Thaipusam gallery
4 feet by richard seah
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All along, I had focused on taking photographs of hands, but for some reason, probably because I had had enough of hands, my attention turned to taking pictures of feet.
This was one of about 10 pictures of feet that I took for my Thaipusam gallery during Thaipusam 2005.
The rest were ok, and you can view some of them on my Prayer Images: Thaipusam page.
This picture, however, had that bit of extra which makes it stand out from the rest. I submitted it to Montage 2005 – Mosaic of Life, a photography contest and exhibition organised by the NUS (National University of Singapore) Photographic Society.
Although it did not win anything, it was among 105 pictures selected for exhibition, out of more than 2,000 entries. That puts it among the top 5 percent of entries. Another of my entries, Blessings, a photograph of the hands of a Balinese priest, was also selected for exhibition.
Some people wonder about what the people in this Thaipusam gallery picture were doing and, with their imaginative minds, their thoughts turn to, well, you know what...
But, seriously, this is a religious festival, so please rein in your imagination. The person below is actually having his back pierced by hooks! And the person on top is holding him down.
Thaipusam is not an event for the faint hearted and I, too, was rather frightened and alarmed during my first visit back in 1981. But I quickly saw the spirit of cleansing and penance of Thaipusam. I saw that the overall mood – amidst the apparent chaos – was one of holiness.
I have taken photographs at three Thaipusam festivals so far and, over the years, have built up a fairly good Thaipusam gallery. As I write this, on 31 January 2006, the next festival, Thaipusam, is less than two weeks away, on 11 February 2006. If all is well, I will be there again, to add to my Thaipusam gallery.
Maybe I will take more pictures of feet this time. I am also thinking if I should, for a change, take black and white pictures – although it seems such a waste, since Thaipusam is a very colorful event.
We'll see how it goes....
This Thaipusam gallery picture is available for sale. Larger prints come in very limited editions, but smaller 5R and 8R prints are made very affordable to encourage the collection of fine art photographs by those with limited budgets.
All prints, including the affordable 5R and 8R prints, are signed by me, Richard Seah.
Click here to view other fine art photographs for sale.
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