PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
Exhibition
Gallery
Enchanting infrared images reveal the magic and poetry of Southeast Asia / words & photos Martin Reeves
The large stucco Buddha at Wat Si Chum, in the ancient Thai capital of Sukhothai Opposite page
Angkor Wat, Cambodia. To capture the impending storm bearing down on the five central towers, I ascended to the top of a scaffold just as the cloud cover broke in two.
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n a nine-week trip through India some 2 7 years ago, I di s cove re d not onl y my love for A si a b ut th e b eauty o f sh o oti ng wi th Ko dak i n f rare d b lackand- wh i te f i l m . Th i s s p e c i al i ty f i l m’s uni qu e e mu lsi on i s s e nsi ti ve to i n f rare d l i g h t and, u si ng i t , i m ages take on a s o f t , dream - l i ke di m e nsi on . A girl walks It i s p e r fe c tl y sui te d to along the beach s om e o f my favouri at Tham te Phra sub j e c ts : r ui ne d te m p Bay, les , Nang c r um b l i ng s tatuar y and Thailand, with Bu ddh i s t m onas ri es , a te seemingly skull-like re m ote lands cap escave behind. and th e p elooming op le th at i nh ab i t th e m . 53
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Ta Prohm, Cambodia. From a dark stone vault within a gallery, I stumbled blindly out into a courtyard. As my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, rearing into view was a silk cotton tree stretching toward the heavens. Opposite page, top
Kyaik Pun Pagoda, Bago, Myanmar. The Four Seated Buddha shrine remains one of the most significant Buddhist sites in the former capital of Pegu (Bago). Opposite page, bottom
Bagan, Myanmar. This photograph was taken several decades ago, but even today, people are mostly farmers, using oxen for transport and ploughing the fields. 54
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Ti and her baby Chai are Black Hmong from Sapa, a small hill station located in northwest Vietnam. Below
Chiang Rai, Thailand. Founded by a former champion Muay Thai boxer turned monk Phra Kru Ba Neua Chai, Wat Ma Thong (Golden Horse Monastery) is famous for its unusual approach to Buddhism. Destitute boys from the surrounding area are taken in and trained in equestrian and
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Thai boxing skills to build their confidence, self-esteem and concentration. Tending to horses, which are saved from the slaughterhouse and donated to the temple, gives the boys discipline and a new lease on life. Opposite page
The Bayon, Cambodia. The mystery of the Bayon and the strange sense of being watched from above by the multitude of carved faces is still very much a part of every traveller’s experience when visiting the temple for the first time.
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About the photographer
Since making his home in Thailand in 1996, Martin Reeves, who is also a filmmaker, has worked with Discovery Channel Asia to create a series of short documentary films about the Black Hmong people set in mountainous north Vietnam. He published the book, Angkor: Into The Hidden Realm on the temples of Angkor, which he began photographing back in 1992 when Cambodia was still suffering under the crippling influence of the Khmer Rouge. View more of his work at martinreeves.com From 18 July to 18 November 2013, Martin Reeve’s photo exhibition “Hidden Realms, Sacred Spaces” is on display at Tamarind Village Chiang Mai (tamarindvillage.com).
Shan State, Myanmar. Deserted and overgrown, these Shan pagodas appear to float on a tranquil islet of Inle lake.
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