‘If only a hangover could be this inspiring’
A slideshow of works from the Angkor Hangover Festival exhibited.
ISLAMABAD:
A slide-show of works from photographers who participated in the fifth and sixth workshops of the Angkor Hangover Photojournalism Festival was displayed today at Kuch Khaas Culture and Arts Centre, Islamabad.
Angkor hangover attempts to reach out to target audiences vis-a-vis the medium of documentary-photography - a unique form used by photojournalists for story-telling, picture by picture, frame by frame. Themes and subjects include sickness, children, art, transport, night-life, labour, garbage and spirituality, to name a few.
It is essentially a scholarship program, explained Angkor photojournalist Insiya Syed before the presentation. “The idea is that when you got to the workshop you pick one story. Ultimately, the biggest achievement is when the subject opens up to you.” She said she went to Siem Reap in 2010 as the only Pakistani, “My story was on lady-boys as stand-up comedians and their respective lifestyles.”
Similarly, 28-year-old Zeeshan Haider, an Angkor workshop 2009 participant, focused on night-life in Cambodia and the way poverty affects it. He also did a travelogue called “delayed hangover” and is showing another story titled “S-21”.
Haider’s standout work thrilled and stimulated. The vibrancy of Cambodian lifestyle, as seen in his workshop story “distortion”, contrasted sharply with a feeling of disorientation and the poverty-stricken landscape.
“Delayed Hangover,” a stop-motion video enlisted heavy approval from viewers. The rich aesthetic culminates in a shot of a woman posed against translucent blinds while fireworks grow and sprout behind her shadowy form.
Shahanna Khan Khalil, Kuch Khaas Deputy Director said, “Insiya is a friend and I knew she was a fantastic photographer, so when she got in touch with me about the festival I knew it was a great thing to showcase at Kuch Khaas.” The point of the festival is to put stories together, he said, “That idea is really intriguing to us.”
The workshop is held annually in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and nurtures a wealth of talent from Asia, equipping young photojournalists with much needed technical skills and exposure through travel and active, subject-based interaction.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2011.
A slide-show of works from photographers who participated in the fifth and sixth workshops of the Angkor Hangover Photojournalism Festival was displayed today at Kuch Khaas Culture and Arts Centre, Islamabad.
Angkor hangover attempts to reach out to target audiences vis-a-vis the medium of documentary-photography - a unique form used by photojournalists for story-telling, picture by picture, frame by frame. Themes and subjects include sickness, children, art, transport, night-life, labour, garbage and spirituality, to name a few.
It is essentially a scholarship program, explained Angkor photojournalist Insiya Syed before the presentation. “The idea is that when you got to the workshop you pick one story. Ultimately, the biggest achievement is when the subject opens up to you.” She said she went to Siem Reap in 2010 as the only Pakistani, “My story was on lady-boys as stand-up comedians and their respective lifestyles.”
Similarly, 28-year-old Zeeshan Haider, an Angkor workshop 2009 participant, focused on night-life in Cambodia and the way poverty affects it. He also did a travelogue called “delayed hangover” and is showing another story titled “S-21”.
Haider’s standout work thrilled and stimulated. The vibrancy of Cambodian lifestyle, as seen in his workshop story “distortion”, contrasted sharply with a feeling of disorientation and the poverty-stricken landscape.
“Delayed Hangover,” a stop-motion video enlisted heavy approval from viewers. The rich aesthetic culminates in a shot of a woman posed against translucent blinds while fireworks grow and sprout behind her shadowy form.
Shahanna Khan Khalil, Kuch Khaas Deputy Director said, “Insiya is a friend and I knew she was a fantastic photographer, so when she got in touch with me about the festival I knew it was a great thing to showcase at Kuch Khaas.” The point of the festival is to put stories together, he said, “That idea is really intriguing to us.”
The workshop is held annually in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and nurtures a wealth of talent from Asia, equipping young photojournalists with much needed technical skills and exposure through travel and active, subject-based interaction.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2011.