Penticton Art Gallery Exhibition Listing Updated

Here is the updated exhibition details at the PENTICTON ART GALLERY. The photo they have in the link is NOT one I have printed yet. I need to find the negative and make the print up.

http://pentictonartgallery.com/exhibitions/2018/9/21/gerry-yaum-forgotten-laughter-children-of-the-dump
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Gerry Yaum | Forgotten Laughter: Children of the Dump

Friday, September 21, 2018 7:00 PM
Sunday, November 4, 2018 4:00 PM

On display in the Project Room
Gerry Yaum
Living in the Margins: Families of the Dump


"The Mae Sot Project" Artist Statement
"As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest."
Nelson Mandela
The Mae Sot Project ("Families of the Dump") documentary photography series was made at the Mae Sot, Thailand garbage dump. At the dump approximately 400 people in 50 plus family groups live and work scavenging for recyclable goods. The families are made up of Burmese refugees mostly from the Karen ethnic tribe; who travelled illegally from Burma into Thailand. In Burma these people face political persecution and economic hardship, they came to Thailand hoping for a better life.
I make my photographs in the dump and elsewhere for one reason, to tell the stories of forgotten people. It is important that their stories are told, with dignity and compassion. My goal is to show the common humanity we all share.

Children Of The Dump
Flies buzzing in the sunshine
Garbage and long toil
Giggles with quick laughter
Playing with barking dogs
Broken glass and sweet hugs
Found food but lost school
Stomach worms and stinking waste
Rats running with the rice
Yet new hope and new life
Children of the dump.

Please help the children and families of the dump by donating to: http://www.eyestoburma.org/
Social documentary photographer Gerry Yaum seeks to tell the stories of forgotten and marginalised people. His deeply personal series My Father's Last Days documents the final months of his father's battle with pancreatic cancer. Through a sequence of poignant black and white portraits, Yaum endeavours to understand and capture his father's struggle and create a memorial to him.

www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwkOovKSljM
https://vimeo.com/116513737

Possible Color Prints For Penticton

I counted 46 possible color pics I could send to Penticton. Might send up to 20 and they can select what works they want to show.

Color prints Penticton…

1) boy eating oranges
2) girl lost in thought
3) mother at 12 midnight on sofa
4) rat group photo
5) group working garbage
6) group behind truck
7) boys standing with moving garbage truck
8) girl and dog
9) garbage truck with workers
10) playing cards
11) mother and baby
12) family group in shack
13) family under candle light
14) wife and husband in shack
15) waing man
16) child in garbage with other workers
17) young girl orange shirt
18) girl alone at night in shack waiting
19) angle man alone in burmese skirt
20) baby girl alone
21) dancing
21) truck with workers #2
22) waiting workers group
23) waiting workers 3
24) group of workers boy in red
25) group of workers girls face
26) group of workers left, garbage truck right
27) father of the bride waiting at night
28) boys playing game
29) girls suckers foreground
30) child with sucker 1
31) held baby with sucker
32) child and mother in yellow
33) dump view #1
34) dump view #2
35) dump view #3
36) found meat
37) girl close up with hand
38) baby crawling
39) dump shack with tree on top
40) daughter-mother-father working
41) young brother showing young sister where to dig
42) family group eating supper with angry mother
43) young boy leaning back with new headlamp vertical
44) children in shack family workers in group behind
45) father holding daughter (shot looking up)
46) girl in chair

Bought Some MOAB Inkjet Photo Paper, Plus Some Dectol

Did up an other of inkjet photo paper, both MOAB Sliprock Metallic Pearl and Juniper Baryta as Kodak Dectol photo paper developer for the coming Penticton Art Gallery exhibition. I really like the feel of the glossy MOAB Sliprock Metallic Pearl paper, the Baryta stuff ain't bad either. The total was $443 USD including the shipping (FREE) and taxes. I now have two orders from B&H coming.

