As I drove around through the night snow at my security work site my mind flashed back to 2003. I am still haunted by the pictures I made that year in a Cambodian brothel. The faces of the Vietnamese workers still churn inside my mind making me think back to those lives. It has been 11 years now but I cannot forget those faces.
I need to do the "Lost Innocence" project, it will be difficult and dangerous but I cannot live with myself if I do not try to tell those stories. I want to work a little towards that, make a start at it next trip. My current thinking on how to document that world is to make square format Hasselblad ring flash head shots. Then take those negs, convert them to positives before making large ambrotypes in the darkroom (something I have never done before). I am thinking to use large 15x15 black or ruby red glass for this project. Each ambrotype would be a head shot with space around it of a girl who works a brothel in Asia. If I cannot make the ambrotypes I will just print the photos large on warmtone fiber.
The photos would document the workers "Lost Innocence", the theme would be the destruction of their lives because on the perversion they are forced to live through. I want to humanize these forgotten women. I want to hit the viewer with a sledgehammer, make them feel guilty and force the these lost lives down their throats. Indifference by those that view the work is not an option, I want to force feed them the imagery until they vomit compassion and empathy.
Showing the pictures in conjuction with written personal stories or video interviews with the workers would give added impact to an exhibition or book. More thought needed.
I need to do the "Lost Innocence" project, it will be difficult and dangerous but I cannot live with myself if I do not try to tell those stories. I want to work a little towards that, make a start at it next trip. My current thinking on how to document that world is to make square format Hasselblad ring flash head shots. Then take those negs, convert them to positives before making large ambrotypes in the darkroom (something I have never done before). I am thinking to use large 15x15 black or ruby red glass for this project. Each ambrotype would be a head shot with space around it of a girl who works a brothel in Asia. If I cannot make the ambrotypes I will just print the photos large on warmtone fiber.
The photos would document the workers "Lost Innocence", the theme would be the destruction of their lives because on the perversion they are forced to live through. I want to humanize these forgotten women. I want to hit the viewer with a sledgehammer, make them feel guilty and force the these lost lives down their throats. Indifference by those that view the work is not an option, I want to force feed them the imagery until they vomit compassion and empathy.
Showing the pictures in conjuction with written personal stories or video interviews with the workers would give added impact to an exhibition or book. More thought needed.
