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The reality is... East is West

How does one single mind or an idea find its way across the globe – from East to West – to piece together a fabric that we call “reality”? What we mean by this reality is that it is a fact that cannot be described from one place only. Reality is as wide as colours, music, geography or feelings. We can only grasp this point by opening our ears, minds and hearts to be able of comprehend the other point of views. Our conclusion is that we are never separate entities. We are one all along; hence “East is West”. 12 photographers and one musician to embark on a special journey to collect photographic evidence from around the world, to create a vivid montage of the given theme. From the Silk Route in China to Cowtown rodeo show in the US, we joined the dots from East to West. Thus discovering that the concept of “East” and “West” is both myth and reality.

 

Gods by Deshan Tennekoon
So God created man in his own image… whatever the image is in the East or West, within or without

Cowtown Rodeo by Janet Greco
Strength and weakness, victory and loss can't be separated. Cowtown is in its 51st year and it is the oldest weekly rodeo in the US, and it happens to be in the East of the country

Twirling Dervishes by Salina Christmas
A spiritual Sufism dervish dance in Istanbul . The adoration rite is the bridge that brings our world of impermanence and uncertainty closer to that of the True Love (the Creator)
Fighter by Kess Bohan
Despite looking worse off than his opponent, the Muay Thai boxer won the match at Bangkok's Lumpinee stadium. Inflicting physical injury results in loss of points in this game.
Rice by Binian Ghezai
An otherworldly bowl of rice, the vapour resembles prayer incense’s smoke. A bowl of rice (from Earth) has a potential to release energy when Water and Fire (for boiling) is added
Stop by Sean Patrick Samuels
Scene of Americana, but this can be anywhere. At a Las Vegas junction, the track resembles an unstoppable river, speeding away and ignoring the timid instruction
Carnival by Zarina Holmes
Notting Hill Carnival in London is a celebration of freedom, interracial union, freedom and acceptance in society
Elvis by David Salas
Elvis is not dead in Tokyo! A group aficionados gathering at Yoyogi Park near Harajuku. Tokyo is an Eastern city that epitomizes re-invention, creativity and bizarre hybrid
Castañuelas by Jaime Saez de Adana
A Taiwanese tourist and an elderly Spanish lady against the backdrop of Alhambra, the grand symbol of Moorish (Eastern) rule in Andalusia
Lunch by Richard Bull
Ni’Lin is situated in the middle of Palestine and Israel border, a meeting point of the East and West. When the Israeli soldiers left the posts, the Plestinian boys polished the lunch ration left behind
Dhobi Ghat by Stefano D'Amadio
Dobhi ghat in Mumbai is the biggest open-air laundry in the world. The dobhi wallas, the cast of washermen, are able to resist modern washing machine. They wash and iron around 60,000 items of clothing a day without the use of machinery with incredible speed
Bread by Guy Henshilwood
Kashgar in China is an ancient Silk Route trading centre, situated along the Karakoram Highway to Islamabad in Pakistan
East Is West
Poetry by Hamish Low
Photography by Sojournposse
"As east is west, as south is north
all directions are equal,
you may be yourself
and you are your sequel" Celebrating the meetings of two minds, two lives and love
» Watch video
Farruca de Istanbul
Performed by Taylan Polat
"When I close my eyes I see Istanbul", yet the sound is unmistakable of Andalusia. "Farruca" was brought to Spain by the Arabs from the East 800 years ago
(Viewing with permission only)
Kaffeine
Directed by Kess Bohan
The fine art of Antepodian coffee. Sojournposse observes in reverence the elegant Antepodian ritual of enjoying the "flat white" coffee. A Middle Eastern drink brought to the Australasian continent by the British

» Watch video
The Move
Remix by Mc Bello (Enrico Liverani)
Music direction by Legopops
Sojournposse took a trippy train journey through Istanbul, Barcelona, Paris and London

» Watch video

 

Twelve Photographers, One Musician. A Journey

Biniam Ghezai

Biniam Ghezai is an Italian-Ethiopian born photographer based in London and Madrid. He specializes in travel, wedding, lifestyle, portrait and digital stock images for commercial and corporate uses. Defying the growing trend, Biniam’s works are of the photographer and not the retoucher. He says. “I photograph to define my experience, to encapsulate these moments and share the earth’s most extraordinary places with you. My vision is to set apart from the masses.”

David Salas

David Salas is a Spanish-born photojournalist based in London. He usually works for the main Spanish newspapers reporting from the UK capital. He also does event photography and studio work. “I am interested in social issues and my aim is to portray important topics that concern us all with my camera, attempting to give my own opinion, but from a detached point of view. I believe in the power of images; portrayals of life that can make us knowledgeable individuals in the process of becoming active components of change.”

Deshan Tennekoon

Deshan Tennekoon has no formal training in photography and it continues to amaze his family and friends that he is able to make a living at it. He recently won a Fulbright Foundation Award to conduct a photography project in America and will be examining the relationship between humans and aquatic leisure spaces in the First and Third World. His pictures have been published in TimeOut Delhi, Liquid, The Moodie Report, Serendib Magazine and of course, Sojournposse. He lives and works in the mildly crippling humidity of Colombo.


Guy Henshilwood

Guy Henshilwood currently calls Malaysia home, moving to see how life is lived in other continents. Born in England he was brought up in South Africa, leaving at the age of 15 with a desire to see as much of this world as possible. University in London was followed by an unusual combination of jobs and long periods abroad in Asia, New Zealand and South America. A return to the UK presented an opportunity in journalism and Guy is currently working for the Aljazeera news channel. He travels whenever he can, taking the opportunity to travel to some of the more colourful countries in the region.