Hopefully these 2 orders will carry me through and allow me to finish printing the exhibition. I need to save some money for other things. Luckily making a bit of money back this time to pay for all the bills. I hope I will have some money left over to give back to the families as well (the artist talk fee for sure).

Note* Both of these inkjet papers are available in 17 inch by 50 foot rolls. I can print up to 17 inches in my Epson P800 printer.
Note** I  also found plastic protection sheets and a 20x24 inch shipping box I can use to ship the print to the gallery.
Update* Also bought some shipping cases and 2 rolls of 17 inch paper.

Quote: Gordon Parks (Photographer, Writer, Composer, Activist and Filmmaker)

"I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty. I could have just as easily picked up a knife or a gun, like many of my childhood friends did... most of whom were murdered or put in prison... but I chose not to go that way. I felt that I could somehow subdue these evils by doing something beautiful that people recognize me by, and thus make a whole different life for myself, which has proved to be so."

Organizing Negs And Working On My Presentation

Am preparing for the Penticton exhibition tonight. Doing my 3rd night in a row of organizing my negs (will probably need about 5 nights to complete the work) and also working on a PowerPoint presentation for my artist talks. I am looking through a number of PowerPoint how to books as well as a video tutorial I got from the library to complete my presentation.

Hopefully when I get all my negs organized I can find what I need to print this coming week off. I am kind of lazy when it comes to negative storage and naming, which leads to major problems when I have to print. The PowerPoint artist talk presentation will include an introduction, photos from the years 2013-2018 as well as a at least 3 video files. Want to make it about 1 hour long.

If I want to get the stories of the families told properly I need a high end presentation I can show. The goal is to present their story in venues world wide. Not sure I can do that, not sure if it is even possible, but sometimes you need to punch above your weight class.

Early form of the "Families of the Dump" Presentation

Obama Versus Trump

A shocking difference in intellect and character.

Quote: Albert Einstein

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."

Quote: Yoko Ono

"John's spirit in a way is still alive. In peoples hearts, and the statements he made, the music he made, you know, it's going around the world, so in a way. It's like, he's alive!"

Glen Constantine Ted Talk, NOWHERE PEOPLE-Stateless People

Well this is a bit intimidating, what a well spoken man Glen Constantine is. Mr. Constantine's photographic work  on the Rohingya's will also be hanging in the Penticton Art Gallery at same time the "Living on the Margins: Families of the Dump" photographs are being exhibited.

Please give Glen Constatine's 'Nowhere People-Stateless People" Ted Talk lecture a look see. He speaks from the heart and tells many personal stories, eloquent, oh so sad and beautifully done.

Note* Am not sure if he will be at the opening, or talk about his work and project. I hope so. It would be an honor to meet him.

Note** If I can do half as well as he does in my Penticton Art Gallery artist talk, I will be doing very well. 

Glen Constantine Ted Talk, NOWHERE PEOPLE-Stateless People

Glen Constantine doing his TED TALK on his project Nowhere People

Epson $500 Rebate Check

Some good news today after a 2 month wait. I got a rebate check from Epson for my printer, $500! I received $350 back for buying my new printer and another $150 for replacing my ancient Epson Stylus Pro 4000. Pretty good deal! Depositing the check tomorrow! This rebate check will get me another box of photo paper Ilford warm tone FB 16x20 or 20x24 paper for the Penticton show!!

My New Epson P800 Printer 

Printing After Work

This morning after last nights security guard night shift I went home and into the darkroom, where I printed for 2 hours. I need to get my best "Families of the Dump" negs made up by September 1. Having a world class social documentary photog like Greg Constantine in the same gallery at the same time as myself is very intimidating. I need to tell "Families of the Dump" in a strong and powerful way, the photos need to be able to stand up to Mr. Constantine's work with the Rohingya. Failing to tell the dump family story well is an injustice to all my friends in Mae Sot and to the Penticton Art Gallery. I need to get the most powerful negs printed to the best of my ability for this exhibition. If that means working in the dark after my night shifts and working 12 plus hour printing days on my days off for over a month, so be it! Gosh I better buy more photo paper!!!

