Showing posts with label Korea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Korea. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
"Sound & Fury" preview.
Courtesy of the Korea Herald.
DAEGU ― Fans of independent music are not always well-catered to in Korea, in the midst of the ever-powerful K-pop industry. Seoul and Busan have, with the help of dedicated supporters and promoters, made great strides.
But somewhere between the two lies the lesser-known, more conservative city of Daegu, taking its own steps toward an eclectic music scene with a small but equally passionate band of followers.
The Korea Herald spoke with expat Aaron Thompson ahead of his photography exhibition “Sound and Fury” about his attempts to document it.
“There’s kind of exciting stuff going on in regards to independent music,” said Thompson, who plays bass and synthesizer in “dark noisy shoegaze group” Black Hanbok.
“With my photo show, I’m hoping that people who aren’t actually exposed to the indie scene will take a look at these images and go ‘wow,’ there’s something really exciting and cool going on here.”
The 26-year-old, who trained as a photojournalist, started photographing performers at Daegu’s oldest nightclub, Club Heavy, back in June 2009. He met members of promoters Supercolorsuper and has been working with them ever since. The team help keep Daegu’s alternative music scene abuzz by getting musicians from around Korea and abroad to play.
Attracted by the similarities he saw with the indie scene in his native Las Vegas ― principally the same struggle with getting people to show up to gigs ― Thompson became fascinated by what he feels is a special time for the city, when people are trying to change things.
“A good photojournalist is there to capture the moment that if it isn’t captured, will be gone forever,” he explained.
One of the centerpieces of his show is an image of the female lead guitarist in Dogstar, the only Daegu band featured.
“They’re (Dogstar) probably one of the best unheard of bands in Korea. They just bleed music,” Thompson, also a music writer, enthused.
Referring to the striking shot of Ryu Sun-mi as an example, he said, “I want to make images that when people look at them they can hear the music, they can imagine the style.”
Other acts featured in the exhibit, include Sighborg, 10, Yamagata Tweekster, Handsome Furs, On Sparrow Hills, Juiceboxxx,
All of the shots were taken at Supercolorsuper-organized shows in Daegu. The four core members with the promotion/booking organization there have put a lot of time into publicizing and extending the scene from its initial base at Club Heavy, into other venues with new acts, explained Thompson.
“They hit the ground running … whenever a show’s going they’re out the weekend before putting up posters, hand-billing and you know, they’re spending their own money,” said Thompson, recognizing the hard work and challenges involved in trying to establish the underground scene there.
But, he said, people are starting to take notice and he hopes this show of his photography will contribute.
Thompson’s meticulously selected images ― it took two months for him to pick nine from his collection of around 4,000 ― instantly catch the eye with their trademark vibrancy and kaleidoscopic waves of energy.
In order to keep editing to a minimum, he said he swings the difficulties with lighting in murky clubs to his favor, using as little flash and as much ambient light as possible. “I tried to keep all the images as absolutely pristine and raw as possible,” explained Thompson.
“I put everything into it and I’m just pretty crazy I guess. I’ll do anything for an image.”
In the past he has sustained injuries for his pictures and said once, as he was trying to get a shot of a band from above, he fell off a speaker onto his back.
His commitment and talent have not gone unnoticed; Thompson’s images have been featured internationally in publications ranging from Rolling Stone magazine to British tabloid the Star.
But Thompson seems happy staying on what he calls “the ground floor,” capturing music, and life, at its grassroots. Although his prints are available for purchase, he will charge only twice the printing cost ― the other half being reinvested into the local music scene and new projects.
He uses a Canon 40D which has been with him since he trained. “It’s been through hell, you know, like a good camera should, but it keeps on kicking,” he said, hoping he wouldn’t jinx his good fortune by telling how it had broken and endured beer, dirt and even blood.
Next up for Thompson is another project that will take him to the fringes of Korean society: An in-depth pictorial of Daegu’s migrant workers.
“Sound and Fury” will be at Doyo Gallery in Daegu from Feb. 1-28. Entrance is free and opening hours are midday to midnight. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on Feb. 5 from 7 p.m. with music by experimental band Not Jeremy Jones. For more information, call (053) 421-6233. -Hannah Stuart-Leach
DAEGU ― Fans of independent music are not always well-catered to in Korea, in the midst of the ever-powerful K-pop industry. Seoul and Busan have, with the help of dedicated supporters and promoters, made great strides.
