By Tessa Bunney on 19 October 2012
As I had to postpone my planned trip to Phongsaly Province until later this year, I decided this weekend to take a short 4 day trip there just so that I don’t miss seeing the October landscape and harvest completely. Described as one of Lao’s remotest provinces, Phongsaly is dominated by rugged, mountainous terrain and an abundance of thick forests and fast-flowing rivers. The population is made up of officially 28 different ethnic groups and Phongsaly town is the highest city in Laos at 1400 m above sea level. It would probably take 3 days each way to drive there…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 24 September 2012
Sometimes on the way back from a village or other destination and there’s a bit of time free, I often stop off at a roadside village to have a look around. To be honest there is normally something of interest going on, but sometimes the village is hot, dusty and virtually deserted except for a few mothers and babies as most people are away from the village working on the fields. Last Monday was one such day, we called in at a Tai Lue village, a short walk from the road side. After wandering around for 20 minutes or so…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 21 September 2012
I don’t know if it’s just because in the UK I live in the hills but I have been instantly attracted to the hills and mountains of Laos and the minorities who live there such as the Hmong and Akha.
The last few days however I have been staying at a Tai Dam (Black Thai) village in Oudomxai Province about 300 km north of Luang Prabang. Tai Dam villages are spread through numerous fertile valleys in the mountainous parts of Laos and Ban Na Mor is no exception.
Ban Na Mor market…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 12 September 2012
As I had a ‘free’ day in Luang Prabang today, I decided to set up my portable studio in my room and head off to the morning market to pick up a few things to photograph. A little practice for later on this week when I will be heading up north to the Tai Dam (Black Thai) village of Ban Nam Mor where I am hoping to set up my light in the market and photograph everything. I’ve stopped at this market a few times on my up north and it takes local food to the extreme! I hear the…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 6 September 2012
Today we went to visit Ban Kok Wa village and bumped into Ya Lee who we met at the night market earlier this week. Ya’s family relocated from Ban Long Lan more than 10 years ago when her oldest son Sai was 2 or 3 years old.
Sai is studying to be a tour guide in Luang Prabang and speaks excellent English.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 6 September 2012
So yesterday we made a trip to Ban Long Lan, a village in the mountains about an hour and half away from Luang Prabang where many of the Hmong women I met this week originally came from. I had been warned that the road would be bumpy and muddy and we may not actually get there given the recent rain. However, the road whilst steep and windy in places did not have a pot hole in sight having been recently fixed. Not a particularly good day for views but this gives an idea of the journey through the mountains.
…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 4 September 2012
Yesterday I arrived in Luang Prabang to be artist-in-residence at the wonderful Project Space. It’s lovely to be back here. I’m sitting in my room in the gallery with the fan on full blast at 10pm – it hasn’t rained today and it is still so HOT, I swear my eyeballs are sweating!!
As a start to my project about the relocation of villages, at times a somewhat controversial issue in Laos, I spent today visiting Hmong minority villages around Luang Prabang with the aim of making portraits of the women who make and sell Hmong inspired items to tourists…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 28 August 2012
Just a quick blog post – I’m working on a well overdue longer post about my recent weeks in Laos.
Today I have been out looking for good locations to follow the slash and burn process for growing hill rice. It’s now the rainy season so everything is looking wonderfully green! The government in Laos is planning to ban this traditional practice by 2015. And met a family with a story to tell – the people you meet along the way can change everything.
…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 4 August 2012
One of the things I love about China is how they construct a massive wall to block the view from the road and then charge you 40.000 RMB (around £4.00) to go and have a look at it!
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 27 July 2012
27 July – 12 August 2012
The World in London celebrates London as a place where individuals from all parts of the world live side by side, each of them contributing to make London the unique city it is. The 204 portraits are being exhibited as large-scale posters in Victoria Park, East London, and in Ramillies Street’s pedestrian zone opposite The Photographers’ Gallery in the heart of Soho.
To find out more about the project, please click here.
Commissioned by The Photographers’ Gallery in London, it was my pleasure to meet and photograph Mr Thanh Khanh Vu who…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 23 July 2012
Today we are flying to Kunming and spending 10 days travelling to Dali and further north to “Shangri-La” – back on 2nd August. Will have limited access to the internet so if you need to contact me urgently please use my UK mobile +44 (0)7850 740254.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 21 July 2012
So we have already been in Laos for a week and I have yet to get out the ‘serious’ camera, we have been settling in, chilling out and getting practical things done. Before I came I read this somewhere: The evolution of a documentary project is a journey in itself. And this project sure has already been one of those.
As Noah doesn’t start school until August, next week we are taking a family holiday to Yunnan Province in China, the roots of this project, retracing part of my previous trips and going further up north towards Sichuan and Tibet.
…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 11 July 2012
The evolution of a documentary project is a journey in itself.
I am pleased and excited to let you know that on 12 July I will be heading off to live in Lao PDR for around 8 months with my family. We will be based in the capital city, Vientiane, however as well as photographing in and around there I will be travelling around the country working on my long term project Field, Forest and Family.
In September, I will be…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 10 July 2012
I am pleased to announce I have just published a new limited edition book of my recent work from Finland. Järvenjää / Lakeice explores the frozen landscape of Jyväskylä, the largest city in the Finnish lakeland. It is available now for £15.50 as a signed edition limited to 250 copies from my website and from selected bookstores. The 36 page book includes a short story by Finnish writer Riikka Ala-Harja and is housed in a screen-printed pvc wallet.
Järvenjää / Lakeice is currently available to purchase from Impressions Gallery Bookshop in Bradford and online…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 19 June 2012
My new (and first) photofilm On the Board, about the Serpentine Swimming Club, is currently on show at The Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate as part of the Dive! exhibition until 2nd September. You can see it on Vimeo too.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 18 June 2012
Available now from http://www.contacteditions.co.uk/
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 8 June 2012
For the past year I have been taking part in the fantastic Noorderlicht Masterclass in Groningen, The Netherlands organised by Lars Boering and Marc Prüst and with great international Masters such as Francis Hodgson, Magdalena Herrera from Geo France and David Birkitt from DMB Media.
The host organisation Noorderlicht is at risk of closure as the Dutch advisory board of The Netherlands advised the Dutch Government to cut the financial support to Noorderlicht after 2012. Half of the total Noorderlicht budget comes from…
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 29 May 2012
Hot footed it down to the newsagents this morning to get a copy of June’s National Geographic – double page spread of Mousehole tidal swimming pool by me!
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 5 March 2012
My image of the canna flour noodle maker from Home Work is ‘photo of the week’ on the 6 Mois website.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response
By Tessa Bunney on 3 March 2012
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a response