What are you most excited about?
I’m excited to meet and play for my fans again. I don’t come to Bangkok that often simply because my schedule is crazy but I really see that my sound is doing well in Thailand. I’ve had a weekly radio show for more than 10 years now that’s being broadcasted on FM in more than 40 countries and online. Through the reactions on Twitter, I can see lots of enthusiasm for my upcoming gig.
Do you think this year’s gig will be different from previous ones you’ve had in Bangkok?
Yes, bigger! I’m bringing a crew of four people who will help me with the production of my show. I now tour with a custom built set up, L.E.D. screens and a show running completely on time code. This means all my tracks run in sync with the videos, but I still decide on the spot what tracks I play. My set is never prepared. I look at the crowd’s reaction and then decide where I go with the flow of my set. Also, I bring my own VJ who knows my music inside and out and we work with a very good promoter in Bangkok.
What has stuck in your mind about Bangkok since your last visit?
The crowd was exceptional last time I was there! Really crazy! Too be honest I didn’t expect trance to be so alive there, and I was immediately invited to come and play at one of the islands. Also, the photo shoot for the DJ MAG award I won a couple of years back was shot in downtown Bangkok and the cover for my album Imagine was done in a photo studio here, too.
What have you noticed about the house/trance music scene in Bangkok?
Electronic music is slowly taking over the world and Thailand is no exception but in my opinion the Thai people [took to it] a little sooner than the rest. They completely understand it, which makes my job so much easier and so much fun.
What would you say are your inspirations and influences?
I get most of my inspiration from hearing other producers and DJs. My biggest influences are all the producers I currently play tracks from.
What’s next?
I’m working on finishing the ASOT Yearmix 2011 with 86 of the biggest dance tracks of 2011 in one two hour non-stop mix. Also, I’m touring to promote my new double mix CD Universal Religion Chapter 5, mixed live at Space Ibiza. January 2012, I will be spending most of my time working on my new artist album and, in March 2012, I will tour the world again to celebrate episode 550 of my radio show “A State of Trance”.
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How did your passion for electronic music start?
I’ve always been very passionate about music in general and I got into EDM [electronic dance music] after I first heard Steve Angello’s “Teasing Mr. Charlie.” It’s been very much the Swedish producers like him, Axwell, Seb Ingrosso and Eric Prydz who really opened my eyes.
A lot has happened in the past two years.
My life is definitely completely different. I would say the biggest difference is being so busy and spending so much time away from home.
What are your inspirations and influences?
I would definitely say my manager Ash. He helped me out a lot with feedback about what to change in my tracks and therefore had a huge impact on my sound.
What’s your all time favorite track that you’ve mixed?
I would have to say my track “Levels.” Just because of the reactions I get when I play it.
You’ve been touring a lot. What is your favorite gig?
I did a show in Toronto at Kool Haus which was amazing. That was the first show where I got a massive reaction every time. I will always remember it.
Who are you looking forward to collaborating with?
My dream collab would be Bono or Adele, the most talented singers out there right now.
What are you listening to these days?
As terrible as it sounds, I actually don’t listen to much music since I have to listen to so much when working. So when I do get time off I much rather just have silence.
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What is your background before starting the Cambodian Space project?
Julien: I've always been involved with music in Australia, including The Stiff Kittens, Moler, Jen Cloher and The Endless Sea. I've released a lot of records where I've collaborated as a guitarist with singers like Mick Blood of The Lime Spiders fame and also with Simon Day from Rat Cat. I've recorded a lot of my own projects, a cult kind of album with a group called Cashcow and more recently released a bunch of my own albums as frontman with my Tasmanian collective The Green Mist, TGM's first album Next Stop Antarctica features a mix of Australian and US musicians from renowned bands The Beasts of Bourbon and The Violent Femmes.
Srey Thy: I was born in hard times in Cambodia and moved about the countryside with my father who was a tank driver in the army. My family has never had money and we were very poor. Music has always been my solace something that got me through hard times and something that also brings a lot of happiness and hope. From age nine I worked in the rubber plantations but later when I was nineteen, i moved to Phnom Penh to look for work, I had to support my family as both my parents were sick and unable to work. It wasn't easy and I had some very bad times but after a while I got a job singing in a Cambodian restaurant. I learnt a lot of songs and have worked as a musician ever since but for very small money.
How did you guys meet each other?
