Find myself thinking of home more than ever amidst the chaos of the world 🇲🇾
Yet, “alang-alang menyeluk pekasam biar ke pangkal lengan.”
Warga Malaysia, anak Malaysia, but especially diasporic Malaysians—x kisah Singapore ke, Melbourne, London, mana2 lah, may this be a reminder for us:
There is much for us to be proud of ❤️🤍💙💛
*for the machine: #malaysia #diaspora #orientalism #bangga
Goodbye, hello👋
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of photographing childhood friends @alisonkhong and chef @limhengkit at @lidamansara days before it shut its doors.
It was the first time I picked up a serious bit of gear with intent in 5 years. 5 years since my last fellowship. 5 years since my last photography exhibition. 5 years since my last client. 5 years of repression and shame.
I was in KL briefly during CNY & had been finding reason to shoot something (anything; I promised Mum) but the inertia of the lingering shame was still too great. Insert Alison and HK.
They ask if I’d photograph them for wedding invites which was a powerful enough reason (external) to overcome. I also find out chef’s well loved first restaurant was shutting its doors after a decade.
The brief is odd from the get go–part archival project, part pre-wedding photos?? To top it off, all of this was decided to happen within a 48hr window & we’d only have 2hrs with chef between the services of his multiple restaurants.
We decide on a bare bones set up; with one primary key with flags and reflectors, 6 photos, shoot what’s in the restaurant, & our best efforts at marrying both intentions.
The result is this hybrid-editorialish series of photos that hopefully w a bit of imagination works conceptually. They did meet proper in this restaurant; HK the chef, Alison the food reporter.
I could’ve done so much better & time only makes the errors more visible. Yet, I’m proud of these photographs. 6 photos in 2 hours with 2 days to prep. Production and time constraints, normal people, my individual circumstance, the symbolism.. I’m proud these photos exist. Thank you friends for giving them a reason to be made.
We say goodbye to Li, where they met & hello to their union forevermore ❤️
The biggest thanks to the most locked in ad hoc PAs around @vicgeez@_sznnn who’ve probably never experienced me as a tyrant prior, who have zero experience, & volunteered to help out within 48hours 🔒 Friendship is a wonderful thing ❤️
Kam siah also to actual big time production team @trishates & @billysimon99 from Studio Guai for the gear on a pinch!
✳️Constructive critique so appreciated 🙏😬
Luxembourg on film in 20 frames in Fuji 400 from my tiny Yashica T4:
1-2 Engulfed fully in the Luxembourgish lives of these 3 lovely humans; spearheaded by tasting again the bountiful guest culture standards of my African sister Dr. @thechosenhabiba .
A most romantic evening together; one of my fondest memories of the trip. The only dinner I was allowed to pay for because we were prematurely celebrating me completing a big stage of an interview for my first ever CSO role (no success yet; victory in just making it that far).
3-7 Confronted with light, lines, and materiality; the Mudam Museum of Modern Art before sunset.. I was forcefully stopped in my tracks.
8-10 Lines surrounding the Mudam on the way to it’s entrance; had to exclude a bunch of frames that would have given greater coherence for faces in this 20 frames carousel
11-13 Bring your obnoxious friend to work day w @a_dmsn ; who happens to be a lawyer at the EU Court of Justice, no biggie 😭 (12 AA, two ways)
14-18 We made it out of the city; our lil adventure to a vineyard in Remich – cosplaying w the ultra wealthy 🤣
18 One of the few properly considered and composed photos I took; Habiba in the Remich sunset light in a fancy pants courtyard we were enjoying wine at — a true beauty of Sudan ❤️👸🏽 The rays Dr, representative of the light you will continue to bring to the world post PHD! Your spirit and resilience, inspire me more than you know.
19 Took a great fondness to Anais who like Alan (the other bloke in these photos), Habiba only introduced me to on this trip. Here is our final photo together on my last night, on her balcony. She had to spontaneously house me for my final night after I was robbed.
20 Goofy and honest final group pic 🥲 Love and affection in abundance in such a short window of time — thank you dear friends; I will not forget the quality of time shared in that singular point in history lightly. A special time for me, as I hope it was also for you. You have touched me deeply. I love you all!! ❤️❤️
Aish x Alex’s Wedding Part 1: The space, Victoria Baths in Manchester; a Wes Anderson fan boy’s wet dream 💦🥽
Fit commentary: Fit was initially inspired by the @arnold.wkt , @seealan and @charlesyap_s (variations of Tang jackets) of the world and my humble participation in what has undoubtedly been the most exciting part of classic menswear amidst what has felt like its climax and plateau, what folks are calling “creative black tie” or interpretations of “cocktail” or “creative evening wear”.
