here they are.

Mum on top of her house in My Tho. The flag in the bottom is that of South Vietnam. 

My grandfather. Apparently this photo was taken a month before he passed away. 

My grandmother and my aunt. Circa 1950.

My cousin Trang out the front of the family store. This photo would have been taken around Tet - the Lunar New Year.

My mum's old home and family store.


My mum and my aunt. My mum would have been my age in the photo. 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

VCA Masters

A big shout out to one of my best buddies Adrian Stojkovich for completing his Masters of Fine Arts from the VCA. Here's a pic of that handsome devil dog on his grad night. 


Street Portraits

As of late, my mind has been fairly preoccupied. My childhood home is about to go on sale this weekend. My long term partner and I have decided that we work better as friends. Paperwork keeps flowing in like the tide and dampening any creative efforts. Whenever I get a break from it all, I tend to spend time recovering. This whole process is a fairly isolating one. It's a transitional time in which I have to sow the seeds to reap tomorrow.  This sounds quiet bleak, but it is a necessary process. 

The other day, I decided to head into the city and take some photos. I felt the need to reconnect with the city which I love. Here are some of the pics I got back. 
Trix. Magician who hangs around Flinders St Station. 

Brownie from Brisbane. Union La, Melbourne. 


Monday, November 18, 2013

Vietnam in the 60s

These pics obviously aren't mine. I found out there was a strip of antique shops in Saigon. It lay fairly close to the Ben Thanh market, which I was at anyway, so I thought I would check it out. There was heaps of cool stuff. Lots of old cameras, statues, pottery, statues, medals, money, and a whole bunch of other amazing old stuff. A lot of it was fake. A lot of it was real. I had a look in one shop which had a really old rollei on display. I asked to have a look at it. I broke it. Awkward..
It was then I noticed a small stash of tranny film in the corner of a cabinet. I flicked through a few boxes. They were mostly crap. Over, under, or just mouldy beyond recognition. Strangely, there were a lot of old photos from the US.
I found a few boxes which interested me for one reason or another, bargained down a good price, and then off I went.
I am currently in the process of clearing my mum's house out for sale. Of course, the most logical thing for me to do would be to procrastinate the crap out of my day. What better way then by scanning these negs?


ARVN Soldier

These boats kind of look like they are made of ordinance

Possibly Hong Kong?

Possibly Hong Kong?



Note the cigarette in the chimps mouth. Also note the foreign soldiers in the background. 





This neg carrier bares the stamp of Mike Roberts Color Productions. Mike Roberts made postcards and photochrome postcards. 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Random musings in Fitzroy.


I went for one or two drinks with Eric and Josh. I ended up hanging out with Lorens and Megan and getting home at 4.30 am. 

Some revellers at Laundry asked me to take their pic. Its usually easier to take the photo then say that you aren't a club photographer. Usually, I don't put a lot of effort into the pic, but serendipitously, this pic is actually kind of cool.



Sunday, November 3, 2013

Gasometer Hotel

When I was about 15, I used to head to my friend Jono's place in Sunbury. For the most part, we used to drink really bad alcohol and listen to really bad music. Our music tastes evolved, and every now and then we catch up and talk about bands we like or head to a show. 

I kind of grew a little disenfranchised with the local punk rock scene in Melbourne. I stopped heading to small shows and now only really find time to see bigger acts from overseas. 

Jono, kept exploring new music and bands from around Melbourne and the world. He invited me to go to a show at The Gasometer Hotel in Collingwood. Here are some pics. 



Gutter Gods


Rort
A fraction of a second before this guys fist landed in my face during the Oily Boys set.

Slam dancing during the Oily Boys set

Slam dancing during the Oily Boys set

Headliners Straightjacket Nation 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Timber Beams

Before I left for Saigon, my uncle's mother sat with me and told me to call her grandmother. She told me she remembered my mum and that she was kind and gentle natured. She then proceded to tell me about her house. 

The hardwood beams that supported the roof were taken from an old timber house built by her grandfather. Considering she is 97, she told me that made the house at least 200 years old. The house sat in a rice paddy which lay as a strategic advantage to the Viet Cong, who in 1964 told her that they would take the house. It was with that, she had the house demolished and moved to a junction on the main road a few kilometres from where the house was. The beams, some furniture, and a wall was all that was left of the place.

She told me to take care of myself, and to visit soon, lest she not be there. I snuck this photo, and shortly after, my driver arrived to take me to Saigon.



Thursday, September 26, 2013

Dong Tam Snake Farm

After I went to a venom producing facility (they use it to treat snakebites) in Bangkok, I decided to go to the one in My Tho, Vietnam. Apparently it's one of the biggest ones in the country. I was just faced with a heap of sorry looking animals in tiny cages. 

Two Asian Black Bears entertain each other through the bars of their small prison cells. 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

After



In Vietnamese culture, it's customary to have your photo placed at the temple after you pass away. It accompanies your ashes and allows your family to remember you. Ancestry is a very important part of the culture. 

It is because of that, older people are always keen to have a nice photo taken of them for that purpose. This is my uncle's mother (I think technically grandma in law?). She is 97 years old. She dressed up in the traditional Ao Dai (Literally 'long dress') to have this photograph taken.



Chua Vinh Trang

Apparently my uncles were educated here before the war. 



Tuesday, September 24, 2013

My Tho Cafe Sua

Okay, so strictly speaking, I'm not actually in My Tho. I'm at my second aunt's place just outside. It's a nice area. They grow rice here and have many roadside markets.

This morning (they wake up at 5.00... death), I head to the local coffee shop. Being a tight knit community, I was clearly spotted from ages away. I was watching from a distance before quickly being invited in for a chat and a coffee. 



Friday, September 13, 2013

Orchard Road


I enjoy Singapore. Theres old temples of various denominations, lots of art galleries, an amazing public transport system, and its clean. Very clean. 

I was beginning to think it was a little bit sterile when I met these two skater guys at the Orchard Road skate park. Juan Qi An is a Singaporean videographer and part time skater, and his buddy Jaron is ironically from Perth. They let me photograph them for a bit. 



Jaron airborne.