Indisposable

Last summer I was privileged to spend a month and a half in Singapore. On weekdays I work as an intern in Suying Design, an architecture and interior design firm, and on weekends I spend my time with my favourite Singaporeans - gigs after gigs, photo hunting, birthdays, grad shows, and infinite sleepovers. It was a fun experience and not to mention memorable; to have a taste of what it's like to live and work in Singapore. And so here's a sum up of my time there. Half of these photos were taken by Angelo Tan (the ones with me on it), with a disposable camera - hence the title 'Indisposable', and the rest were taken by yours truly. (Click here to see the full photo set)

Fong

Meet Tasmin Fong. She is an ever endearing rebel and most probably the Singaporean and fashion student version of me. Last summer, during my internship in Singapore, she was kind enough to host me in her place. We were room-mates for one whole month. I don't know if you still consider the term 'room-mate' when I sleep on her bedroom floor with her short-tempered poodle. It didn't matter though, what matters most was the 1 AM talks and being her personal Indomie chef for supper. 

One blazing hot Saturday, we decided to stroll around town to shoot. We came across this hidden staircase by accident. I was inspecting the facade of the building and decided to peeked inside. I went hysterical when I saw how the facade casted shadows onto the room. So there we were, taking endless selfies after I took a good amount of photos of Tas. (Click Read More for the full editorial)

Ekspedisi Timor

Every year, Aristektur Hijau goes on an expedition to study in depth a particular traditional/vernacular architecture in different parts of Indonesia. This year, 2015, we went to two very remote village: Kamanasa and Uarau, in Pulau Timor, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT). 

We spent 3 days in each village and the experience was priceless. We stayed in the traditional houses together with the Ama (Father) and Ina (Mother) there. They were all extremely friendly and kind, not as how I expected. And I was too amazed by how they live their lives. They still stay true to their ancestors traditions and belief, despite of globalisation. Their life was so simple but they were happy. It's the simplicity that brings them happiness. 

They basically have everything that they need. Food comes from the nearby farm, fruits come from the nearby trees, wood for fire comes from the nearby forest, water comes from the nearby well. When they need a new basket, they weave their own. When they need a new traditional dress for the annual cultural ceremony, they weave their own (tenun). 

I was so blessed to have the opportunity to not only interact with the people of Timor, but to be able to be a part of their day to day life. To be able to understand their view about life. And lastly to be able to learn that no matter how far we've gone, to never forget where we came from. 

Click 'Read More' to see the photo set and the short video of the trip. 

Kontra

 K  O  N  T  R  A

A   P h o t o   E d i t o r i a l 

We are an anomaly; we try to see the dissonance between what is familiar to our eyes and what is not. As we embrace them bit-by-bit, we capture moments, pictures, experiences, and thoughts that are not as what they seem to be. We see things beyond the norm; we recede away from the tide of certainty as we try to dive into a rhythm amid the surrounding clamors. We counter against all those because the beauty of it does not lie on the things within the comfort of our sight, or our feelings, but they lie as we see past against all those things. That maybe something beautiful in a world full of contraries, opposites, and imperfections are we able to see that mundaneness is far from what we try to attain in life.

Twenty-One

On January 2015, I had the chance to spend my birthday week in the wilderness. Away from the hustle bustle of the city, with limited electricity and signal. It was a peaceful week surrounded by green hills and tea plantations. All I did every day was finding the perfect route to the woods and being drenched in rain. 

For more photos click 'Read More!'

005

Turquoise

Inspired by the colour of my sister's hair and the entire colour scheme of the place - a pop of turquoise in the middle of white rocky mess - this shoot was done at Kawah Putih, one of Bandung's own treasure. It is a crater lake that make up Mount Patuha, located in Ciwidey, Bandung. It's been a tourist spot for such a long time but its beauty is timeless. 

Nippon