This is a short story about a dreamer, or rather it's the beginning of a story about a dreamer. It comes from backstage at the Chinese Opera, a place where...
This past week, I had reason to think about equivalents, particularly what that means to photography, but also what it means to music, to poetry, to painting and drawing. Minor...
The sound of the nomadic Tuareg people of Mali is still echoing through the city as I write this. Theirs is a music that comes from time, that comes from...
Nine Emperor Gods
Your Almost Official Guide to the Nine Emperor Gods Festival
Posts for 2017 are here!
The eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Ampang is always one of great expectations. Before the sun sets, the dragons and lions dance before the altar in a...
There is an interesting energy on the eve of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. For me it is a day of looking back and of looking forward, of seeking to…
Hong Kong St Tow Bow Keong is a gathering place. It is the heart of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Penang, respected, honest, dedicated. Here I see a convergence...
OF THIS PLACE
An Exhibition about the “Datuk”
George Town Festival 2017
Big, bold and beautiful – the six images along Lebuh Chulia, in front of the Cantonese Association, introduce a Malaysian story that is close to my heart. I’m an historical geographer and the worship of the “Datuk” deity is about as historically geographical as a story can get. It’s about place and spaces and rocks and trees and rivers. It’s about the movement of people and their adaptation to a new environment. It’s about learning about others and respecting place and the values and beliefs that exist there. It’s about co-existing and being neighbours and being grateful for what home has given you.
The images in OF THIS PLACE have been positioned on Lebuh Chulia to draw attention to the current “Chinese” nature of Datuk worship. They are also adjacent to two Muslim mausoleums, that reflect the association of the Datuk with older, established practices of worshipping the holy man.
