MBSB contributor Charles Brandon Stauft's recent piece on the Indonesian martial art Silat inspired me to look into my archives and pull out some photos I shot while in Indonesia. I believe I spent approximately three weeks in Indonesia; the following photographs were taken while in Bali. In 2009 I received a message from a friend from Toronto. He was hanging out on the beaches of Bali with people he had met there. At the time I was living in Bangkok spending most of my days training muay thai at Chuwattana Gym and recovering from training alone in my room. No internet, no furniture (I slept on a mat), no air-conditioning and I shared a bathroom with two Thai … [Read more...]
The Montreal Jazz Saints – A Photo Series
The following photos were taken somewhere along rue Sainte-Catherine / Saint Catherine Street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A last minute invite to Montreal resulted in much time to wander Montreal's streets, appreciate the street art and feel the city. More photos of Montreal may be found in an earlier posted Montreal photo series. The following images struck me. They were found in a dirty alleyway, along the side of a building I forgot to identify. If you know where they may be found, please let us know! In the meantime, enjoy the Jazz Saints of … [Read more...]
Montreal In A Day – A Photo Series
Spur of the moment invites have the power to entice me. Riding the wave of the present, accepting life as it is and jumping on opportunities that sit right within. That's how I found myself in Montreal this past week. Here are photos of my first 24 - 26 hours there. For additional photos, please check my Montreal Jazz Saints photo … [Read more...]
Interview With Artist SeanFuckingGammon
SeanFuckingGammon is a Canadian artist based in Windsor, Ontario. I thought I'd catch up with him. First off, we've known one another for a seriously long time and I suspect I'm among others who had no idea you not only were into creating art, but that you were talented as well. There seemed to be nothing, then there was madness. You were pumping out pieces at an alarming rate and you don't seem to have slowed down. Am I right here? How and when did this all begin? Let's see...when we were back in university together, way too long ago, I had my heart set on becoming a writer. So I wrote and wrote and wrote for years and years and years. And never really shared any … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Detroit 313
Detroit, Michigan, USA played a pivotal role in shaping my perception of the world. As a kid growing up in neighbouring Windsor, Ontario, Canada at a time when cable television and the internet didn't exist, I, like most, if not all children in Windsor, grew up on Detroit media. To this day, despite being Canadian, I still can't internalize measuring temperature in Celsius. I feel Fahrenheit and intellectually understand Celsius. Despite not living in the area for over 15 years, I find myself occasionally being asked if I'm American because of my perceived accent. Detroit, to me as a child, was another planet. There was the America I saw on TV - the national … [Read more...]
Beginnings: The Country – Thailand
The Thailand I live, may not be the Thailand you know. I haven't been able to find a reference point for it in any literature I've found. I know few people who relate to it. I train Muay Thai or Thai boxing, fulltime. Tourist attractions and most things status quo rarely interest me. As a result, I've tried to follow my own path in this country, as well as within the culture of Muay Thai. At the time of this writing, Thailand has been my base in Asia for approximately two years. Thailand has changed me. At times I feel as though there is a Western me and an Eastern me, neither really fitting into either stereotyped … [Read more...]