Julien: By accident, I first came to Cambodia on an Asialink Artist Residency program. I was supposed to go to East Timor but conflict had flared to a crisis point and no-one was traveling to Timor to start music projects, I called Asialink and they told me the program was for all Asia and to go ‘look at the map, and call back with another choice’ so I went to Cambodia. I soon met and heard Master Kong Nay whose gravely, blues-like Chapei Dong Veng songs just blew me away, I was hooked. I made several more trips, whenever I could, made a series of videos and a film called Mekong Delta Blues and started working on a dramatic screenplay, a musical or sorts, involving a character from a small village who ends up in the city and becomes involved in unexpected twists through a preoccupation with music. I filmed, interviewed and recorded people, from master musicians and university professors through to singing hawkers, orphans and beer ladies. On one occasion, a young woman told me I should meet her friend who was a ‘a really good singer’. I took her advice and went to a bar where Srey Thy had just started working. Chanthy had consulted a fortune teller just a week earlier to ask if she was making the right decision to work in a bar entertaining ‘barang’ foreigners. She’d long been a karaoke singer in Cambodian bars but this was different. The fortune teller said she would meet a foreigner who would offer her a job and this would change her life. So it seems that was me. When I met Srey Thy, the only English she knew was ‘Hello, you like eat drink beer”. I stuck around for a few beers and played Thy a bunch songs I had with me, her face lit up and she seems really surprised I had this music. We agreed to meet and rehearse a few songs, I found some more musicians and organised a show. The first gig went really well and before we’d even finished the night we had a band. All we needed was a name, and for a few reasons The Cambodian Space Project seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It then took Srey Thy about 4 months to learn to pronounce the name in English.
Do you ever have any problems with cultural differences as a band?
Julien: Yes, but it's usually funny stuff and not a problem as such. Cultural differences add a lot to what we do and what we're hoping to achieve artistically. But yeah, there's been some funny stuff.
Most bands might dabble in influences from other music, but the very existence of your band is a mix between Khmer music and pop rock. Why was that important to you?
Julien: Yes, the mix is the driving wheel of the band, it's something that keeps us all interested. But more recently we've had the opportunity to travel and play with musicians from other cultures, in Austin, Texas, just Srey Thy and I travelled to perform a showcase at the South By South West Festival and were backed by a Cumbia band made up of Texan, Mexican and Colombian musicians, a great experience and some of Srey Thy's new songs like Not Easy Rock'n'Roll have a real Colombian influence.
How did you guys become so involved with Cambodia?
Julien: Well a few of the band members are Cambodian and born here while the others have come here to work. I came on an Asialink artist residency, Scott Bywater worked with the Khmer Rouge tribunal, Gaetan Crespel (accordion) worked at Bophana (film and sound archives) and sometimes the band includes Gildas (bass) and Irene (guitar) both who grew up in France but have Khmer parents.
What is the music scene in Cambodia look like?
Julien: The music scene is small but it's huge compared to 2 years ago. It's very exciting and there's this whole new community of Khmer-Barang bands playing this inspirational mix of music. Good bands to look up are Dub Addiction and Cyclosonic. Aside from this there's a whole lot of regular Cambodian bands and music is a big part of the culture. NGO's such as Cambodian Living Arts have contributed a great deal to the cultural revival of more traditional music forms.
In composing a song, what normally is your inspiration?
Srey Thy: Music can make you laugh or cry or both and for me the inspiration can come from anywhere. Sometimes when I try to write a song I can't really think of much then another time the idea will almost write itself. I write about whatever I'm feeling, experiencing or worrying about. Sometimes sweet, sometimes sour.
What else are you listening to?
Srey Thy: I'm listening to a lot of French music, gypsy guitar music, Edith Piaf and now a song I love by Serge Gainsbourg but sung by France Gall. I'm also listening to Peggy Lee, Nancy Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, stuff I find on youtube. But really I mostly listen to Cambodian rock music and singers from the 60's like Pan Ron, Ho Meas, Sin Sisamuth, Ros Sereysothea, Pov Vannary, I also listen to Chapei music and a lot of Khmer Surin. Now I'm really loving the Sounds of Siam album.
People probably draw a lot of comparisons between you and Dengue Fever. How do you respond to that?
Srey Thy: I met them once when they came to Cambodia but I didn't know them before and now I don't think of DF as a Cambodian band but it's great that they like Cambodian music. I new about Chom Nimol's family who are well known musicians in Cambodia. I don't have any of their albums but I know their songs are often the same songs that many bands (including CSP) play in Cambodia. Same same but different.
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How did your passion for music start?
