||||||||||||ON.THE.STREET||| Mary Poppins Dreams /  by Ashley O'Mahony

mary-poppins-dreams.jpg

Mary Poppins' Dreams - Umbrella Revolution - Hong Kong - 2014

 

For a week now, a whole generation, and even more, of protestants occupies the main roads of Hong Kong, fighting for the democracy they are entitled to. The remarkable movement, started by students and called Occupy Central, shows to the world an exemplary organisation, distributing food and drinks to its participants, collecting and sorting the trash to keep the streets clean, broadcasting a peaceful message without any act of violence or degradation.

The protest remained peaceful until the police started to use tear gas on the students, last Sunday. The riot forces have obviously over-reacted, awaking a great support of the public and international opinion. The Chinese National Day festivities of October 1st have been completely eclipsed by the calm reaction of the protestants and the number of people who got behind during the two days holidays.

But yesterday, groups of men, hiding their faces behind hygiene masks, have attacked the students, turning the peace to a violent altercation. The police, in that case, reacted very lately and weakly. Only a few counter-demonstrators have been arrested. If no link between these groups and Hong Kong government can be yet proved, these fights are obviously trying to make up a public unrest and insecurity with unbearable methods.

Get the latest news with the hashtags #UmbrellaRevolution and #OccupyCentral. Spread the word and show your support. The people of Hong Kong needs it !

||||||||||||||||||||POSTCARD||| Mountain Goat /  by Ashley O'Mahony

mountain-goat.jpg

Mountain Goat - Groggy Billy - Phedi - 2012

 

In August 2012, I escaped my urban torments with a lonely trek through the mystical Nepalese mountains. After a night by the sacred lakes of Gosaikunda, we paused our descent at Phedi to have our daily fried Chinese noodles lunch.   The owner of the tiny lodge was treating his white goat with a petroleum bath, to brush off invasive parasites. Stunned by the toxic vapours, the poor animal leaned against the rusty corrugated iron of the hut, desperately trying to resist its heady stupor.

||||||||||||ON.THE.STREET||| Operette /  by Ashley O'Mahony

operette.jpg

Operette - Acoustic room - Paris - 2008

 

While walking along the archways of Place des Vosges (Paris, France) in summer 2008, I heard a hypnotic opera chant. Approaching the gate leading to Rue du Béarn, I discovered a man, singing with a particularly high-pitched tessitura. I shot this pic to keep a fragment of this magic moment.

But I have been even more surprised to meet this man again this winter, exactly at the same place, 5 years later ! A quick search online indicated me that this guy is actually called Jeando Cardi. For more than 15 years, Jeando travels in the streets of Paris, singing to delight the ear of the bystanders. You may also meet him under the vaults of Palais Royal. Enchanting listening !

Jeando Cardi

||||||||||||||||||||POSTCARD||| Retired /  by Ashley O'Mahony

retired.jpg

Retired - Old boy - Xiamen - 2012

 

On the way to Jiageng Park (嘉庚公园 - JiāGēngGōngYuán) in Xiamen (China), I noticed this old bulk carrier, which seemed to be totally abandoned. The silhouet of the ZhongShengHai 87 (众盛海87) had something phantasmagoric, with the surrounding Xiamen fog.

If this ship is waiting to be dismantled, its little brother, the ZhongShengHai 88 is still sailing on the South China Sea. It has just left Hong Kong yesterday, to reach Guangzhou's port.

ZhongShengHai 88: Profile and Track

||||||||||||||||||||POSTCARD||| Drowned /  by Ashley O'Mahony

drowned.jpg

Drowned - Flood survivors - Siem Reap - 2011

 

The 2011 year has been marked by an exceptional flood in Thailand, resulted in a total of 815 deaths and 13.6 million people affected. This disaster made headline news for weeks, and most of us may remember it.

But the flood also affected adjacent countries, such as Cambodia. During my travel there, I met some farmers who converted to tuk-tuk drivers, as their land crops were totally devastated. Also, aids provided by the government wasn't enough to feed families that count 3.3 children per woman in rural areas (2010).

This picture has been taken on the way to Chong Khneas Floating Village. Those palm trees are usually never flooded. But the lake was so high that time, that a sudden thunderstorm changed the lake into a violent and wavy sea for a couple of minutes.

||||||||||||ON.THE.STREET||| Mockery /  by Ashley O'Mahony

mockery.jpg

Mockery - Economics is fun - Hong Kong - 2013

 

For the past 2 months, the West Kowloon Cultural District welcomed some strange inflated mobiles on its site, for the exhibition Mobile M+: Inflation! . Among them, a famous giant lotus blossom by Choi Jeong Hwa, and the polemical 15 meters-high "Complex Pile" by Paul McCarthy...

Beside the artworks, some concrete cubes have been displayed to remind the title of the exhibition. I shot this kid while he was posing for his mum's high-tech mobile phone. To me, he looked like making fun of the word "inflation", as if this notion was far away from his concerns. And by extension, far away from the Asian world ones ?

||||||||||||ON.THE.STREET||| Waiting Goal /  by Ashley O'Mahony

waiting-goal.jpg

Waiting Goal - Keep still - Hong Kong - 2013

 

Shopping is one of the favorite activities of Hongkongers. The city is unsurprisingly packed with malls, that take an important place in the everyday life. Some of them even offer special equipments, such as this ice rink at Elements. That day, kids were playing a hockey match.