meeting derek henderson

While on 'the island' I always meet great people, whether the encounter is brutally local or internationally acclaimed. Sometimes, all I have to do is sit in one of our bamboo chairs and gaze out any one of the huge glass windows that surround me and just wait. What I am waiting for is anything and that is EXACTLY why anything will happen or turn up...For example, the wonderful New Zealand fashion, landscape etc etc photographer, Derek Henderson. He turned up in this big white, rented minivan (which he has used to transport his subject matters, a group of camping teenagers, around the place). I liked his longish hair and big glasses (a la mode). I also enjoyed how he conversed with me over tea about photography and the island locals that often resemble the characters in this Summer's fabulous film, 'Winter's Bone'.

He talked about how the creator of Selby just started with an idea that grew and grew and how he was interested in exploring and photographing the cluttered wonders that lay nestled somewhere in our Southern Hemisphere. Derek raved about the editor of i-D magazine and his fantastic obsession with THE current and absolutely NOTHING ELSE. Derek also found it difficult to remember certain celebrities name's that he photographed e.g Scarlett Johansson which gave a grounding sense to him.

Derek briefly mentioned encountering a real hermit and an aggressive one at that. This man lived in a huge blue van at the entrance to one of the island's numerous camping grounds and absolutely would NOT let anyone take pictures of him. Coincidentally, I had almost the same experience the day after and was practically chased by this lone warrior who had a scraggly white beard that fell over his topless torso and petered out at the beginning of his tight black jeans. Honestly, this man stormed out of this van swearing and yelling, giving me a HUGE shock. I quickly apologised (although I actually hadn't taken any pictures) and awkwardly walked away, feeling his eyes burn into my back as he watched through his yellow, stained curtains. It was great.

Below are some photos that Derek Henderson has taken (while searching through his work I also found that he worked on an Amnesty campaign which THRILLED me as I have been a leader for a small Amnesty group for three years!). Look him up, his photos have great contexts and themes running through them. And what's even better is that I can guarantee you he's a photographer who deserves respect for his art and approach...pretty much he's a NICE BLOKE YEH.

From here

From here

From here

Inspiring?

xx
Lou

burma, humanity and other affairs

This week is Amnesty Freedom Challenge Week and this year's theme is, "Make Some Noise for the Students in Myanmar". Myanmar was originally called Burma and has 50 million people. Although Burma is rich in resources, it is said that its military regime is one of the world's most repressive and abusive regimes. The atrocities that go on in this country have even got the monks, the most peaceful and loving people on Earth, protesting, and therefore facing the violence of the regime. Students our age have been arrested too and imprisoned, some with life sentences. But they are doing it for the BETTER of their people, they are choosing to act out and risk their lives, in the hope that eventually their protesting will lead the innocent citizens of Burma to a better tomorrow. This is absolutely incredible and admirable.

For the Challenge we invited Naing Ko Ko, a Burmese activist and refugee, to our school to speak. He talked about witnessing torture first hand and how he can never go back to Burma again to see his family. His story was utterly inspirational.

What the military regime are doing to their people in Burma is devastating, more than words can describe. Yet there is something going on here, right in New Zealand, that is just as appalling, it is the reoccurring expression of complacency. In our isolation we seem to be dangerously apathetic towards the terrible events going on in many countries around the world. In choosing not to act at all and therefore ignoring these atrocities, do we become worse than say the military regime in Burma? You tell me.

xx

Lou

senshual fashhun

yum. 

i don't know how you would make such amazingly crafted things last but either way, these works from 'a mattter of taste' by italian photographer fulvio bonavia are kinda lushhhcious. 

i wonder if ever fulvio, as a kid, was told to never play with his food? (go fulvioooo yeah prooooove them wrong)

  

via http://www.fubiz.net/2010/05/12/a-matter-of-taste/#more-82036


on a side note, today after class, we had our combined colleges' amnesty international meeting (which lou is a leader of). we watched a bit of this movie rendition. it was really interesting and a little disturbing. we had been focusing on a theme of torture in previous meetings. although the film was just a dramatized fictional story, it was based on real cases of extraordinary rendition in the USA, and the extrajudicial torture performed on people by the CIA behind closed doors. 
it's so hard to distinguish what right and wrong is; if one man is a possible terrorist and therefore if inhumane torture is the correct method to extract information. i don't know. 


alas, in difficult times, isn't fashion always outrageous?


aps
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