Note* I might also try to do up some recent 11x14 or 16x20 color images for the exhibition as well, thou I am not sure just yet if that will happen.

Quotes: John Cassavetes (Director-Actor)

"As an artist, I feel that we must try many things - but above all we must dare to fail."

"When I started making films, I wanted to make Frank Capra pictures. But I've never been able to make anything but these crazy, tough pictures. You are what you are."

Dad And Mom In Happier Times

I bumped into this photo just now, mom and dad in happier times. It was made on April 16, 2013 during the opening night at an exhibition I had in the Kaasa Gallery here in Edmonton. Within two years my dad would be gone  from Pancreatic Cancer (February 22, 2015) and within 5 years mom would be sick with Dementia.

People spend time with your family when you can, things can change so fast! I remember after I took him home that night my dad who never said much complimentary about my efforts at photography. Told me that maybe it was a good thing that I made the photos for this show (on Klong Toey slum in Bangkok). I think he was proud of me.

I so wish I could go back to that night and spend more time with mom and dad, just sitting and talking.

Dad would probably hate the photo below, but he looks great to me!

Dad and mom enjoying some snacks at the opening

Bought Me Some Ilford Warmtone FB 16x20

Gosh photo paper is expensive. Just paid $302 USD (with tax and brokerage) for 50 sheets of Ilford 16x20 FB from B&H in New York. I plan on doing lots of printing over the next while. I tried to order 2 boxes but the online ordering system only allowed me 1 box.

B&H Site Link

Toni Onley Space, The Penticton Art Gallery

Paul C the curator at the Penticton Art Gallery has offered me the choice of 2 different spaces to show the "Families of the Dump" work. Here are some photos of one of  the "Toni Onley Space". The other is area that I could show the work is called the "Project Room". Am not sure which would be better, which one to choose. I asked Paul to give me the space with the best light and the most room which would allow me to show the most photographs, and tell the best story.

"Landscape Defined", 2016, in the Toni Onley Space At the Penticton Art Gallery

Toni Onley Space at the Art Gallery of Penticton

Email To Larry, "Living In The Margins: Families Of The Dump" Exhibition, And Glen Constantine

Got an email from the Penticton Art Gallery today about the coming exhibition. Everything looks great and is a go, even going to make a little money for the show. I might use it to help the people in the dump again or to buy new framing for the show. My current frames are in rough shape and the Penticton Art Gallery is a step up in gallery class, it is important the work is presented right. I am very excited about the artist talk on the 22nd. Telling the stories about the photos about the lives of the forgotten families is a GREAT opportunity.  I am so lucky and privileged to be given this chance. Not sure on how a lot of this is going to work out yet, please stay tuned the blog for updates.

There is another photographers work who is going to be exhibited at the same time as mine. His name is Greg Constantine. Mr. Constantine is a world class heavy hitter professional social documentary photographer, who is doing incredible and important work. All a bit scary but I will try to do my best and go from there. Gerry the security guard in the same gallery as a world class social documentary photographer. Hopefully this all works out well, you can only do what you can do!

Note* The Penticton Art Gallery decided the exhibition will be called "Living In The Margins: Families of the Dump." 

Note* It so important to give back to the families. I need money to pay for the new frames, they will be very expensive but maybe I can split the money, 1/2 for the families, 1/2 for the frames.  Or maybe I can use the artist fee to pay part of the frames cost and donate the artist talk  Honorarium directly to the families. I could buy the families more headlamps, boots, medicines etc.

Here is an email I wrote to my friend Larry on this subject:
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Larry….