But somewhere between the two lies the lesser-known, more conservative city of Daegu, taking its own steps toward an eclectic music scene with a small but equally passionate band of followers.
The Korea Herald spoke with expat Aaron Thompson ahead of his photography exhibition “Sound and Fury” about his attempts to document it.
“There’s kind of exciting stuff going on in regards to independent music,” said Thompson, who plays bass and synthesizer in “dark noisy shoegaze group” Black Hanbok.
“With my photo show, I’m hoping that people who aren’t actually exposed to the indie scene will take a look at these images and go ‘wow,’ there’s something really exciting and cool going on here.”
The 26-year-old, who trained as a photojournalist, started photographing performers at Daegu’s oldest nightclub, Club Heavy, back in June 2009. He met members of promoters Supercolorsuper and has been working with them ever since. The team help keep Daegu’s alternative music scene abuzz by getting musicians from around Korea and abroad to play.
Attracted by the similarities he saw with the indie scene in his native Las Vegas ― principally the same struggle with getting people to show up to gigs ― Thompson became fascinated by what he feels is a special time for the city, when people are trying to change things.
“A good photojournalist is there to capture the moment that if it isn’t captured, will be gone forever,” he explained.
One of the centerpieces of his show is an image of the female lead guitarist in Dogstar, the only Daegu band featured.
“They’re (Dogstar) probably one of the best unheard of bands in Korea. They just bleed music,” Thompson, also a music writer, enthused.
Referring to the striking shot of Ryu Sun-mi as an example, he said, “I want to make images that when people look at them they can hear the music, they can imagine the style.”
Other acts featured in the exhibit, include Sighborg, 10, Yamagata Tweekster, Handsome Furs, On Sparrow Hills, Juiceboxxx,
All of the shots were taken at Supercolorsuper-organized shows in Daegu. The four core members with the promotion/booking organization there have put a lot of time into publicizing and extending the scene from its initial base at Club Heavy, into other venues with new acts, explained Thompson.
“They hit the ground running … whenever a show’s going they’re out the weekend before putting up posters, hand-billing and you know, they’re spending their own money,” said Thompson, recognizing the hard work and challenges involved in trying to establish the underground scene there.
But, he said, people are starting to take notice and he hopes this show of his photography will contribute.
Thompson’s meticulously selected images ― it took two months for him to pick nine from his collection of around 4,000 ― instantly catch the eye with their trademark vibrancy and kaleidoscopic waves of energy.
In order to keep editing to a minimum, he said he swings the difficulties with lighting in murky clubs to his favor, using as little flash and as much ambient light as possible. “I tried to keep all the images as absolutely pristine and raw as possible,” explained Thompson.
“I put everything into it and I’m just pretty crazy I guess. I’ll do anything for an image.”
In the past he has sustained injuries for his pictures and said once, as he was trying to get a shot of a band from above, he fell off a speaker onto his back.
His commitment and talent have not gone unnoticed; Thompson’s images have been featured internationally in publications ranging from Rolling Stone magazine to British tabloid the Star.
But Thompson seems happy staying on what he calls “the ground floor,” capturing music, and life, at its grassroots. Although his prints are available for purchase, he will charge only twice the printing cost ― the other half being reinvested into the local music scene and new projects.
He uses a Canon 40D which has been with him since he trained. “It’s been through hell, you know, like a good camera should, but it keeps on kicking,” he said, hoping he wouldn’t jinx his good fortune by telling how it had broken and endured beer, dirt and even blood.
Next up for Thompson is another project that will take him to the fringes of Korean society: An in-depth pictorial of Daegu’s migrant workers.
“Sound and Fury” will be at Doyo Gallery in Daegu from Feb. 1-28. Entrance is free and opening hours are midday to midnight. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on Feb. 5 from 7 p.m. with music by experimental band Not Jeremy Jones. For more information, call (053) 421-6233. -Hannah Stuart-Leach
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hooraay
Congrats to me and Hwang Ju Hyun for winning third place in the 2010 Kyungpook National University photo contest for this photo of the school's famous building which's name I honestly don't remember. She got some really expensive soap, I got to post about it on my blog, so I guess, in the end, we're both winners.
-A
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Level 1-completed. Level 2 beginning...