I’ve always had a great urge to express myself. As a kid I was always inventing stuff, creating different ways to express who I was and what I think. When we grow up we sometimes lose these natural ways of expressing ourselves. I found my own instrument at the age of fifteen, when I started to play the piano. You could say it was then that my passion for music started. And when we started Zebra and Snake about three years ago, I discovered so many new things about making music.
Why are you called Zebra and Snake?
We got the name from an old t-shirt with a print of these animals. We felt it was a perfectly dadaistic name for a band without limits.
What are you listening to these days?
I like melodramatic artists, such as Antony Hegarty, Scott Walker and David Bowie. I also listen to classical music a lot, since I play classical piano. We also have a few power songs we listen to when we’re touring, like Michael Rothers “Sonnenrad,” Anna Calvis “Desire” and, of course, all the hits from Bruce Springsteen.
What is your musical guilty pleasure?
This is a tricky one. I can’t help listening to Britney Spears’ Blackout album every once in a while. A couple of songs in that album just stick in your head. And Britney, she was in such a weird state making that album. There’s a weird appeal, you could say. And I know that Matti [bassist and backing vocalist] likes this album too, so I’m not the only one. Oh yeah, and there’s one song I feel bad for liking so much. It’s Desiree’s “Kissing You.”
What is the best gig you’ve done?
There are many gigs that have been great in different ways. For instance, our gig in a sky-scraper in Tokyo, last year. Or the gig in a small club in Oslo with one of our idols, Jonsi from Sigur Ros, standing in the audience. And of course, every gig with a noisy and dancing crowd is great.
What can we expect to see at your upcoming gig in Bangkok at Popscene?
We can give you intense and comforting music from the North that is easy to dance to and hopefully easy to fall in love with as well.
What are you most excited about?
The temperature! The winter is really arriving in Finland. I’m typing this with freezing fingers.
How do you see yourself in 20 years? What would you like to be remembered as?
I’d like to see Zebra and Snake still making music as intuitively as we do now. We really value our honest way of making our music, our small town background and the healing aspect as well. Hopefully those things will be remembered.
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RCA Block C, Rama 9 Rd., 081-304-6907 Open daily 7:30pm-2am. www.facebook.com/cosmiccafe.bk
It’s kind of grungy but we still love Cosmic Cafe for its unerring commitment to live music. The line-up is fresh and new, ranging from acts by the young indie record labels Parinam Music and Lemon Factory which are featured in the weekly event, Outside-In, live every Friday. Their regular live bands cover post-rock, britpop and more.
Ramindra Soi 14, Kasetnawamind Rd., 02-907-2228. Open daily 6pm-2am. www.facebook.com/groups/parkingtoys
Don’t be put off by this place’s inconvenient location—it might be on the outskirts of Bangkok but Parking Toys is well worth the drive, thanks to its nightly line up of great live music. It draws in diverse crowds from Fat Radio DJs to neighborhood music aficionados drawn by the eclectic musical styles on offer, ranging from electronic to rockabilly and jazz. And you don’t have to worry about dressing up because no one here really cares.
Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd., 08-9497-8422. Open Fri-Sat 7pm-2am. www.club-culture-bkk.com
Club Culture continues its worthy ambition of offering a platform for the most exciting local acts and some truly cutting edge international indie music. Since its move from Sri Ayutthaya, it is now set in a crumbling four story shophouse that’s all heroin chic: bare concrete beams and creaking stairs. The club regularly hosts the popular Popscene Indie Night by the Thai-British band The Standards that plays alongside lots of local indie groups.
Ramkhamhaeng Soi 39, Town in Town Rd., 089-780-9946. Open Mon-Thu 8pm-12:45am, Fri-Sat 8pm-2am. www.facebook.com/motorcycle.emptiness.bar
Also far from the center of town, this grungy bar is set in a former motorcycle repair garage and takes its name from a Manic Street Preachers song. It’s the go-to joint for live music enthusiasts as they feature bands from indie record labels, many of whom are still working on their debut albums. Their six night line-up can range from indie pioneers like Stylish Nonsense or Day Tripper (now Ooh & The Ballyhoo) and inter guests like Pussy & The Learjets.
33/1 Soi Farm Wattana, Rama 4 Rd., 02-712-0375. Open daily 5pm-1am. www.facebook.com/mystufe
The brainchild of indie pop band Monotone, Stu-fe was one of the city’s first bar-slash-restaurants set in a vintage house. Apart from the ultra chill vibe and yummy food, this place scores big in terms of the music, which leans heavily towards Brit pop and indie. If you’re lucky, you might get to hear the members of Monotone and friends crank out some hits, and Stu-fe also doubles as a home base for today’s artists like ukulele king Singto Numchok.
