Hello! My name is Lukas @lukas.birk – I am an Austrian artist, storyteller, and conservator. My background is in photography and media arts, but in recent years my work has focused on preserving disappearing cultural materials by means of artistic presentation, specifically within regions affected by conflict. This week, I am delighted to share with you images from one of my current projects: Myanmar Photo Archive. Though most ethnographic museums display photographs of colonial Burma from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, photographic history after independence in 1948 is largely unrecorded. Since Myanmar (Burma) has been under strict military rule for the past 60 years, limited information flowed in and out of the country, especially about the lives of its people. Most visual representations from this period have therefore been limited to golden temples and images of Aung San Suu Kyi. So in 2014 I created the Myanmar Photo Archive to change this, and set out to find personal photographic records showing the facets of Burmese life from these lost decades. Having worked on projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (#afghanboxcamera), I used a similar approach and started my research by seeking out the sources of image-making: photo studio owners. Sadly, I found out very quickly that the generation of analog photographers had already made way for the younger generation and only a select few remained to give me any information on the past. I then turned to secondhand dealers who collected items discarded by uprooted families or defunct studios and, on my first trip alone, I gathered roughly 10,000 images, several photo albums, and other photographic objects. This week, you’ll see a selection of these images, the stories behind them, and the historical info gathered with the help of my collaborator, Nathalie Johnston @myanmart, who founded the Myanmar Art Resource Center & Archive (MARCA) in Yangon. www.lukasbirk.com / www.myanmarphotoarchive.org / www.myanmarca.org / @irene_myanmar #myanmar #burma #yangon #myanmarphotoarchive #lukasbirk #mpa #irene_myanmar #manualphotography #analogphotography #photoarchive #myanmarart #photography A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on Feb 1, 2016 at 8:10am PST
Hello! My name is Lukas @lukas.birk – I am an Austrian artist, storyteller, and conservator. My background is in photography and media arts, but in recent years my work has focused on preserving disappearing cultural materials by means of artistic presentation, specifically within regions affected by conflict. This week, I am delighted to share with you images from one of my current projects: Myanmar Photo Archive. Though most ethnographic museums display photographs of colonial Burma from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, photographic history after independence in 1948 is largely unrecorded. Since Myanmar (Burma) has been under strict military rule for the past 60 years, limited information flowed in and out of the country, especially about the lives of its people. Most visual representations from this period have therefore been limited to golden temples and images of Aung San Suu Kyi. So in 2014 I created the Myanmar Photo Archive to change this, and set out to find personal photographic records showing the facets of Burmese life from these lost decades. Having worked on projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (#afghanboxcamera), I used a similar approach and started my research by seeking out the sources of image-making: photo studio owners. Sadly, I found out very quickly that the generation of analog photographers had already made way for the younger generation and only a select few remained to give me any information on the past. I then turned to secondhand dealers who collected items discarded by uprooted families or defunct studios and, on my first trip alone, I gathered roughly 10,000 images, several photo albums, and other photographic objects. This week, you’ll see a selection of these images, the stories behind them, and the historical info gathered with the help of my collaborator, Nathalie Johnston @myanmart, who founded the Myanmar Art Resource Center & Archive (MARCA) in Yangon. www.lukasbirk.com / www.myanmarphotoarchive.org / www.myanmarca.org / @irene_myanmar #myanmar #burma #yangon #myanmarphotoarchive #lukasbirk #mpa #irene_myanmar #manualphotography #analogphotography #photoarchive #myanmarart #photography
A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on Feb 1, 2016 at 8:10am PST
I’m starting Day 2 of Myanmar Photo Archive on @newyorkerphoto with one of my favorites in the archive – a beautiful hand-colored image of an ear piercing and novitiate ceremony in Myingyan in April 1957. The “Shinbyu” or novitiate ceremony is one of the most important events in a Buddhist’s life in Myanmar. Novitiation means allowing boys to enter Buddha’s Order as a novice after shaving their heads, donning robes, and asking permission in Pali to become a novice. While Myanmar boys are initiated in the Shinbyu ceremony, the girls also have an important ceremony in which their ear lobes are pierced when they come of age. Unlike the novice ceremony, this is more of a social than religious event, and Myanmar women have traditionally worn earrings as status symbols as well as ornaments. This is Lukas @lukas.birk – I am an Austrian artist, storyteller, and conservator. My background is in photography and media arts, but in recent years my work has focused on preserving disappearing cultural materials by means of artistic presentation, specifically within regions affected by conflict. I’m here this week to show you images from one of my current projects: Myanmar Photo Archive (MPA). For the past 60 years, Myanmar has been under strict military rule and limited information flowed in and out of the country, especially about the lives of its people. Most visual representations from this period have therefore been limited to golden temples and images of Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2014, I created the Myanmar Photo Archive to change this and set out to find personal photographic records showing the facets of Burmese everyday life from these lost decades. What you’ll see here is a selection from the 10,000+ images collected so far, the stories behind them, and the historical info gathered with the help of Nathalie Johnston @myanmart, who founded the Myanmar Art Resource Center & Archive (MARCA) in Yangon. www.lukasbirk.com / www.myanmarphotoarchive.org / www.myanmarca.org / @irene_myanmar #myanmar #burma #yangon #myanmarphotoarchive #lukasbirk #mpa #analogphotography #photoarchive #photography #oldphoto #photographycollection #shinbyu #earpiercingceremony #buddhism A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on Feb 2, 2016 at 5:32am PST
I’m starting Day 2 of Myanmar Photo Archive on @newyorkerphoto with one of my favorites in the archive – a beautiful hand-colored image of an ear piercing and novitiate ceremony in Myingyan in April 1957. The “Shinbyu” or novitiate ceremony is one of the most important events in a Buddhist’s life in Myanmar. Novitiation means allowing boys to enter Buddha’s Order as a novice after shaving their heads, donning robes, and asking permission in Pali to become a novice. While Myanmar boys are initiated in the Shinbyu ceremony, the girls also have an important ceremony in which their ear lobes are pierced when they come of age. Unlike the novice ceremony, this is more of a social than religious event, and Myanmar women have traditionally worn earrings as status symbols as well as ornaments. This is Lukas @lukas.birk – I am an Austrian artist, storyteller, and conservator. My background is in photography and media arts, but in recent years my work has focused on preserving disappearing cultural materials by means of artistic presentation, specifically within regions affected by conflict. I’m here this week to show you images from one of my current projects: Myanmar Photo Archive (MPA). For the past 60 years, Myanmar has been under strict military rule and limited information flowed in and out of the country, especially about the lives of its people. Most visual representations from this period have therefore been limited to golden temples and images of Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2014, I created the Myanmar Photo Archive to change this and set out to find personal photographic records showing the facets of Burmese everyday life from these lost decades. What you’ll see here is a selection from the 10,000+ images collected so far, the stories behind them, and the historical info gathered with the help of Nathalie Johnston @myanmart, who founded the Myanmar Art Resource Center & Archive (MARCA) in Yangon. www.lukasbirk.com / www.myanmarphotoarchive.org / www.myanmarca.org / @irene_myanmar #myanmar #burma #yangon #myanmarphotoarchive #lukasbirk #mpa #analogphotography #photoarchive #photography #oldphoto #photographycollection #shinbyu #earpiercingceremony #buddhism
A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on Feb 2, 2016 at 5:32am PST