It's 1:03 a.m. in the so-called 'Land of the Morning Calm' (or the Hermit Kingdom if you'd prefer) and it's been a little more than a month and week since I packed up my bags and aborted myself from the dusty world that is Vegas. What's changed in a month? Apparently while the Vegas economy continues to spiral down the literal toilet faster and faster than anyone can predict, the only toilet I'm stuck worrying about is whether or not mine is going to flush. I eat dinners for $1.50 that would cost $12 in the U.S. I swill dozens of glasses of shit beer and still only pay $10 for it. While having its own problems, thanks to the crashing U.S. consumer electronics market, Korea is strong and, with only a 4-5 percent unemployment rate, is still kicking the crap out of most internation economic markets.
What brought me to Korea, while sort of interesting, is nearly completely irrelevant. Once you get off of the bus and step into the night-time chaos that is Daegu, not even remembering if you've lost your iPod or a kidney, all the things that lead up to your departure become useless. Survival instinct, in all of its primal consistency, kicks in. Simply put: You freak the fuck out. But the days go by, you meet friends, and you come to realize that we're all here, for better or worse, to get away from our homes. Whether it be because you're an out-of-work journalist, a 20-something fresh out of college, or a 50-something who's only choice between life and death was removing himself from the so-called "Western World," we're all running the gamut between reality and fantasy, that hard part is knowing which part of the two Korea really is. Korea is wonderful. The kids are awesome, the people are friendly (mostly) and everything can be an adventure, provided you have a lot of patience. Patience for the fact that while modern in nearly every way possible, you still have to hang out clothes outside to dry them and most building don't have fire sprinklers, much less smoke detectors, safety complient stairs or even toilets in public bathrroms. Yet you can get YouTube on your cell phone for free and old people play with their Korean iPhone equivalents more frequently than some of their 30-something sons and daughters. In short, in my first month in Korea, I've found that the world, as easy it is to label as shitty, is a beautiful place and if you're willing to give it a try, there's still adventure to be had. Just be willing to deal with a lot of bullshit, and be ready to lose your iPod on the bus.
What brought me to Korea, while sort of interesting, is nearly completely irrelevant. Once you get off of the bus and step into the night-time chaos that is Daegu, not even remembering if you've lost your iPod or a kidney, all the things that lead up to your departure become useless. Survival instinct, in all of its primal consistency, kicks in. Simply put: You freak the fuck out. But the days go by, you meet friends, and you come to realize that we're all here, for better or worse, to get away from our homes. Whether it be because you're an out-of-work journalist, a 20-something fresh out of college, or a 50-something who's only choice between life and death was removing himself from the so-called "Western World," we're all running the gamut between reality and fantasy, that hard part is knowing which part of the two Korea really is. Korea is wonderful. The kids are awesome, the people are friendly (mostly) and everything can be an adventure, provided you have a lot of patience. Patience for the fact that while modern in nearly every way possible, you still have to hang out clothes outside to dry them and most building don't have fire sprinklers, much less smoke detectors, safety complient stairs or even toilets in public bathrroms. Yet you can get YouTube on your cell phone for free and old people play with their Korean iPhone equivalents more frequently than some of their 30-something sons and daughters. In short, in my first month in Korea, I've found that the world, as easy it is to label as shitty, is a beautiful place and if you're willing to give it a try, there's still adventure to be had. Just be willing to deal with a lot of bullshit, and be ready to lose your iPod on the bus.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Daegu where? Daegu to Korea.
Hey yall. I made it to Korea and even after what was actually more than 24-hours traveling and a totally fried brain, I managed to survive my first 48 hours in Daegu. So rather than write a huge diatribe about the excentricities and weirdness of Korean culture and being about the only blond person in all of the Sinmae neighborhood, the insanity that is trying to hail a taxi, only to have them not take you somewhere because the destination is too far for them, or the strange awesomeness that is E-Mart, Korea's way awesome version of Wal-Mart, i'll let my first day of photos from walking around Daegu tell the story.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Seoul'd Out...
Well, today is the long-awaited day where I leave my comfortable suburby digs for the mega cities of southeast Asia. It's 14 hour flight that takes me from Vegas to Seattle, then Tokyo, the Korea. All-in-all, 14 hours of grueling flight love. Anyways when and if I get Internet, I will post my day on the road and the events of the night before.
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