3/F, Cosmic Café, RCA Block C, Rama 9 Rd., Open daily 7:30pm-2am. www.facebook.com/cosmiccafe.bk
If DJs and turntables interest you more, just climb up to the third floor of Cosmic Cafe. Fish is now very popular for the diversity of its electronic spins. Expect parties from favorite organizers like Club Soma, Dudesweet and Trasher, plus other theme nights like dubstep from Jiving Tribe, indie rock from DJ Tul Apartmentkhunpa and monthly hip hop from Japanese DJ Toru.
21/108, RCA Block D, 084-134-1184. www.nospacebkk.com. Open for exhibitions on Wed-Sun 11am-7pm, the bar is open Wed-Sun 11-1am
Apart from dedicating its white room wall to progressive art exhibitions, Nospace Gallery also hosts regular music events. Truly extending the musical experience, their guests feature noise makers and other experimental musicians, a rare sights in our fair city. The bands vary: Jin Matuthamtada, Space 360, Noah’s Tape and even Malaysian group, Free Deserters.
7 Sukhumvit Soi 51. 02-662-6246. Open daily from 6pm-1am. www.facebook.com/wtf.bangkok
This warm, European-style café serves solid cocktails and plays host to good DJs. This year their indie cachet went up leaps and bounds when they brought the Brooklyn trio Vivian Girls and followed that packed show with British indie Justin Grounds soon after. Not to mention their hipster next-door neighbor DJ Maft Sai who throws his popular molam night Isaan Dancehall here. They are also the home of the very popular Bangkok Poetry Night. Stay up to date with their fast-changing line-ups at www.wtfbangkok.com
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Why did you choose to focus on political prisoners?
I have been following Burma for many years and in particular the issue of Burma’s political prisoners for the past five years. As a documentary photographer or filmmaker, you have an opportunity to inform and educate people about situations and events in ways different from mainstream media. In Burma’s case, the world has had to rely on state propaganda with extremely limited international coverage for many years, so to be able to work in a society with these limitations challenges you to find new ways to tell any one of the powerful stories that need to be told about Burma. Political prisoners is one of those stories that I wanted to try to tell, but there are many more.
How did you find all these people?
I was extremely privileged to receive the support and guidance of the former political prisoners themselves, both those in exile and those still inside Burma. And without their belief in the work I would never have undertaken it in the first place. These are their stories and their struggles to bring freedom to their friends and their country. The courage they have shown in the face of such inhumanity is a shining example to us all.
Tell us about your previous series Even Though I’m Free, I Am Not.
Abhaya—Burma’s Fearlessness is the name of the book and the exhibition but the work is still the same work. All I hope for is that people have learned more about the issue of political prisoners in Burma and will decide to help bring about their freedom in whatever way they can. That’s all that matters, nothing else. It’s why we have carried out this work.
How will the release of Aung San Suu Kyi affect politics in the country?
Releasing Aung San Suu Kyi was something that the military regime had to do. They could not keep her under arrest any longer, and it certainly was not an act of reform. Her release is important on many levels, as she is perhaps the one person who has the ability to bring a sense of unity to the country, if she is given the opportunity. Whether or not she will really be given the opportunity is another matter. So far Burma has seen talk of reform but very little substantive action. More than 1,800 political prisoners remain behind bars. Only if there is real change and real reform in the country can Aung San Suu Kyi or others bring democracy and a new dawn to Burma.
After this exhibition, what’s next?
The book, featuring a foreword by Aung San Suu Kyi, is being published and from November 30 the work is being exhibited by the Open Society Institute in New York as part of the Moving Walls program for the next 18 months. As for my colleagues and I, we will keep working on a number of projects inside Burma.
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Why these particular stories?
I had the chance to go to Germany earlier this year and one of my friends showed me the silent film Un Chant d’Amour which Jean Genet directed, based on his own poetry. This black and white silent film presents homosexuality and life in prison, written from his own experience. This film was produced in the 1950s; he dared to produce the film though it was considered indecent and banned in the US at that time. Not only does the plot inspire me, but also the fact that he made the film without expecting anyone to cherish him. As for Le Funambule, or The Tightrope Walker, I really relate to the story; being an artist is like walking on a tightrope every day. Every step is a risk. If you want your artistic career, you have to take risks. Some might quit when they fall down while others keep walking on and on.