Just found out I am going to be exhibiting in Penticton alongside this guy’s work, his name is Gleg Constantine and he photographs the Rohingya. It is a bit intimidating. Mr. Contantine has at least one photo book, has exhibited in galleries in London etc. Have you heard of him, know of his work? I did a Google search and came up with the links below, seems like a very talented, determined, social documentary photog, like lots of his pics….

https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=strict&client=firefox-b-ab&biw=1920&bih=953&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=TD5ZW-KpO-jA0PEP47KLiAU&q=Greg+Constantine%E2%80%99s+Exiled+to+Nowhere++Rohingya.&oq=Greg+Constantine%E2%80%99s+Exiled+to+Nowhere++Rohingya.&gs_l=img.3...103436.110332.0.110932.2.2.0.0.0.0.100.168.1j1.2.0....0...1c..64.img..0.0.0....0.eMm9igxjUNA#imgrc=_

https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=strict&client=firefox-b-ab&biw=1920&bih=953&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=vD5ZW8vAPLP09APU_L6QCA&q=Greg+Constantine%E2%80%99s++Rohingya.&oq=Greg+Constantine%E2%80%99s++Rohingya.&gs_l=img.3...674328.674328.0.674579.1.1.0.0.0.0.67.67.1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.0.0....0.jK2WRLqpSRo#imgrc=k65jwPSi7n7rsM:

Seems he was barred from MYANMAR.

http://www.mizzima.com/news-domestic/myanmar-bars-us-photographer-ahead-rohingya-show

From the  Penticton Art Gallery:

In conjunction with your exhibition we will be exhibiting a selection of work of Greg Constantine’s body of work entitled Exiled to Nowhere exploring the plight of the Rohingya.

Am quite excited by this opportunity, still trying to figure it all out. Here is what they have promised me, not sure I understand all the benefits. The artist talk should be fun. The money will probably be used to help buy some newer framing.

From the gallery:

On our end we will cover the following expenses:

1) the cost of shipping your work
2) The cost of framing if we are framing the work in house using our exhibition frames.
3) Your travel and accommodations for up to three nights to attend the opening.
4) An artist fee of $1,000
5) An $150 Honorarium for the artist talk

Thanks Larry… We should be able to meet up in the coming weeks if you have time. Mom has been admitted to a ward to the Hospital for the next 5-7 weeks. They are evaluating her condition, adjusting meds etc. I need time to print the work for the coming show, plus I have all kinds of other things on the go but we can do a meal if you want, we need to catch up!!

Gerry

Quote: All In The Family

Archie Bunker:

"If God had meant us to be together, He'd have put us together. But look what he done.   He put you over in Africa, and He put the rest of us in all the white countries."

Sammy Davis Jr.:

          "Well, you must have told him where we were, 'cause somebody came and got us."

Qoute: Hermann Goring

“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

Facebook: 2 Older Mamiya 6 PhotosFrom 1999-2003

2 older pics done with a Mamiya 6 Camera and flash, in 1999..The first of sex workers Jo and Nit in Pattaya Thailand outside their short time sex bar. Nit was using her bar money to provide for her family and build a large beautiful home for her family up country. The second picture is of a barefoot child begging from a farang tourist in Bangkok Thailand’s notorious Patpong area.

Jo and Nit waiting for customers, Pattaya Thailand 2003

Young barefoot boy begging in Patpong, Bangkok Thailand 2003

Quote: Dorothea Lange

“The good photograph is not the object; the consequences of the photograph are the object.” 

Quote: Drew Johnson (Curator Of Photography At The Oakland Museum Of California)

Speaking about the great social documentary photographer Dorothea Lange. 

“Lange’s greatest lesson is that a photographer documenting social conditions must approach people with dignity and respect, with an honest effort to understand their situation and to capture it truthfully. As she said, “All my photographs are collaborations—the result of [the subjects’] thinking as well as mine.” Lange’s work is the perfect balance of art and information. Her photographs are often beautiful, and sometimes shocking, but not in a way that overwhelms the situation or content she’s documenting. I’m sorry to say a lot of documentary photographers have not learned this lesson or followed her example in this.”

