An Origin—2
George Del Barrio
November 25, 2009—12:58 PM
November 19, 2009.
The oddest thing about finding people is the eventual realization that they were always there. Far from home, it always strikes me that what’s encountered or learned did not await my arrival with any anticipation. That external “it” isn’t seeking to perform for me. It’ll hardly notice my passing, and will continue according to it’s own desire.
What a photograph can do that nothing else can is stop everything. The few senses that we understand are under constant assault every waking moment of our lives. Modern life is this. I’m watching 16 moto-tuk drivers crowd on the thin sidewalk of Sothearos Boulevard, all within four feet of one another and within two of the non-stop two-way traffic of the street. Suffocating exhaust fills the air and colors it grey. Street vendors squeeze through the few spaces, hawking hammocks and food and keepsakes and books and “dates”. Cars and motorbikes honk at one another constantly to alert each to the other’s imminent proximity. Small children play in the street barefoot, and an avalanche of school-age children pours from the gate of the secondary school, all dressed in blue and white. The drivers, in the center of all this, are placid, bored. When dissected, any of our lives contain equivalent (routine) barrages.
If there is a god, and if she did make all of this, and all of us, then all the world’s adornments only serve to mask her signature. A photograph is just a paper-thin slice of existence filtered through an opinion and aesthetic: a simple heart, hand, and eye in agreement. Yet the process allows the expression of something new from something very old. A photograph may not be the truth, but it also may be as close to it as we’ll get.
Photography, then, is my search for god.
The Treatment
George Del Barrio
November 21, 2009— 8:47 PM
Photograph by George Del Barrio.
“Masters” (working title)
90 minutes
documentary
“Masters” will introduce audiences to a select group of aging Cambodian master musicians / performers (3 to 5)—whose artforms have been virtually wiped out during the Khmer Rouge’s takeover of Cambodia. We’ll hear these musicians / performers speak in their own words about their lives in Cambodia - their tragedy, their perseverance and their passage—pre and post genocide. We will go to work and class with these masters, visit their modest homes and hang out in their neighborhoods. This is a rare opportunity to walk into a land that audiences don’t often see.
Just underneath the telling of these universally human stories we will also experience the centuries old music and craft that these master musicians / performers have been practicing for decades and are currently passing on to a younger generation of Cambodians. The music, instruments and all that encompasses will be deftly woven into the narrative. It will add layers to the documentary and will serve as a bed underneath. But the top layer will always be the life stories of the masters.
The narrative of the film will spin this uniquely Cambodian tale forward by identifying a compelling and expressive student or students (1 to 3) who embody the energy, charisma, hope and ultimately, the inspiration that lies in the future for Cambodia. This aspect of “Masters” will serve as a crucial plot point that will aid in taking us out of the film.
“Masters” aim is to capture the incredible staying power of the heartfelt stories, music and performances of these unique, important Cambodians. The film will bask in the (bitter) sweetness of Cambodian life today, experiencing beautiful sunshine coming through leaves, soaking up the history of these musicians in the act of recollecting. Having seen many hard times and passed through trials and tribulations (that many in the USA have little understanding for) these people persevered and continue to shine like diamonds.
One might ask, “Why should I care?” Imagine the world knew nothing of Charlie Parker’s bebop, Mikhail Baryshnikov’s modern dance, or Frida Kahlo and her distinctive style inspired by Mexican folk art. Our cumulative cultural balance sheet would suffer a deeply significant loss. All of the world’s culture feeds our collective humanity.
Some might say, “I know this story already”. We maintain that many do not know this story at all. And if they do, they certainly don’t know it the way we will tell it.
Our driving force is to bring these iconic individuals and their universally human stories to the world’s attention. “Masters” will ultimately inspire audiences through the telling of these engrossing stories while at the same time weaving in the embrace of beautiful music and performance.
We will never know exactly what was lost in the tragedies of the Cambodian past. But we do know what remains, and it deserves to be lifted up.
—Dwayne Shaw, Phnom Penh
National Road #3
George Del Barrio
November 20, 2009— 4:34 AM
Photograph by George Del Barrio.
