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

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

 

Camera Matters 2020

23 September— both my dead digital cameras... needs to be repaired $$$. The only digital camera i have now is the phone.... UPDATE: ITS RM1300 TO FIX! 🙁 Sony service centre- (interesting that they follow the british spelling). estimated bout RM700 (USD175)... the camera is rm1400 new (correction 2600 new)..... 😢 @ The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

sony repair centre

dead cameras

7 September— just sold off my 135 format camera, had it since 2005. Canon FTQL 1964 last of the manuals before electronics started coming in

bye bye

Secret South Exhibition– Kanta Portraits Taiwan / Nusantara Archives

13 September— ON EXHIBIT— Secret South Exhibition– Kanta Portraits Taiwan / Nusantara Archives KANTA portraits @kantaportraits camera #1interchange (retired) on exhibit with news video and grant report, some prints. As part of @nusantara archives for 'The Secret South' exhibition at Taipei Fine Arts Museum. thank you for sending me pics! #KantaPortraits #tfam 臺北市立美術館 Taipei Fine Arts Museum @boxcameranow #camaraminutera #cameralambelambe  #lambelambe #afghanboxcamera #kamraefaoree

explore the exhibit in VR 

[1] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[2] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[3] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[4] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[5] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[6] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[7] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[8] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[9] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

[10] Secret South Exhibition Nusantara Archives

13 July— Exhibition setup @kantaportraits camera #1interchange is going on exhibit as part of Nusantara Archives for 'The Secret South' exhibition at Taipei Fine Arts Museum. thank you for including the camera! picture credit to Guest Curator Takamori Nobuo #KantaPortraits #tfam @ 臺北市立美術館 Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Nusantara Archives exhibition space, camera here

exhibition space

camera setup

Lakec– A very simple river

7 August— to visualise a river map. sketches by Dhobi of Jemeri river. zoom meeting with team last night for coming talk of Posak's video, missing everyone.

[1] map of river sketches by Dobi

[2] first test zoom meeting

23 August— Coming Wednesday, shortfilm from last years program is finished, a 'director's cut' and sharing session ONLINE. “Piracy, Radiowave & Bubble #1”— Posak Jodian + Jeffrey Lim 林猷進 (Screening & Sharing).

“Lakec” means “to cross a river” in the Amis language. “Lakec - A Very Simple River” (2020 Version) is the latest film about the Peninsular Malaysia by the Amis filmmaker Posak Jodian and facilitated by the Malaysian artist Jeffrey Lim – after their first collaboration in 2018, the filming of the Taiwanese tribes of Fata’an, Orchid Island (Lanyu) and Xiaobitan in “Kanta Portraits: Taiwan”. They visited the towns and forests across the Peninsula, or even the offshore island tribes in 2019, to “portray” the life experiences and oral traditions as a collective and pluralistic entirety (which we should feel akin to) through the lens of an indigenous Taiwanese director. 

IN THE FIELD– Petoh village, Rompin, Pahang

 18 August– arrived at the malaysian rainforest. did i miss a turn? #paicubchai

20 August— [1] setup space, a little corner [2] first test print [3] first use since refitted the camera #4Woodie, shutter cap by hand, and new strobe system, workflow took some getting use to, many wastage [4] from 2 till 10pm, about 28 portraits in all, the #Profoto B10 strobe batt was flat, just managed to squeeze one last 'kilat' [5] coffee from Shima, life saver after today 🙂 such lovely community. #KantaPortraits  @ Kampung Orang Asli, Kedaik, Pahang. Profoto strobe and trigger on loan from the great people of Srishti Malaysia. didnt get to fully utilised the features, but i did use off all the batt!

[1] setup space at the festival

[2] first print of Horas

[3] first use of refitted camera #4woodie

[4] from 2 till 10 pm 

[5] coffee from Shima, lifesaver

20 August— The instant portraits, celebrating the World Indigenous Peoples Day, Rompin district level, with the Jakun indigenous communities from the surrounding area. Jakun have four tribes, puak bukit, puak kuala, puak hulu, puak sisir pantai (Hill tribe, estuary tribe, upstream tribe, coastal tribe), each with their distinct dialect to cultural and spiritual context of their environment. #KantaPortraits @Kampung Orang Asli, Kedaik, Pahang

paper negatives

inverted image

20 August— my new bakul tepi (belakang)! open backpack and sling bag! great for organising all the camera necessities! Amai (aunt) in green made it 🙂 Sumbangan dari Orang Asli Kg. Petoh dengan ikhlasnya. (Sincere gift from the indigenous people of Petoh Village) Thank you for hosting and taking care of me these few days. missing them already. #KantaPortraits #4Woodie #paicubchai

new basket

she made it

19 August— [1] Pinang lipat / folded betelnut... i was slightly intoxicated. [2] Village leaders from around Rompin, assembly, initiation of festival, Jakun tribe, Jemeri Village

Pinang Lipat / folded betelnut

Assembly of Shamans and headmen

21 August— Scenes from the last few days [1] Bedul, more than 10 years of community activism to bring it to this level and still going strong. addressing the guest [2] Indigenous Senator Datuk Isa, honoured guest, representing the government [3] Festival grounds at Kampung Petoh (original name of village) [4] youths performing, 3 days in the row, effort from the independent-led local teaching programs [5] Kebun pdk, independent community garden of 15, by hand in nine months [6] Tan, Tuan Rumah, his success story of the Paku Pakis Batang, on water-logged waste land [7] Tok Batin, 97 years of age, when ask his age "sebelum Jepun, zaman British' [8] Supiah and Linda of Petoh youth camp, took up the courage to ask have their portrait taken together 🙂 #KantaPortraits #kantaboxkamra  @ Kampung Orang Asli, Kedaik, Pahang

[1] Bedul addressing the crowd

[2] Senator representing the Government

[3] Festival grounds at Kg Petoh

[4] Youths performing

[5] Kebun PDK, nine months

[6] Tan, Tuan Rumah, success story

[7] Tok Batin at 97 years of age

[8] Supiah and Linda of Petoh

22 August— Alai, one of my favourite prints, actually there are so many, just that he's very funny guy

Alai