Taiwan Week 2– Wutai

On the eagle’s nest lookout point. ancestral hunting grounds of the Rukai tribe, Wutai mountain range / Sit here, beside the tree, on the cliff, of eagle’s nest / Making a portrait out in the field / Eagle comes close to check us out / Majestic mountain range, southern Taiwan, Pingtung, Wutai / He said it was an easy trail, just a walk. when we arrived, he said if you fall on either side, it is bye bye / Setting up a trap, it’s a modern trap, but the reading of the trails are still important. we caught a monkey... / Just before the Ali pass, we are going off the beaten track, onto ancestral hunting grounds / Ride along the mountain pass / Return to Wutai / Evening tea with Peresang, on the ending of the project / Presenting the portraits and the project from Taiwan / Three artists, one designer, making some artwork / Natural lightbox / Wutai village is filled with figurative representation of man, their culture and heritage. I’m glad to leave my mark, as a trained graphic designer on the walls too. My mark unfortunately much more generic, the international ASA standard for man and woman... toilet sign (directional signage) / Making portrait for the hunter and his wife, in their family’s home / Finding our picnic ground, on a dried up creek, it’s the dry season here / I have a porter / Looking for a shot / The project sign has an interesting meaning in Taiwan / Ah Chung in 一隻鳥仔哮啾啾 Such is Life (1997) directed by Chang Chi-Yung / Such a sad film from Taiwan, iconic patch. Such a coincidence I’m watching this film now / The healing patch that works magic! Such as your Kamra! / Looking for the shot / Framing the shot / First landscape attempt / My most favourite truck! / Grandpa, inspecting his fields / Stories of old village grounds, hunting, monoliths, cultural traditions & oral history / One family, one village, inter-generational link / Watching ‘Mission Impossible 3’ by Grandpa who himself does mission impossible (hunting legend, proof above the television) / Stop over at Linali, a government resettlement program, three tribes, rows of uniform, fabricated houses, small allotment of garden beds

Taiwan– Week 1– Taipei

First portrait of the year, taken by Luc, my first experience of the emerging self. Luc learning the latest technique. lil elephant, taipei made large format camera. 198 ギャラリー CAFE. reverse relief printing, japan cultural technique. new wheels inspiration for future trips over land. project KMTX meeting, Kanta Malaysia-Taiwan Exchange planning meeting for April 2019. new inspiration for new generation camera. this would be the 4th generation material. my mind is racing now on how to build this new, improved and more versatile version. meetup with curator 南方以南 the Hidden South. dinner is here, bubble tea is not. kiss the dumpling she said. dinner with curators and festival programmers. impromptu presentation. installation work for 印予召准 / GDR Service 10 locations throughout taipei. quick meet with Fablab Dynamic on future collaborations. My new camera has arrived, concept camera OCAC 打開-當代藝術工作站. film back arrives. new concept camera, modification and taking it apart for field use.

Société film– Kanta Box Kamra

How the print is made. From November 2017, much have happened since. thanks the team at Société Films for covering this story.


Projek_03: Jeffrey Lim dissects the process of Kanta Box Cameras from Societe films Projek on Vimeo.

https://www.societefilms.com/projek/2019/2/2/projek03-jeffrey-lim-dissects-the-process-of-kanta-box-cameras

Projek_03: Jeffrey Lim dissects the process of Kanta Box Cameras February 02, 2019
Jeffrey Lim photographs and develops his images with a DIY box camera made out of a tin box. He gets technical and dissects the process in this companion video to Kanta Box Kamra.

NML Residency publication, Taiwan

數位荒原駐站暨群島資料庫 NML Residency & Nusantara Archive 1 February 2019
在2018年《邊境旅行》展覽中，馬來西亞藝術家林猶進（Jeffrey）背著一個Kanta計劃鐵桶，走入鄉間與部落拍攝不同背景與文化的原住民肖像。透過一邊交談一邊對焦、打光、拍攝、沖洗並顯影，他也持續在各式容顏中探索認同概念的方法，持續詢問我們從何而來、往何處去、我們的文化與認同又是如何形構？他與正在構思離鄉原住民紀錄片的Posak Jodian合作。紀錄片〈渡河〉從Posak兒時記憶中阿美族依水而居的記憶，以及她離鄉背井來到台北工作的弟弟展開，溯至許多原住民年輕人甚至上一代的離鄉經驗，以及在城市中的生存故事。近一步將馬太鞍溪與新店溪以流動的意象串連在一起，透過兩地耆老與青年的訪談與口述故事描繪出一個在遷徙遊牧與渡河歸鄉之間的可塑性空間與生活的樣貌。
Jeffrey與Posak的合作互相牽引，一起踏上從城市到離島蘭嶼，走入花蓮馬太鞍部落與新店溪旁的小碧潭都市原住民部落的旅行。將彼此陌生的語言、遙遠的原鄉印象，經過人與物件的交匯，一步步走過河流和土地，拼湊對身份與文化的探問。（圖為林猶進作品〈KENTA計劃：台灣〉；攝影：陳嘉壬）

In 2018’s PETAMU project, Malaysian artist Jeffrey J C Lim always carry a large iron Kanta, a clever package of silver printing photography with waste materials, and capture indigenous peoples’ portraits from different backgrounds and cultures by walking into remote communities and tribes. He talks with the subjects while magically focusing, lighting, shooting, processing and developing as a method for him to continuously explore the identity concept among all kinds of faces, asking: where do we come from? where we go? and how is our culture and identity shaped? He worked with Posak Jodian, who had made a video on indigenous people who leave their hometown. “Lakec” is inspired from the memory of Posak’s childhood memories of the Amis (correction Pangcah) people who lived by the water, and her younger brother who came to work in Taipei. It traced the experiences of young indigenous people and even the previous generations who left home and tried to survive in the cities — further connecting Satefo (Fata’an river) and the XiaoBitan by Xindian River. Through interviews and oral storytelling, it depicts a picture of the becoming of space and life from migratory nomadism to the river journey that leads home.

As for the cooperation, the journeys of Jeffrey and Posak intertwined rom downtowns to a remote island, also from Fata’an tribe to the urban indigenous community along the Xindian River. The unfamiliar languages and the impressions of hometowns are recollected via the convergence of people and objects. Together they treaded through the rivers and the fields, hoping to summon the question on identity and culture. (Photo: Chia-jen Chen)

IN THE FIELD– Leyef

Short update: Leyef village of the Temer tribe, Upper Perak, 12 hour journey inland to the north of Peninsular. Mostly on local horseback, the noble #kapcai. Bring only what you can carry on you back, my gear- Kanta Kamra set, electronic recording devices, two set of clothes, prints & notes. Too long a story to express, still much reflection to do, on the circumstances of the state, of them as tribespeople, in reflection to an identity I've been searching. More pics if I have the time.

Riders of the north, riders on the storm

Repair work– #1interchange

While doing repairs for upcoming trip, my replacement outer shell for Kamra #1interchange has rusted through, just changed 7 months, been through real rough use, rural Taiwan, deep forest of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, as well as non-stop Kochi, Japan. It’s an end to an era, for now I’ll patch the open holes, much like what life is for me now. It’s time to build an entire new camera, a new life. Next expedition, into Upper Perak (inner Gerik) through very rough terrain. Hope the Kamra and I will survive.

Field Motorcycle– Pai Cub Chai

2019– starting a new leaf, getting that motorcycle license and a bike made for field use. Able to carry survival gear amd cameras. Using the bicycle was almost impossible with 30-40 kg of load.