An ongoing documentation detailing healing services within the Christian community in Singapore. This audio slideshow chronicles a multitude of "broken people" turning towards the Christian faith as means to cope with despair and tragedy in their personal lives.
The adage "Ask and you shall be given, seek and you shall fine" rings true for some, as certain results can be miraculously instantaneous. Others cling onto their faith, in hope that eventually, God would come through for them.
Healing services, once considered "charismatic" and "new age" are now becoming more widely accepted as conservative Singaporeans evolve with the times.
Many times in Singapore, I've been accosted and hassled by public enforcers (read between the lines - privately hired security guards) who in their zeal to maintain the peace, try to stop me from doing my job photographing in public spaces.
I CANNOT emphasize this enough, photo-taking and video-shooting in public spaces is NOT a crime.
Too many people don’t understand they have a legal right to take photographs and record video in public places.
In the US, the practice of street photography has a long tradition in New York City and its purpose varies from hobby and artistic expression to memory making and journalistic documentation. But the freedom to photograph and film has long been taken for granted and challenged in the wake of 9/11. Since 9/11, there has been an increasing war on photography. Photographers have been harassed, questioned, detained, arrested or worse, and declared to be unwelcome. We've been repeatedly told to watch out for photographers, especially suspicious ones. Clearly any terrorist is going to first photograph his target, so vigilance is required. Except that it's nonsense. The 9/11 terrorists didn't photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid bombers, Timothy McVeigh didn't photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Yet day in, day out, you're bound to bump into law enforcement officials who are not even aware of the laws of state they've sworn to uphold.
In the UK, CCTV cameras are installed everywhere to monitor the streets and keep the public safe. But at what cost? London is almost entirely blanketed by a legion of CCTV cameras and the city is in danger of sinking into orwellian territory where Big Brother dominates. And if UK citizens can forfeit their liberty in the name of security, who's to stop an everyday joe from taking pictures in public spaces? This video below is taken in the UK where (irony upon ironies) a police officer of Asian descent (most likely a recent immigrant as he does not speak with a british accent) is harassing a British native from doing something well within legal boundaries. To top it all off, when confronted, the officer cannot provide a reason why as to why it is "illegal" to be filming in a public space. All he does is to insist that its wrong.
Here in land scarce Singapore, law enforcement officers are none the wiser. Except that it makes little difference when the mere crossing of the road means you're leaving one government / private / commercial property only to be entering into another. Even the press is guilty of flouting the law often times shooting in privately owned spaces without a permit. Over here, its more a case of pushing the envelope as much as possible without being caught.
Know your rights and what to do when approached by law enforcement.
Over the weekend, i visited the neighboring island of Batam, Indonesia. Tagged along with my aunt who happens to also be a lecturer at a tertiary institution in Singapore. Together with some 60-odd students in tow, we made the 45-min boat ride out of Singapore. It was madness having to look out for such a huge bunch i tell you. We met an ex-student of hers who now runs the entire gamut of businesses from solid fuel manufacturing to pubs, restaurants and private apartments.
It was supposed to be an educational trip for the students and i was there to help. So, it wasn't exactly an assignment per se. But i decided to lug along gear just to maintain that discipline of being always intentional and purposeful. By being always ready, i am not worried about being caught out without gear when my next subject shows up.
Considering how little time i have to myself at the end of the day (not to mention how exhausted i was), i have no time to wander the streets on my own. Wandering around a foreign land gives me a sense of purpose. (read about my China trip) You just don't know what to expect. Just engaging people by communicating to them boggles my mind at how diverse and different one human being is from the other. When words and languages fail, even the simplest hand gestures could convey universal understanding.
Below, some kids from the local squatter settlement.
One voice. One spirit. Hundreds of Christians gather every last Friday of the month to pray for the affairs of the nation at a local Church in Singapore.
In the 2 hour session, believers worship, paint, dance, pray and soak in the presence of God.
Being raised in a conservative Christian home, this is part of an on-going articulation & exploration of the religious psyche that is a part of me. Or like they always say - the evidence of my existence.
Remnants of doing street photography in Xiamen. The following are excerpts from my personal journal which i struggle to find time to keep up with.
"The other night, i decided to venture down right the alley instead of the usual route left - which yields only shopping districts 1 after the other. Not unlike the streets of Mongkok, Hongkong, only less human traffic. Turning down right was a good call. Seeing the people of Xiamen live their lives. It's a vast difference from the "sanitized" point of view we've been exposed to in the short time we were here. For the people of Xiamen do not wine and dine in fine restaurants like we do. They survive on home made broth and simple dishes with rice and noodles. Even at 11pm in the night, i've walked past many a family congregating over dinner and a small TV screen. Male bachelors in pairs gambling and puffing on their cigarettes in the basement of their shop houses. Large billboards exhorting values and ideologies of the Chinese Communist Party reflect the pale light off street lamps.
Compared to Singapore, Hongkong or Beijing, Xiamen is not a vibrant city by far, but what it lacks in vibrancy, it makes up with soul. Maybe, it takes a foreigner who's far removed from its culture to be able to notice the intricate beauty in the mundane toll of everyday life. A foreigner like myself.
Late into the night walking alone in uncharted streets of downtown Xiamen, i decided against carrying along the MK-ii, my usual workhorse camera. Instead, i opted for the small plastic EOS 66, and a basic 50mm f1.8. Choosing stealth ahead of class has its advantages. It allowed me to be discreet, to hang around longer observing more than i will be able to, especially with the bulky MK-ii. Score one in the eternal debate for film over digital."
* all pictures shot on Fujichrome Provia 400 X slides and Acros Neopan 100 b/w film and drum scanned.
Joel B fell into the world of photojournalism while serving with the Republic Of Singapore Navy. Being tasked with shooting pictures and video to document important milestones with the Navy, he fell in love with the medium. That led him to a stint as staff photographer / videographer with Singapore Press Holdings -- a media conglomerate based in Singapore.
His short films have been screened in the Singapore Film Festival, Hollywood Shorts, Screenwriters Association of Singapore and the Substation.
He is currently working towards a Bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma City University and is also a contributing photographer to OnAsia Picture Agency.