How is this piece an evolution from Circus Electicus?
I’d say Circus Electicus at Bed Supperclub was my first try. At first, I picked only Le Funambule and the concept of taking risks, presented through the story of a dancer. I got a lot of positive feedback after the show, so I decided to develop the full story but focus more on the context of both pieces, which I couldn’t do in Circus because it’s dinner theater and still has to be entertaining.
What about the cast?
I cast all the performers exactly as they were described in the stories. Well, at least the concept of the characters: someone born to be an artist who can do it all very well, and someone who wants to be an artist but doesn’t dare to take the risk. I came up with five performers to represent each of the characters. They didn’t even have to play the characters, because they are so much like them. Like one performer: he used to be in the National Theater, so he’s someone who is born to be an artist.
What can we expect to see in the show?
It’s not that explicit; there are interpretations of the concepts I’ve mentioned; no exact story line or dialogue. 25% of the music will be tango and classical mixed with live sounds from the performers. Sometimes we don’t follow the script, but we get the message across.
You’ve done many shows in the past few years. What is the response from Thai audiences?
Thai audiences always have a block when it comes to this kind of show as they are always afraid that they won’t understand it. But not understanding is a good sign; it lets the mind figure things out. If one percent of the audience is Thai, I’d be happy. In Thailand, we have other entertainment choices that draw people away from art. Plus, our culture teaches us to follow others; it’s considered wrong if we create something new. I never get support from Thai organizations even when I did khon stuff.
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1. ART >> Let's Panic. Can't get enough of the big bad flood? The exhibition on Bangkok's flood is extended to Jan 29, 2012 at BACC.
2. NIGHTLIFE >> Funkagenda. With it's funky stilts, we're pretty sure the club will survive the floods (it probably floats, too). Check out this electronic, tech and minimal house DJ night with Bed Supperclub's residents. Nov 3.
3. ART >> Sex. Six artists are at it together with this mixed media exibition on the hottest of topics.. Nov 4-Dec 5.
4. MUSIC >> X-Japan. Legendary Japanese rock band X-Japan have reunited and are set to rock Bangkok with hits like “Endless Rain” and “Say Anything”. Nov 8.
5. SPORT >> Thailand vs Australia World Cup qualifier. The fifth match in Asia's Group D has changed venues to Supachalasai stadium (National Stadium) due to Bangkok flood. A rare oppurtunity to see some world-class football live. Nov 15.
6. STAGE >> See Pan Din. Historical play portraying the political evolution in Thailand during King Rama 5-8 reign. Rescheduled to Nov 16-Jan 22.
7. STAGE >> Rak Ter Samer The Musical. Stage inspired by Nithiphong Hornak's classic love song. Reschedule from Oct 29 to Nov 18-27.
8. NIGHTLIFE >> Klaxons. The psycho kids from London bring us their multi-award-winning album Myths of the Near Future. Nov 17.
9. STAGE >> A Love Song. Contemporary dance by Bangkok veteran choreographer Jitti Chompee. Nov 19-27.
10. MUSIC >> Thaitanium. Thailand's hip hop gurus hit the stage. Rescheduled to Nov 25.
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How did Southside start?
Twopee: Our passion for hip hop started around ten years ago in Phuket. It’s such a small circle in Phuket that has these common interests, like skateboarding, wakeboarding and other extreme sports. We share a lifestyle and music. Then we decided to make our music and try and sell it at Fat Festival.
What brings you to work with Thaitanium?
Freddy: Many years ago Thaitanium was having a concert in Phuket and we had the chance to open for them. That’s the first time we met Thaitanium and we sent them our demo. And from then on, we made a new mixtape and launched it at Fat Festival every year. I think that’s when Thaitanium realized that we’re serious about music and are working all the time, not just waiting around to sign a big contract. Then, Khan from Thaitanium contacted us and offered us an opportunity to work on their record. It really changed our lives. Twopee was planning to go study in the US, but he canceled everything and flew to Bangkok. It’s been five years.
Tell us a bit on what inspired your debut album, “Welcome to the South”.
Twopee: We use a lot of Southern dialect because that’s where we come from and it represents us. We even used a sample from the old Southern song “Pak Tai Ban Rao” as the hook of our first single. As for inspiration, most of mine comes from Thaitanium. I’ve been a fan since I was very young.