Conditions: It’s not black tie or white tie, you want to be more elevated than one of your regular suits, and in this instance you ideally shouldn’t out dress the groom.
My initial inspiration was to wear the same jacket and trousers with an off white silk shirt and a flowy pussycat bow for a fun play on the scale of sheen to matte but alas because of weight gain and time constraints, I went with this black Ukrainian ceremonial embroided shirt instead.
The result is a look that is more casual and subdued than I initially had envisioned rocking up to a wedding where I only knew one other person besides the couple but I reckon it still worked! I find my neck to be a bit too exposed and would’ve like perhaps a 2.5-3 inch tall collar on the jacket but besides that I reckon it worked out okay! I also love that the jacket feels* like a smol nod to the Scottish side of the wedding. Analysis welcome!
Many thank you a was to sweet @rhiannonwastell for indulging me in some cute pics of myself since I attended solo dolo 🫰
*Slide 20: The year before nonchalance as a concept was created 😭
Whoops! In my down selecting of faces for the last post, this cute pic w @studied.carelessness and I unfortunately slipped through the cracks!
Off all my internet to IRL pipeline friends in the classic menswear world globally, I reckon Pedro understands and appreciates my relationship to the sociopolitical economy of menswear+ and its representation (and our subsequent complicity!) the most. Or he could just be the most polite person who laughs at a majority of my jokes/takes/analysis 🥲 New School MA in Media Studies babbyyyyyy!!
Also separately I really like this pic of a nyc version of what is my favourite hydration combo thanks to my time across Greece with my dear friend @mitchiep28 . Cold brew (freddo espresso), some kind of vitality branded mix juice w ginger (freshly squeezed orange juice), and sparkling water 💦🔺
A spontaneous trip to nyc spurred on by the kindness of a friend who gave me access to her loft in exchange for some plant watering duties. Making this lil recap post back in Toronto after a 5(?) hour nap.
Figured to try to make use of the clear mental and physical exhaustion and the subsequently reduced pace to try to reflect and integrate.
Recognizing the majority of the photos I took on this trip are of faces of myself and others. The cost of spontaneity can and was a reduced intent of time and of prioritization.
The breadth and volume of social and indulgent experiences (and poor resource guarding heh) signal to me a seeking. Probably a combination of relief, escape, connection, inspiration, validation.
When reflecting on these faces, I reflect on the conversations we’ve had & how they’ve made me feel (thanks all!); notable thoughts:
1. A confrontation for me to take more responsibility for my own life – aka am guilty of being a professional complainer. (is it finally time to leave Canada??)
2. The extent of talented people on this trip that don’t receive opportunities their talents warrant - all of them just trying to make it work and often full of the same compromises I’m confronted with.
3. Reluctantly, how much nyc embraces me socially (it’s been the case professionally for 5 years) - and questions around what that says about what I give off in the world 😬 - reciprocal explicitness, self advocacy, ambition/risk.
4. How large America is and how privileged I really am.. galavanting like a goon in nyc while there are large mobilizations around the country against blatant authoritarianism.
5. My desire to double down on class analysis!! I was reminded on multiple times this trip how central race and delineating around race is in the American imagination. I have never had challenges transcending identity politics socially (as evident in the carousel) and can mask/chameleon/code switch appropriately but time and time again find myself most mutually drawn to people who have similarly humble upbringings as I do, agnostic of their race + etc. Hard to then not feel like I should continue to double down on this shared marker for meaningful connection.
It is my friend @jamiejwebster ’s birthday!
We have been friends for about 2 years & w greater intimacy in the last year, which makes us relatively new friends in my books (& not mere acquaintances!). Jamie’s a popular & successful Toronto cat & has been my sherpa in navigating the “cool kid scenes”* of Toronto.
For at least the first 6 months of us getting to know each other; maybe the first year 😬, I was cynical about our friendship. I asked myself (& him) quite explicitly: What do you want with me? I don’t have network, clout/cultural capital, dollars, or sex appeal you don’t already have access to. Such is my cynicism perhaps not of all the world but certainly of cool kids.
