Got a nice email today asking whether the Calgary Camera Store blog could show the "Forgotten Laughter" story. Of course I jumped on it, the more people that know about the lives of the families the better. I hope this leads to major exhibition for this project. I have shown the work in limited ways 2 times but want an all out large exhibit tells the story completely.
Here are the emails, the one sent to me and the VERY long one I sent back. I edited out various names because of privacy concerns.
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Here are some links that might be helpful. Will send you the blog writings in a separate email. Sorry for all the long long email, I am trying to give you the big picture.
The basic story is Burmese families mostly from the Karen Ethnic group left Burma for political and or economic reasons and ended up in the Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump just across the border from Burma (Myanmar).The Karen people have a long standing war with the Burman people in Myanmar that dates back to WWII. These political-economic refugees (illegal immigrants) go to the dump because that is where they can make a living scavenging for anything of value. Plastics, metal wire, glass bottles, cardboard, etc. are dug out of the Municipal Mae Sot garbage dump and then sold for cash. Entire families work the garbage from children as young as 6-7 to old people. The families live on the edges of the dump in housing of various types, from bamboo shacks with raised floors (pigs and chickens underneath) to basic lean-two type structures. The numbers of people working the dump is constantly fluctuating. Today when I was at the dump I would estimate that there are approximately 40 or so family groups working and living here with around 200 people total.
Please feel free to use any of my photos you think tell this important story best. I want the voices of the people to be heard. Hopefully your blog will help communicate their message and will lead to a larger style gallery show. I plan to exhibit, still b/w darkroom fiber prints (all my work is film based), as well as dump videos, darkroom videos (of the shows production), blog writings and found dump objects (will be bringing back objects found in the dump to Canada for possible exhibition, I want the gallery viewer to smell the dump).
-----LINKS
Photos made in November/December 2015, Rolleiflex and Linhof 5x7.
http://gerryyaum.wix.com/photo#!forgotten-laughter/c21ji (Forgotten Laughter Gallery Link)
A google search on "Gerry Yaum Families of the Dump" all the early photos are mine the later ones may not be. Most of the photos should link back to the blog if they are mine.
https://www.google.co.th/search?q=families+of+the+dump+gerry+yaum&biw=853&bih=470&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipmMbkkMHMAhWCG44KHULaAJoQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=dVJAJgk3aKFV4M%3A
"Gerry Yaum Forgotten Laughter" Image search
https://www.google.co.th/search?q=families+of+the+dump+gerry+yaum&biw=853&bih=470&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipmMbkkMHMAhWCG44KHULaAJoQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=forgotten+laughter+gerry+yaum
General video overview of the camp, people working, homes, children, me with a red red face at one point looking like I am on fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJEVN8yh9Q
Video of young children playing with my 5x7 camera in the dump.
https://vimeo.com/150754772
Slideshow video, 35mm shots from 2013
https://vimeo.com/90368751
Finally -------- I should mention that there is some donation work being done here as well. Everyday at the dump I take out 2 food bags (rice, canned fish, soap etc) with my cameras and deposit them at various homes. Have also donated about 140 hats, rubber boots of all types, head flashlights (The people work at night when it is cooler) and lately children's clothing and small toys Many of the donations have come from my co workers in Canada. I have worked 20 years night time security at the ------------- plant owned by ------- . People from the company have donated money, the boots and the hats which I have delivered to the families at the dump. Before I left for Asia in March my company had a fundraiser earning $565, other folks donated some money as well bringing the total to $1065 which I am distributing in various ways this trip. Good people back home are doing good things here.
Will tell you one more story. One of my co workers invited me to dinner, the family donated money , children's clothes, hats and toys. My co workers young daughter even donated her Barbie dolls and pink rubber boots. Today in the dump I gave out those same boots and one of those blond haired Barbie dolls to a young sickly looking girl child in the dump. So a little girl in Canada gave her toy doll and boots to a little girl here at the dump. Life is beautiful sometime, good things do happen, people do want to help each other. See the attached color snapshots I made.
Thanks again for allowing this story to be told on your blog.