Freddy: I do agree with Twopee about Thaitanium. They’ve been influential to hip hop in Thailand. But when we do our music, we just be ourselves. Many people criticize us and say we’re following foreign trends. But actually, everything can be from abroad, but we do it our own way.
What took you so long to launch your first album?
Freddy: We were really young at that time. Everyone in Thaitanium composes their songs by themselves and they do it well because they have a lot of experience. We were not ready at that point, so we preferred to collect more experience. And now that our first album is coming out on Oct 28, I’d say it was worth the wait.
Wouldn’t you say that hip hop in Thailand is at an all-time low, though?
Twopee: Yeah, that’s true, but for me, a downturn is good. Ten years ago, there was a hip hop boom here, with hip hop on television and commercial spots. It’s like when we do our song, we know that the fans is the real fan. They listen to us because of the song. Now that hip hop has fallen out of the main stream, the fans left are the real ones who really understand the music. So, I think that’s even better.
Freddy: Life style and fashion are totally different. Life style is the real you while fashion can change over time. Music in Thailand is more like fashion; if in the future Thai people start to focus on their life style more than what’s trendy, they’ll have a stronger sense of identity. If Angelina Jolie didn’t have the sak ha teaw [Thai sacred tattoo], people wouldn’t have known about it at all.
What else are you up to?
Twopee: Basically, we are still in school. Freddy goes to Thammasat and I’m at BUIC. Apart from doing the album, we organize the A.K.A party at Demo and some MCing for DJ Buddha from the Bangkok Invaders.
Who else you want to work with?
Twopee: I want to work with Burin Boonwisut from Groove Rider. I’ve listened to his songs since I was a kid, and Burin does very cool disco. So if we get the chance, it would be cool to do some mix between hip hop and disco.
Freddy: I’d like to work with Singha-To Numchoke as he’s from Phuket and he does beach music. It would be fun to collaborate with him. Vasachol Quadri
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How did you end up joining this program?
Stephen: This Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship has been around for about 20 years and people who work in various humanities fields may apply for a trip. Writers, photographers, film-makers, artists, musicians and even dancers can all apply for a trip down far south as long as there is some extra space on one of the ships or planes. I have made three separate trips under this program.
What is the subject matter of your exhibition?
Stephen: The exhibition is inspired by the strange landscapes or ice-scapes of Greenland and the otherworldly night sky-scapes of Antarctica. This exhibition is only one of many I have had which displays the work I’ve made down in Antarctica. This show is a bit different as my partner Carolina had a body of photographic works created in Northwest Greenland, and I had a small series of Aurora photographs from Antarctica which I wanted to exhibit so the joining of the two seemed a good plan.
What did you see?
Stephen: Antarctica and the Arctic are very different places. The Arctic is mostly frozen sea surrounded by three continents with a considerable population. Antarctica is a massive continent covered by ice and surrounded by ocean. The ice is three kilometers thick in some places and there have never been any humans living there. Now there are about 50 tiny scientific stations there but it is no one’s home. Life is tricky in both polar regions but far more so in Antarctica due to the more severe weather and the logistics to keep people alive there. There’s also the isolation factor for those that spend a winter down there.
Tell us a bit about the Auroras photos.
Stephen: I used a basic Sony Cybershot camera to capture the images, then made digital prints on textured high quality paper. They are landscape/night-scape images that reflect the experience I had of being in East Antarctica that long cold dark winter of 2009. These Aurora Australis images can symbolize the mesmerizing beauty of this phenomenon which belittles us and gives life to the word sublime.
And for the North Pole?
Carolina: I haven’t been to the South Pole; Argentina just recently started a project to involve artists with Antarctica. Maybe one day I will go. I had a small taste of polar regions in Greenland and it feels very different from where I live. First of all, getting there involves a few planes. Upernavik is a small isolated island, only 1,200 inhabitants and 11 settlements. Rocks, snow, ice make up the island. Long dark winters and bright summers. We went there in May 2010, and it was 24 hours of sunlight, never night. The sun just went down near the horizon for a few hours and then came up again. I used the Holga to capture this as it’s a very good friend to travel with: it doesn’t weigh much, is easy to operate, it is not afraid of the cold and quite unbreakable. I also like all the unexpected mistakes that happen due to its clumsy construction.
What we’ll see in this exhibition?
Stephen: Whatever the viewers gleans or gets from seeing our work depends on the individual. This can range from boredom to extreme inspiration. If these works remind people that the world is large, beautiful, fragile and mysterious and that humans are rather insignificant I think we would be quite happy with that.
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