After more time spent w Jamie & having greater access & frequency of intersecting w these circles, my cynicism is not only reinforced but likely even more heightened. However, I’m pleased to say that it no longer extends to our friendship; which allows me to give and receive w far more freedom & to be far less strategic.
Here are three reflections:
1. A reminder from the speech my father gave on his 70th birthday after my mum published a book on spiritual friendship for him as a gift: At the end of the day, friendship is a gift because someone still has to choose to be your friend.
2. My experience w Jamie in closed/gate kept spaces reminds me a lot of a most memorable experience I had as a guest of Bruce Boyer at an event Mark Cho was hosting when I was a wee lad. The masterful and graceful use of power to extend welcome has been the standard in my memory & for me a key argument for why a recognition of a disparity of power/privilege is important; especially when you have more. If Bruce has been the platinum standard, Jamie’s gold.
3. If I were to maintain an analytical lens, I feel our friendship is rooted in a shared curiosity and a pursuit of excellence amidst breadth. It is also rooted in a multiplicity of shared aptitudes. The so what is the intuitive, mutual, & effortless ability to make parts of ourselves feel seen.
HBD my friend! Thanks for your friendship! Love you!
Here’s a few pics I found of us on me phone; last two I reckon best represent our vibe 😄💨🤡
Big time menswear influencer @thezanelim told me to use my crooked smile in the solo pic as the hero image on main 🙏🥂
Evening hosted and vintage collection by @discreet_peacock and Piaget Toronto. Attached images of my 3 fav watches from the collection; believe the blue tetris protocole is already sold 😬 for anything else drop Dusan a DM!
All images by @malikdieleman_artist ✨
*slide 4 = what we’re truly like in general, agnostic of fancypantsness of event; consider yourself warned!
Framed Turkish miniatures from Istanbul! There was so much joy throughout this entire process 😊 Let me try to share a quick recap as concisely as possible!!
1. Discovery + acquisition (slide 4-11): All of this came about as I was strolling the much quieter Sahaflar Bazaar right outside the much more famous Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. I chanced upon Mehmet at his store @sahhaflar_orientshop . Narrow, tiered, bursting at the seam w the most incredible work.
Reserved at first, as a result I imagine of the average onlooker being unconcerned for the craft or history of the category of work he’s an expert curator at, Mehmet & I quickly develop a warm and rich relationship after he must’ve assed my genuine curiosity.
I don’t buy anything initially and actually visit him a couple of times throughout my trip. Appreciating, learning, bonding. We share much – fruit and treats from his home town, chai & coffee, & part of our lives. He is deeply generous in his hospitality.
More so than just a crash course in assessing and appraising Turkish miniatures, it felt like a lesson in Turkish culture. More impactful were our interactions, likely more than the work itself.
2. Framing: I need to quickly shout out Tamar the owner at @sohoframing in Roncy! They’re right by my house and I dropped by one day with my pieces to inquire about my options. With the help of a few of her colleagues, we settle on a standard sized frame with an awkward amount of negative space because well, I’m a cheapskate.
Independently, Tamar sees the order and then proceeds to call me to ask: one, is this real & two if it is, if I would mind if she made a custom frame instead at no extra cost. She understands my cheapskateness but insists the pieces are too beautiful to framed with poor spacing. (slide 2)
What a gem and truly a true lover of their work. Beyond touched and so thankful she made that choice. Give them a shout for your framing needs!!
3. Receiving the finished frame: Christmas morning! Once when I peeled back the parcel in store and seeing it for the first time and then again when I opened it privately back home 😭
*Swipe to slide 3 to see me beaming, smiling, & laughing by myself 😁👹
Celebrating milestones and imagining the future together 😌 My time away this winter has certainly brought renewed perspective; including the much I should be grateful for. I love my m8s!! 💞🫂
Also to not entirely alienate my digital menswear acquaintances, here’s “Spring jacket, 3 ways” 😆😅
Slow Wear leather, Stoffa brushed cotton, Kapital (pre-acquisition lol) patchwork 🫡
Couple of suburban bums masquerading in the city. Proud of @septemberbred for getting in the arena; w his first solo mix media exhibition.
Last day tomorrow at @thecombine_ ; he’ll be there till 1700! Pop by if you’ve the day off or are in town!
