Category Archives: Memorial Cemeteries, especially old ones, speak volumes. The epitaphs engraved on the headstones, tombs, and mausoleums tell stories about the living. The materials and style of the contruction, the location and orientation of the graves themselves, and the way in which they are cared for, give insights into people’s priorities. The study of burial rituals is […]  Some events in history are incomprehensible to me. That some people survive these events, with dignity and hope, is almost more incomprehensible. While I was in Phnom Penh last month, as part of a photo-tour/workshop with photographers Karl Grobl, Marco Ryan, Gavin Gough and Matt Brandon, I was privileged to meet and speak with Mr Chum Mey, […]  ANZAC Day is the official “Remembrance Day” for Australians and New Zealanders. First observed in 1916, it started as a tribute to the Australia New Zealand Army Corps (the ANZACs) on the anniversary of their landing on the beaches of Gallipoli in Turkey on April 25th, 1915 during World War I. It is said that as many as 650 ANZACs died […]  Some trips are such a jumble of colours and textures that they more closely resemble a crazy quilt than a tidy tapestry. So it was for me on the short trip to Attapeu Province in Southwestern Laos in January: a mix of Wats (temples), waterfalls and monuments; rural plantations and rough-board housing rubbing shoulders with […]  “All objects, all phases of culture are alive. They have voices. They speak of their history and interrelatedness. And they are all talking at once!” Camille Paglia I grew up in North America where the artefacts of culture are relatively modern. By contrast, Asian cultural objects speak of time… endless time… with it’s ebb and […] |
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