Gerry
www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com
Here are the emails, the one sent to me and the VERY long one I sent back. I edited out various names because of privacy concerns.
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Hello Gerry,
------ from our websales department suggest that I checked out your work as we are currently looking for projects to feature on our blog. Would you be interested in sharing your story about the Mae Sot garbage dump on our blog? If you are interested, can you send me a link to your writing on your most current photographs from your project as well as the jpegs you would like me to include in the post?
Here is the link to our blog so you can see where it would be posted:
http://www.thecamerastore.com/Blog.aspx
http://www.thecamerastore.com/Blog.aspx
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
..........
Here are some links that might be helpful. Will send you the blog writings in a separate email. Sorry for all the long long email, I am trying to give you the big picture.
The basic story is Burmese families mostly from the Karen Ethnic group left Burma for political and or economic reasons and ended up in the Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump just across the border from Burma (Myanmar).The Karen people have a long standing war with the Burman people in Myanmar that dates back to WWII. These political-economic refugees (illegal immigrants) go to the dump because that is where they can make a living scavenging for anything of value. Plastics, metal wire, glass bottles, cardboard, etc. are dug out of the Municipal Mae Sot garbage dump and then sold for cash. Entire families work the garbage from children as young as 6-7 to old people. The families live on the edges of the dump in housing of various types, from bamboo shacks with raised floors (pigs and chickens underneath) to basic lean-two type structures. The numbers of people working the dump is constantly fluctuating. Today when I was at the dump I would estimate that there are approximately 40 or so family groups working and living here with around 200 people total.
Please feel free to use any of my photos you think tell this important story best. I want the voices of the people to be heard. Hopefully your blog will help communicate their message and will lead to a larger style gallery show. I plan to exhibit, still b/w darkroom fiber prints (all my work is film based), as well as dump videos, darkroom videos (of the shows production), blog writings and found dump objects (will be bringing back objects found in the dump to Canada for possible exhibition, I want the gallery viewer to smell the dump).
-----LINKS
Photos made in November/December 2015, Rolleiflex and Linhof 5x7.
http://gerryyaum.wix.com/photo#!forgotten-laughter/c21ji (Forgotten Laughter Gallery Link)
A google search on "Gerry Yaum Families of the Dump" all the early photos are mine the later ones may not be. Most of the photos should link back to the blog if they are mine.
https://www.google.co.th/search?q=families+of+the+dump+gerry+yaum&biw=853&bih=470&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipmMbkkMHMAhWCG44KHULaAJoQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=dVJAJgk3aKFV4M%3A
"Gerry Yaum Forgotten Laughter" Image search
https://www.google.co.th/search?q=families+of+the+dump+gerry+yaum&biw=853&bih=470&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipmMbkkMHMAhWCG44KHULaAJoQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=forgotten+laughter+gerry+yaum
General video overview of the camp, people working, homes, children, me with a red red face at one point looking like I am on fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJEVN8yh9Q
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www.youtube.com
The idea behind this video is two fold, one.. to give a more interactive interesting educational experience for those that attend the exhibition and two.. to...
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Video of young children playing with my 5x7 camera in the dump.
https://vimeo.com/150754772
Slideshow video, 35mm shots from 2013
https://vimeo.com/90368751
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vimeo.com
A music slide show of photographs and video I made of Burmese refugees in the Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump. If you want to help these families please donate to the ...
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vimeo.com
The clips from this short video when I was photographing Forgotten Laughter: The Children of the Dump social documentary photography series in Mae Sot, Thailand. The ...
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Will tell you one more story. One of my co workers invited me to dinner, the family donated money , children's clothes, hats and toys. My co workers young daughter even donated her Barbie dolls and pink rubber boots. Today in the dump I gave out those same boots and one of those blond haired Barbie dolls to a young sickly looking girl child in the dump. So a little girl in Canada gave her toy doll and boots to a little girl here at the dump. Life is beautiful sometime, good things do happen, people do want to help each other. See the attached color snapshots I made.
Thanks again for allowing this story to be told on your blog.
Gerry
www.gerryyaum.blogspot.com