Like as if it was the most natural thing in the world, the survivor of genocide drives us through a countryside painted in primary colors as the men in the backseat doze fitfully. The road is uneven, and rough in places, and walls of red dust sometimes swallow the horizon when large trucks approach. Arn, Seyma and I cover our faces with our scarves to guard against breathing it in. What strikes me as funny is that it tastes far better than the smog of Phnom Penh, yet I rarely see such filtration there. If anything, the city dwellers seem to embrace the pollution as a badge of honor; proof that they’ve somehow transcended their probably-recent provincial roots. Not much here that predates the seventies.
And then it’s night, and as Arn drives the others to a local hotel in Kampot, the villagers emerge from the dark of the road—evening sounds of the jungle growing in volume—to ask if I’m really planning to sleep on the roof of Arn’s house. The story has quickly spread throughout this tiny town, and they say that it’s much better to sleep inside. They say all this in a sign language, and I smile as a loud breeze rolls down the mountain as a response for me. Of course I will. I’ve never seen so many stars in my life, and tonight I can fall asleep counting them.
The Roster: Wolff
Stephen Macfarlane
November 17, 2009— 5:06 PM
Photograph by George Del Barrio.
Described as “a frictionless ball of energy” and a man with a core sensibility that’s driven the VRF deeper into the project, Jonathan Wolff has been a welcome addition to the team. “I look forward to collaborating with him on-site”, says Dwayne Shaw.
As a director of photography, Jonathan Wolff has lensed award winning feature films, including the documentary Anytown, USA and the romantic comedy Home for pioneering online film critic Matt Zoller-Seitz. Anytown won the Emerging Filmmaker award at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival of Boston, The Brooklyn Underground Film Festival and Cinequest; it won Best Feature and Supporting actor at The Trenton Film Festival and was runner-up for best North American feature at the Syracuse International Film Festival. Both movies had theatrical releases and are available through Netflix and Blockbuster.
Wolff is not new to globetrotting. Commercials, documentaries, music videos and features have taken him to Europe, Africa and North America. He has taught lighting with the United Nations Film Program and presently teaches at NYU - current Cambodia adventure aside.
National Road #6
George Del Barrio
November 14, 2009— 9:39 AM
Master Sok Duch. Portrait by George Del Barrio.
Fires burning, humans settling in for the night as the sun slowly sets over the always-near horizon; endless plains in all directions with a cyan cutout of a mountain in the distance. Warm, moist air. A buffalo soaking herself in a rice paddy and now the smell of smoke again. The world exhales—she unwraps herself from the tension of a daylong fight with the sun. So many beautiful, naked children. The sunset’s a tornado of color.
Every western influence is grotesque here. Packaged goods and the trash they engender have no place, end up strewn about the road in every village center. In a land devoid of marketing and billboards, every advert (gaudy, toxic colors) seems to go unnoticed or is positioned haphazardly. Photographs of ex-leaders are faded.
The trees grow taller as we continue northwest. Things get ancient. I keep wanting to stop the car and ask Mauricio to assemble the 4x5.
Cumulus packs stack on the horizon. The sun dips, the air cools. The gamut of color reflected in the water of the rice paddies is unfair.
A lone volleyball net in a patch of dirt. A ludicrously wrong orange hummer. All our lives on the other side of the world and the frequency with which we talk about our women. It’s the third day of our nationwide scout and my heart is already exhausted.
The Roster: Quintero
Stephen Macfarlane
November 13, 2009— 6:31 PM
Mauricio Quintero. Portrait by George Del Barrio.
Born in Colombia and reared in New York City, Mauricio Quintero discovered at 17 that photography was the best possible framework for his real life. Studying at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, he took his first shots as a means of recording his community and upbringing.
His primary subject has been New York and minority groups living in the city. His work depicts depict cultural elements that redefine the working class, a series of photojournalistic portraits in distinct urban landscapes. Mauricio handily became George Del Barrio’s assistant photographer: “Mauricio is essential to the process, absolutely.”
This year, Mauricio and his wife were inspired by the birth of his son. When asked about working on the VRF/CLA project and its timing with his entrance to fatherhood, Mauricio said: “I have a major interest in poverty, world issues, art, music, nature, and the sciences. I truly believe that a photograph can positively impact and influence the world. It can open the window to cultural acceptance and admiration. My life until now has been photography, but now my life will be my art and my family - and I accept this with open arms.”