Quote: Barack Obama

From a speech marking the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth.

“I believe in Nelson Mandela’s vision, I believe in a vision shared by Gandhi and King and Abraham Lincoln. I believe in a vision of equality and justice and freedom and multiracial democracy, built on the premise that all people are created equal, and they’re endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. And I believe that a world governed by such principles is possible and that it can achieve more peace and more cooperation in pursuit of a common good.” 

Dorothea Lange CNN Story

Here I a wonderful story on the Great Depression era photographer Dorothea Lange. Her dedication, hard work, empathy and compassion has been a huge influence on me. A very inspiring person who led an important life telling the stories of important people. The Power Of Photography, you got to love it!
CNN Dorothea Lange Story

Quote: Joni Mitchel (Singer-Songwriter)

“Woodstock was a spark of beauty where half-a-million kids saw that they were part of a greater organism.”

Quote: Thomas Jefferson

"When the speech condemns a free press, you are hearing the words of a tyrant."

Lam Duan The Blind Elephant Listens To Bach

Found this simply beautiful. I will try to visit 'Elephants World' my next trip to Thai.
Man Plays Bach To Blind Elephant

Here is a link to Lam Duan's home, Elephant World.
Elephants World Kanchanaburi Thailand

Quote: Conversation Between Actor-Game Show Host Richard Dawson And His Mother

During his retirement speech of his show 'Family Feud' Mr. Richard Dawson told this wonderful story about an important conversation he had with his mom. As a young boy in 1945 he saw troops of all colors leaving his town in England on D-day. Young Richard had never seen people of different races in his English home town before, he asked his mother.

"Is there something wrong?" his mother said "No! God makes people you understand that, don't you?" he said "Yeah" she said "Who makes a rainbow?" Young Richard said "God." Richard's mother then told him "I would never presume to tell anyone that can make a rainbow, what color to make children." Dawson then said "And she changed my whole life with that statement."

The Entire Goodbye Speech

More mothers should have talks with there children like that.

The Power Of Meditation

Found this quite interesting, the power of meditation to calm people in times of stress. The Thai coach who was trapped in the underwater cave with his 12 soccer team members is a former monk. As a monk of 10 years he was very experienced in doing meditation.

When I was beginning to learn Thai, I studied the language and meditation at a local temple here in Edmonton. The Thai monks taught me to speak, read and write as well as meditate. I did it on almost a daily basis for over 2 years. What I found was an extreme form of relaxation. I would do walking meditation for 30 minutes along with sitting for 30 with a group of others at the temple. I would almost always fall asleep, snoring loudly, during the sitting part. After wards my monk teacher would say to me "Gerry you fell asleep again.", then laugh. I do not think technically in proper meditation you should fall asleep thou some people do (including monks). I know I was very very relaxed and would doze off quite easily, usually within the first 10 minutes of the 30 minute sitting session. After I left the temple my stress level was very low, I felt completely refreshed and at peace. I highly recommend those interested  give meditation a try!

Here is a CNN article about meditation and the boys in the cave.

Thai boys who were trapped in cave have a powerful survival tool

Facebook: New HF3535 Photos And Update

Gerry Yaum

My HF3535 camera should be finished fairly soon. I am making the final payments on shipping and some extra backs for it. Filip in the Czech Republic built two of these beauties, one for a fellow in Korea and one for little old me in Canada. I hope to use it on a major cross Canada 10 year plus photography project making Ambrotypes (pictures on glass). I will also be doing 20x24 film work with the camera. The current idea would be to have a motor home of some kind towing a cargo trailer darkroom and to then travel everywhere in Canada making landscapes and portraits! Will do that for 10 years and see where I am at. Retirement the fun way! I have 2 lens for the camera a very old extremely rare Tessar 1800mm F15 brass lens and an also rare Nikon 1780mm F14.

http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/…/bought-me-amazing-95-year-o…
http://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/…/bought-me-nikkor-apo-1780mm… 

Note* The lens are so rare I can probably eventually sell them and get my money back or even make a profit. The camera? Not sure if I can resell it at some point, maybe not. The most important thing of course is to make important lasting photographs with these tools. If I do then the cost of the tings will not matter.