Jaime Saez de Adana

Jaime Saez de Adana describes himself as a cloud, he is everywhere and nowhere. He knows a little bit of everything and lots of nothing. He believes that poetry, music and colours are all the same thing, just life. So he uses what is nearby to express his inspiration. He uses art as a medicine to be able of understand who he is and what life is; to live a more creative and exciting life and finally to create value. He’s got a photographer soul and he is returning to 35mm photography to discover feelings the traditional way. Jaime lives in Barcelona.


Janet Greco

Janet Greco is a documentary photographer based in New Jersey, USA. She is inspired by sub-cultures, the ordinary, and the extraordinary elements that characterize people’s lives. She studied photography while at university in Philadelphia and since then has lived and worked abroad, principally in the UK media industry. Her principal project in Spain, Fiesta de Sant Joan in Ciutadella de Menorca, has won the official poster prize in 2008. Her ongoing projects are “Spirit of the Pines” which is about South Jersey ghost towns, gun clubs and the Pine Barrens; the Albert Music Hall, a weekly country and bluegrass jam, the Cowtown Rodeo and the Junior Dragsters at Atco Speedway. In October 2009, her work will be seen in the group show “Weird NJ” at the Noyes Museum, Oceanville, New Jersey.

Kess Bohan

Kess Bohan is a published photographer and broadcaster. He has directed and filmed projects for channels such as Channel 4, BBC, HBO, MTV and Channel 5. Originally born in London then raised in Australia, a passion for travel and life experience has given rise to a long career. Having filmed in the industry for over fifteen years he is still as keen as ever to record life in all its forms.


Richard Bull

Richard Bull is a portrait photographer in the sense that he enjoys capturing the faces of people he meets and talks with, and there are many. He first bought a camera some years ago hours after attending a demonstration in Palestine. “The absurdity, the stupidity and the violence of the situation – I wanted to record it, not as journalism, but so that I wouldn’t forget these moments of my life - a long running visual diary I guess.” He lives, for the moment, in Kathmandu and takes pictures there from time to time whilst otherwise looking for a paying occupation.

Salina Christmas

Salina Christmas had to take up photography while working for a Malaysian daily in the 90s, when sometimes the photographer didn't turn up for the assignment. The poor journalist had to make do with an automatic camera. She got into it again big time in 2005. “My brother was terminally ill and I just wanted to remember every single moment of his life. I also wanted him to see what I was up to here in the West, on the other side of the world. I published most of the pictures on the web; that was meant to be our meeting point. He died two days after purchasing a laptop. He didn't get to see my photos. I haven't stopped publishing my visual essays online since. They're for my children.” In 2007 she won the Informa Photo Journalist of The Year award.


Stefano D’Amadio

Stefano D’Amadio was born in Rome where he now lives and work. He has been a professional photographer since 1994. As his great passion is cinema he begins working as a set photographer and collaborated with famous Italian directors. In 2003 he won the CliCiak prize for best colour photography series for the film "Respiro". In 2004 he published a photographic book for Marco Bellochio's film "Buongiono Notte". As director of photography, in 2007 his work on documentary titled "Giuseppe de Sanctis" directed by Carlo Lizzani was showcased at MOMA, New York and competed in Festival del Cinema di Venezia in 2009. Stefano also contribute to major Italian and international daily newspapers and magazines.

Sean Patrick Samuels

Born in the East, but educated in the West, Sean Patrick Samuels fell into the world of photography while studying journalism. That was more than 10 years ago. Since then he has rarely travelled anywhere without a camera. Enamoured with street photography, he tries to capture the constantly changing urban landscape with all its flaws and controversial beauty. Cameras to him are simply tools, it's what you see before you, how and why that truly matters. He currently works for a photography magazine in the UK. Google Sean Patrick Samuels. He is still as keen as ever to record life in all its forms.


Taylan Polat

Taylan Polat was born in Divirigi, Turkey in 1978 and moved to Istanbul when he was 5 years old. He started an early career as a guitar player. At 17 he was already touring the Mediterranean area (Istanbul, Antalaya, Kas, Kemer, Marmaris). In 2001 he moved to Cordoba, Spain in order to attend the Conservatory of Music of Cordoba, where he is studying flamenco guitar with Paco Serrano, Manolo Franco, Niño de Pura, David Pino, Faustino Núñez and Churumbaque Hijo. Taylan composes his own music and he has created his own style, a mixture of flamenco and traditional Turkish songs.

Zarina Holmes

Zarina Holmes feels more at home when she is away. She photographs to make an inventory of what she saw and feel. Until the age of 17, she has never lived in a city for more than 4 years. Her father's job as a Malaysian military officer took her to remote places and unfamiliar cultures that she grew to love. After graduating from art school, she became an ad creative specializing in travel and gradually became a photo editor. This has led to her to photograph for travel magazines she produced when she couldn’t find the right shots. Today she also writes about travel and culture. Zarina calls London “home” for 13 years now – the city where she founded photographic art collective Sojournposse.


Audio Video Team

Enrico Liverani (DJ Mc Bello)
Hamish Low
Juan Bolaños Jurado
Jaime Saez de Adana
Legopops
Salina Christmas
Taylan Polat
Zarina Holmes

 

From September 23rd to the 25th, Nissan Design Europe opened its doors and organize a series of tours of the facility when one can discover the automotive design process. But that's not all: Nissan Design Europe aimed at celebrating the diversity of London creative industries and becoming a creative hub hosting arts and design displays by various artists under the theme of 'East meets West: the cultural crossroads of creativity'.

The 'East meets West' theme is open to individual interpretation. It can consists of an experience gained from a journey from one city to another, from one country to another, or even to different parts of the same city.

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