You can’t lose what you never had
July 16, 2009
Out of Focus exhibition opening/Listening to Steve McCurry's Speech (Photo: Jonathan Loh)
IT’S been almost a month since one of the best days in my year-old career. Thank you all for making it possible — Emme and my friends from Objectifs, Shirlene, Mum, Soe Soe, Pi, my supportive, lovely friends and family and of course, Steve for graciously opening our exhibition and your endearing speech. All I remember from that night now is talking nonstop for three hours, hugging people and laughing. As a freelance worker drifting from place to place and going through experiences largely alone, exhibitions work wonders because they, hopefully, help close the inevitable distance between my self and social circle that’s emerged with this career path.
Many people have asked me — Why Burma? Why Monks? For a start, this project originated in 2007 when I was working on my final-year project at Journalism school. Out of all the 10 ASEAN countries that I had travelled to, Burma was the only one that really touched my heart. Maybe it’s because we’re so different. Growing up in sheltered Singapore where I never ever had to question if there was a next meal or whether I would get to go to school, I was humbled by the effort taken by different social clusters of parents and monks to educate their children. No longer was education just about A1s or distinctions, there was a noble, greater goal behind it — to bring change to the country. Many times, I wondered how things would be different if Aung San Suu Kyi were freed. Some Burmese whom I interviewed have accepted that such change will not happen in their lifetime. Buddhism helps to ease the pain, it helps them accept their situation and look forward to a better future. They believe education will lead the way there, eventually. I grappled with the idea of acceptance because here in Singapore, I was always taught to improve. It’s always about getting more, progressing faster, becoming better. Where does it end?
The children I photographed were so contented with their simple lives. It’s true in a way that you can’t lose what you never had.
