Pattaya Parallax
2024 - ongoing
“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing."
— C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew
Neons & Sunsets
Once a quiet fishing village, Pattaya has been radically transformed by decades of tourism into a bustling destination. This project explores the city's past and present, as well as real and artificial aspects that have evolved over time.
Pattaya's identity emerges through conflicting perspectives – where everyday life collides with tourist fantasies catering to visitors' desires. Images reveal the fragmented nature of this ever-changing city, from manufactured experiences to lingering local rituals. This duality is palpable in scenes juxtaposing ornate shrines against modern high-rises (Tableau) or a solitary dog amid empty beach chairs (Interlude).
This photo series depicts "Pattaya Parallax" through multiple perspectives. Parallax refers to apparent shifts in position with viewpoint changes. This conveys contrasting realities of visitors versus residents as tourism reshapes the landscape. Subtle juxtapositions in photos like (Nexus) and (Palimpsest) hint at complex infrastructure supporting Pattaya's evolution. Varying angles represent layered coexisting realities in a dynamically changing place. Tourism shapes divergent views, while development subtly alters the environment, captured through everyday and crafted tourist experiences.
Images push beyond postcards to reveal tensions in a place shaped by commerce. From vibrant bodybuilding competitions (Paragon) to quiet beachgoers at sunset (Tide), each frame presents facets of Pattaya's diverse attractions. Juxtapositions like a "Happy Birthday" balloon near overflowing trash (Interpolation) illustrate the interplay between cultivated and lived realities.
The photographs aim to capture Pattaya's complexity whether focusing on the convergence of diverse cultures or the stark contrasts between natural landscapes and urban development, the work invites reflection on the nature of tourism in an increasingly interconnected world.
Silent Sentinels
"The animal scrutinizes him across a narrow abyss of non-comprehension. This is why the man can surprise the animal. Yet the animal – even if domesticated – can also surprise the man. The man too is looking across a similar, but not identical, abyss of non-comprehension"
— John Berger - About Looking. (Why We Look at Animal?)
During my time in Pattaya, I found myself repeatedly photographing the local dogs. It wasn't intentional at first. They were simply there, a persistent element in various settings across the city.
As the project progressed, I began to notice how these animals appeared in both tourist areas and local spaces, often at the fringes of the frame. Their presence became a recurring motif, unplanned but persistent.
The dogs didn't interact with my camera. They were indifferent to the changes around them, to the tourists, to the constructions. This neutrality intrigued me.
In the end, these canine figures became an unintended constant in my visual record of Pattaya. Are they symbols of resilience, of authenticity in a changing landscape? Do they represent the overlooked aspects of development, or the freedom to exist between worlds? As Pattaya continues to evolve, these silent observers remain, their role in the city's story still unfolding.
