Liquid Bangkok sets out to capture the beauty of a neglected world found along the klongs of Bangkok, and in doing so, also highlight the degradated state of this vast network of waterways that flow through and around the city.
The water that passes through Bangkok has mesmerised Pelling since his early days in the city – in part because it is in such contrast to the prairies of my youth. In Bangkok, Pelling often found himself drawn to the klongs’ edges, seduced by the constantly changing light and shapes of the less than pristine tributaries. There is a distinct and unique energy to be found there for those who make the effort to search them out. At the same time, it is a difficult place that continually assaults the senses.
Pelling’s images in this collection attempt to capture these opposing qualities by weaving the form of the water into the built environment that has grown around them. He doesn’t work with a preconceived plan, but make it more of a meditative journey.
Liquid Bangkok is the beginning of a wide-ranging water project using large format landscape images as the vehicle to communicate the message of “how we form water and how it forms us”. Pelling’s roots are in documentary photography and this is his first exploration using a technical camera with a large sensor back, which is a slower method of working. This has changed the way he approaches each subject; the slow set up creates more time for reflection, requiring me to fully commit to a given location.
Pelling’s hope is that he has found an approach that defines these places with a measure of respect, without, however, glossing over the serious environmental problems that plague this world of water that is a stunning part of the Bangkok urban landscape.
Biography Tim Pelling:
With roots deep in the grasslands of Saskatchewan, Canada , Tim Pelling has reached out to explore the world through the lens of his camera. A graduate of Emily Carr School University of Art and Design, Vancouver, Canada, Pelling has been based in Asia for over 20 years . He travels the planet for a wide variety of clients creating images for corporations, design firms, advertising agencies and media producers. Tim’s work is based on the philosophy “Keep it simple, clean and to the point”.
Comfortable realizing his vision while leading a crew of 20 or alone in the field, Pelling is happiest when overcoming challenges be they tricky locations, grim weather, culture differences or demanding subject matter.Tim is currently spending most of his time working on art projects , swimming and falling off his bike.
