Collaboration: Existing photography projects based on Bali

Bali Street Photography: Shawn Eastman
'... focusing on the beautiful & hard working people that make the welcoming place the way it is.'

Why black and white?
- surely it is a vibrant culture in terms of colour
- allows for focus on the activity of the people rather than the pretty environment

In terms of location, Ubud seems to be the one that holds something coser to what life may hvave been like a few decades ago across all of the island. 

- the Balinese are genuinely happy to meet you 
- rice paddies
- monkey forests
- family temples
- waterfalls

An important part of the gowth of the country of Indonesia is the coffee production. It has been for centuries, right back to the end of the 17th century when the Dutch governor in Malabar (India) sent an arabica coffee seedling to the Dutch governor of Batavia (Jakarta). In the mid-19th century Balinese farmers became prohibited from picking coffee for their own use by the Dutch rulers. This lead to the discovery of undigested coffee beans left by medium sized mammals that look like cats/foxes. The people collected, cleaned, roasted and ground these beans to make their own secret coffee. 200 years later, the coffee plantations are selling this mammal poo coffee, Luwak Coffee, for £400-£500 per kilogram. 

Shawn seemed to focus on the markets in Bali as these seemed to hold the most amount of cultural lessons for those new to the country. The stalls had hand crafted goods sourced from the area, made in ways that had been passed through the generations. 


Women in Bali: Bruna Rotunno 
A phtoography project, between art and reportage, a journey of images in the heart of Bali and a tribute to the energy of all the women who live there. In the photographs, the women are captured to move gracefully andwith strength as they dance, work, live and smile. The images translate the essence of a unique place, characterised by a fluid and harmonious energy. They look at Balinese mythology, based on the worship of water - the Holy Water, the Great Mother, the symbol of creation and purification. Every women photographed left something: her image, her words, her thoughts, her stories and her poems. This phtoography project by Bruna gave a voice to the women. The female energy's force is suymbolised by the water that features in a large number of these portraits, the vehicle of ancient memories and healing tool.