Tag Archives: Festivals

Art, George Town, Media, Photography, Style, Travel

Mindfulness and Digital Waste

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Who among us hasn’t taken 12 shots of the same subject and then ended up choosing and using only two images?

Have we even bothered spending time to enjoy the beauty of the subject photographed or ponder on the meaning of the photo? Or are we just rushing to get the images uploaded on our social media platforms and then wait to see how many people will “like” and comment on the said posting(s)?

And who else among us spend our days mindlessly forwarding messages without stoping to ponder for a moment if the contents are true or even of value to its recipients?

On behalf of I, me and myself, the humble response is “guilty as charged.”

A photo and video exhibition by Madhvee Deb called Digital Waste: the Sweet Smell of Burning, is taking place in George Town and highlightsthe behavioural issues of taking excessive photographs and a disproportionate exchange of worthless information on social media.

The photographs and objects primarily use rejected images, the leftover images we discard when searching for the perfect photo to post online – showcasing the hypnotic effect of social media on the human mind in a subtle and humorous way.

Her exhibition is open to the public at OME Spacebar Coffee (Lorong Toh Aka in George Town) throughout the George Town Festival 2018.

Well done Madhvee, for the gentle reminder to be present in the moment and think again about spending endless hours on our smartphones and tablets daily and ignoring real people and our surroundings, because we are so caught up with/in the virtual world!

(Images of exhibition and exhibits courtesy of Madhvee Deb)

#gtf2018 #georgetownfestival #photography #digitalwaste #mindfulness #technology

Art, Festivals, George Town, Heritage, Homes, Media, Photography, Travel

Stories of Sa Pek

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Some stories require minimal words, because the photos say it all, and do so in a compelling and articulate manner.

Welcome to George Town where the month of July seems to have taken off with features of photographers who are standing out as fascinating storytellers of a city and island steeped in colour, culture, nature, heritage and endless charm.

Visual artist, photographer and graphic designer Goh Hun Meng and three generations before him lived in the clan houses of the Khoo Kongsi (Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi) at Cannon Square, a George Town World Heritage site.

Pivotal to a photography exhibition he is presenting during the upcoming George Town Festival, is his 82 year old uncle and godfather, Goh Kong Chuan.

“Sa Pek” or Third Uncle as the elder Goh is referred to in the family, was an avid photographer and showered his nieces and nephews with much kindness when they were growing up.

He also served in the Reserve Army and gave ballroom dancing lessons.

He also used to capture milestones in his family’s lives and the laughter and tears punctuated in between, with his trusty camera.

“My late grandmother (born between 1910 and 1912) was a Khoo who had lived in the clanhouse since she was five, “ Hun Meng said.

“When we were growing up, Sa Pek used to give pocket money to my cousins and I and took many precious family photos.

“Today he is 82, suffers from dementia and lives in Pulau Tikus with his wife Lim Poh Geok. His memory is not as good as before.

“The exhibition showcasing his precious collection of photos is my tribute to a man who has always cared for his family.”

Hun Meng is also looking to raise funds for his aging uncle by selling the photographs on display and donating all the proceeds to Goh Senior.

The exhibition which runs from 9 Aug to 3 September, 2018 (from 11am-6pm daily) opens on Aug 11 at 10.30am @Jetty 35 located on the ground floor of 35, Pengkalan Weld, George Town, 10300 Penang.

(All images courtesy of Goh Hun Meng)

(Note: the 16 clan houses which flank the alleyway from the main entrance to the central Clan Temple and courtyard of the Khoo Kongsi where Hun Meng and family lived, have morphed in recent times, into a 43 guest roomed boutique hotel called Clans Kongsi George Town. The story is found in an earlier posting ‘Amazing Slices of History @ClansKongsiGeorgeTown’ in this same blog https://postcodegeorgetown.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/amazing-slices-of-history-clanskongsigeorgetown

#postcodegeorgetown #georgetownfestival2018 #photographyexhibition #photoessay #unescoworldheritage #gohhunmeng #khookongsi

Festivals, George Town, Heritage, Media, Photography, Style, Travel

Celebrating David Loh’s Homecoming

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Journalist David ST Loh left Penang three decades ago to work for news organisations like Reuters, The Star and more recently, The Malaysian Insight.

The internationally-published Loh has spent 26 years in the media industry, of which 21 of them were as a photojournalist. He later moved on to became an editor at the award-winning photographic department of the Reuters Ltd news agency.

He left Reuters in 2016 as Editor-in-Charge (EIC) for the agency’s Global Pictures Desk and today works for The Malaysian Insight.

Previously based in cities like Kuala Lumpur, London and Singapore, Loh’s images have graced many global newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, UK Times and others. He was also part of a judging panel for the ChinaInternational Press Photo Contest 2016.

He has now come full circle and returned to Penang last year and calls this island home (again).

Since then, Loh has been exploring his home state with a revived passion, discovering new and interesting things to see and photograph, on land or from above.

(A 35m table laden with offerings during the Jade Emperor’s birthday celebration at the clan jetties in George Town, Penang)

Using a drone, he scours places that might hold interesting terrain, landmarks and features and he has not been disappointed with every deployment of the drone.

His aerial images will form a part of a curated collection of his work for an upcoming photography exhibition.

(A cruise ship at the Penang Port Cruise Terminal at dusk)

The ‘Over Penang Photography Exhibition’ is part of the George Town Festival 2018, will be held at the Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel, Victory Annexe, 10 Lebuh Farquhar, George Town, Penang.

The exhibition runs from August 4 till Sept 2, 2018.

The homecoming exhibition is aimed at imparting a sense and fresh feel of how the city has changed, in tandem with the island maintaining its essence of combining heritage and progress .

Loh has been painstakingly and continuously documenting Penang Island as the island state tries to find a happy balance between progress and preservation.

(Mercurial lakes at Frog Hill, Tasek Gelugor, Seberang Prai, Penang)

“Penang,” Loh notes, “is such an amazing place where there seems to be non-stop events, activities, things to do, and places to go.

“If you are prepared to go out and look, you will never be bored in Penang.”

Welcome home, David Loh and keep “clicking” and continuing to share with us your amazing work of the Penang we all love!

(All images courtesy of David ST Loh)