2020-10-08

Taipei Photobook Exhibition curation– preparation

Over a year in the making, an exhibition theme on collecting of photobooks from Malaysia with Lightbox Photobooks Library. Here are turn of events to the collecting of books. working title “Periodic Ways of Seeing”. Exhibition titled “The Invisible Future, Facing The Visible Past”.

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8 October– Last shipment of books to Taipei, 11.45kg. Around 30 books, all the last few commissioned books just finished production yesterday! Hopefully it arrives in time for the 'hanging' of the exhibit. Opening end next week! Exhibition on Malaysian Photography culture and photobooks in Taiwan #periodicwaysofseeing (working title) announcing the event soon! @ DHL Jalan Ampang

packing box
15 kg limit

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3 September— Second Shipment heading to Taipei! 29.85kg of books. Thank you to those who contributed. An exhibition on Malaysian Photobooks soon in Oct/ Nov 2020! Exhibition working title #PeriodicWaysOfSeeing @lightbox_lib we have a new title, releasing soon! Nich of DHL really took his time to go through all the books, even calling his staff to read the books with him. He gave us a Discount too!!!

1st shipment– 41 books
2nd Shipment– 39 books

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17 August— First Shipment heading to Taipei! 29.7kg of books. For those who contributed, thank you! This is for a project I've been working on for some time coming to fruition, with many other people (thank you too!). An exhibition on Malaysian Photobooks soon in Oct/ Nov 2020! Exhibition working title of #PeriodicWaysOfSeeing more details later @lightbox_lib. Even the DHL people were so intrigued with the books. Mandatory to flip through all the 40+ books to validate (censorship).
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11 August— #Sasterawan literature, historian, Indigenous activist and legend Akiya. Honoured to meet a prolific writer on little known histories from the indigenous point of view #PeriodicWaysofSeeing

Akiya book signing
indigenous alter-narratives

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6 August— some books (covers) i like. found last few weeks at state publishers and resellers. Research and side acquisition for exhibition, working title #PeriodicWaysofSeeing

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26 July— Tambun caves and wall drawings, Indigenous imagery dating back as far as 9000 to 3000 years. Possibly Semai of Tambun. Only discovered in 1959 @ Tambun, Perak, Malaysia. part of research for upcoming exhibition, working title #PeriodicWaysofSeeing


about 10 meters up the wall
abstract imagery
limestone formation

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24 July— 1 bike, 8 books & alot of photo papers. KL - Penang express #CyclingGeorgetown. Dropped a book bag, Mak Yong took the brunt 🙁 thank you Antoine Loncle Khoo Salma Areca Books #PenangBookshelf FanChon Hoo for making this trip @liew @canaides. exhibition working title #PeriodicWaysofSeeing


2020-10-04

Camera Familia

Camera familia. Cameras I've built and refitted over the years. 2019

Jeffrey Lim / Malaysia 

- 2001 with pinholes & lensed box cameras, modifying and experimenting with box cameras and from. 2012-ongoing, i’ve built many different versions. Inpired from the kamra, lambe & minutera versions. I’ve developed different built types and techniques. 

- Kanta Box Kamra, Kanta meaning lens in the Malay and Kamra inspired from ABCP.

• any special features to your camera? I’m not sure if they’re special, I’ve not followed the traditional design but understood the fundamentals of getting focus, making exposure, reproduction & printing. The Kamra was large, heavy, had a complex focusing & loading mechanism, with too many openings but it was most revolutionary in the simplistic medium, combining the craft of darkroom printing into the camera. 

I wanted to overcome some of the built issues and strived to develop a light, mobile, self-contained, with secured focusing, paper loading, single opening, changeable lens, and using found and waste materials. I develop ways of reproduction, turning the camera into a projector / enlarger, and from visiting an exhibition of Brasil's Lambe-Lambe, developed new techniques in reproduction. 

I think the biggest feature in my build are the focusing & loading mechanism, which is of a monorail design with rear tilt movements. I've got a working-camera weight down to 2.1kg (without tripod). Fully loaded as a backpack with 120 sheets of 3x5" paper and enough chemicals, lighting, flash light, several lenses with tripod, it weigh in just under 10kg. 

The new range of cameras I'm developing will have multi-roles with detachable sections for portability and with the ability to be handheld, using waste industrial materials found with indigenous communities and rural plantations. I will utilise rural building techniques with found materials, make it durable, waterproof, washable and easy to build using simple tools. @ Brickfields



a. Box camera with focusing lens, 2002
b. Modified ansco box camera polaroid back, 2007
c. Kodak brownie six-16 with 35mm film, 2008
d. Box kamra #1interchange 3x5", 2014
e. Box kamra #2foldie 3x5", 2013
f. Box kamra #3bulb 3x5", 2014
g. Box kamra #4woodie 3x5" (rebuilt 6x9", projector / enlarger), 2014
h. Kanta Box Kamra project sign, 2014
i. Element Camera #5elecamm 10x12", 2016
j. Sphere camera #6spherecamm 6x9", 2017
k. Bilik Obscura (room camera) #7bilikobscura up to 20x24", 2017
l. (1) #mobiledarkbox tent, (2) folded down, 2017
m. Instant Portrait signboard, 2015
n. Kanta Portraits project sign, 2017
o. Modified enlarger / projector field camera #8intrepid 8x10", 2018
p. Modified graflex crown graphic #9fieldgraphic 4x5", 2019
q. Tong Interchange current build #10TGbuild 4x5”, 2020
r. Tong Mah Herr
s. Tong Foldie
t. Dark briefcase, Taiwan
u. 桶仔雞 Tang Ah Kay Camera, Taiwan
v. 箱型相機 Hip Siong-ki Camera, Taiwan
w. 箱カメラ Hako Camera, Japan
x. Bakul Amai, village