Here are some shots Filip took of the first HF3535 which was sent to Korea.

The huge HF3535

Facebook: Poipet Brothel Memories

Gerry Yaum

3 mins 

During my life doing social documentary photos the ugliest place I have ever made photographs in was a brothel in Poipet Cambodia. The memories of the young women who worked there (Cambodians and Vietnamese) haunt me to this day. They would beautify the ugly sleeping/sex rooms where they took their customers to with torn out pictures of movie and singing stars.
I have photographed my father as he died from pancreatic cancer, desperate men shooting heroin in Oakland California, prostitution in Thai, slums in Bangkok and Cambodia, migrant workers, street kids and leper homes in Nepal, Burmese refugee families working a garbage dump in Mae Sot Thailand but the thing that bothers me most, the thing that haunts me still are the faces of the young women in the Cambodian brothel. They were so lost, so defeated, so gone. They would sit up front of the hovel like brothel they worked on cheap plastic chairs, under pink lights, waiting for the next customer. Their customers were mostly Cambodian men who would arrive sometimes 3 at a time on motorbikes and pay $2 each.

One young girl (everyone told me they were 18 but I doubt it) showed me large welts on her back and legs where the mama son would beat her with a hanger. Terrible ugly shit that goes on all over the world to this day. Hung the Vietnamese girl/woman in this photo could be dead now of HIV-AIDS, not sure what happened to her. I went back a few years later but could not find the brothel, her or any of the people who worked there.
https://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/…/haunted-by-lost-innocence-…

Hung Vietnamese Brothel Sex Worker, Poi Pet Cambodia 2003

Quote: My Mother

Mom is suffering from the initial stages of dementia. What my mother is going through is more difficult than what dad faced with his pancreatic cancer. With dad his body gave up but his mind, memory and intelligence was there till the end. Moms body is quite strong, she eats and sleeps well but her mind is leaving her, she has almost no short term memory now and suffers from extreme anxiety and restlessness. She constantly paces and moves about and grabs in desperation at anything she thinks can help her. There are constant requests for medicines and even after she has pills within a minute she does remember taking them.

This is so hard because there is nothing I can do and nothing she can do to get her short term memories back, her long term memories will probably eventually go as well. She is so frightened and confused, she deserves better than this and I cannot help her, I can not save her.

This quote is from a phone call this morning, she said it with such anxious, and an overwhelming sadness in her voice, she broke down and was crying after.

"Gerald!............ I can't remember!"

Video Link: Kind Hearted People Help Animals

Am in a hopeful frame of mind tonight. Thought I would share this YouTube video of people saving animals in danger.

Restore Your Faith In Humanity In 4 Minutes Flat

The Power Of Love

The 12 Thai soccer team boys and their coach were successfully rescued from their underground cave today.When we all work together, when the world helps each other, when we all love and care for each other, the best things happen. Here is a quote from the chief of the rescue mission.

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Chief of the rescue mission Narongsak Osottanakorn addressed reporters at the end of the 17-day mission, arriving at a media centre to a round of applause.

He confirmed that a medic and all navy SEAL divers involved in the rescue mission had also left the cave safely.

"Nobody thought we could do it. It was a world first," he said. "It was Mission Possible for Team Thailand.

"POWER OF LOVE"

"The heroes this time are people all over the world," he added, referring to the multinational team that assisted in the operation.

"This mission was successful because we had power. The power of love. Everybody sent it to the 13."

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