Monday, 18 June 2012

Recent Tearsheets

And that's the last month of work I did for the Word. Big thanks again to all who work there and made it a memorable two years (and also for being the first people I've ever looked forward to having meetings with). Cam on nhe.

Sunday, 13 May 2012

iLiKETRAiNS

These photos are from a recent visit to the Railway Workers Ku Thap The in Hanoi, which are communal living quarters for the rail workers and their families, adjoining the Hanoi Railway Station.

We had a tour of the place - not the living quarters but the workshops. Grease-covered men in blue overalls attacked pieces of metal, did things to massive wheels, and hunched smoking around ancient machinery. We saw a turntable and the men turned it for us. We were taken to see an old steam engine being renovated. We fumbled around in the dusty old cab, pulling levers and staring at dials. We pulled the chain and made loud tooting noises. We - myself and the writer - realized that we still wanted to be train drivers, or trains, or something on rails. Which is why I'm posting all of the photos I took that day, not just a selection. Choo choo.

Monday, 2 April 2012

Recent Tearsheets

Monday, 5 March 2012

Recent Tearsheets

Thursday, 9 February 2012

Recent Tearsheets

Let There Be Ink

Tattoos are part of Vietnamese history, but in recent times they have become taboo. They are generally classed here as a 'social evil' (a vaguely nonsensical umbrella term used to describe things ranging from crimes to things that are 'not normal'), and are traditionally seen as the domain of bad people - gangsters, convicts and pimps. But in the past couple of years I've noticed more and more tattoos peeking out from the clothes under which they've been hiding. Gradually, they are losing their tainted image and, especially amongst younger generations, becoming seen as forms of creative expression and identity.

The Hanoi Tattoo Club, run by Tran Chi Hieu, is central to this new atmosphere of acceptance, and is where the following photos were taken:

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Enter (the Year of) the Dragon

Vovinam is a Vietnamese martial art, combining Vietnamese wrestling and various eastern martial arts techniques. Born in wartime out of necessity, it continues these days as a popular pastime. In a courtyard under dim tungsten lights I visited a group of students practising this form of combat. My flash could only mete out a few blows before retreating, bruised and out of breath. I scissor-kicked it aside, and embraced the silhouettes.

Saturday, 21 January 2012

A Word In Your Mouth

As someone who can be something of a glutton, one of the many great things about working for a magazine is all the food I get to eat. Here is a selection of some of the dishes that recently met their doom twixt my jaws in the interests of illustration. Allow me to list the fallen, the lost (in no particular order): oysters, clams, high-class vegetarian offerings, blood, kimchi, spicy chicken, spring rolls, and (not) the nest of a bird. Rest In Peace O Toothsome Fuels.

Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Recent Tearsheets

Sunday, 18 December 2011

Recent Tearsheets

Monday, 7 November 2011

Recent Tearsheets

Sunday, 6 November 2011

The Last Blacksmith

On the corner of Lo Ren Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter is the workshop of Mr Nguyen Phuong Hung. Lo Ren, in Vietnamese, means 'blacksmith', and although many years ago this would have meant that the entire street was used for the trade, now Hung is the only one left. On a coal fire, his irons grow red hot. Once they are ready, Hung places them on an anvil and sets about them with a sledgehammer. His forearms are massive, coal-streaked hams.

Friday, 7 October 2011

Recent Tearsheets

Sunday, 2 October 2011

Skateboarding Hanoi

It's evening, and under the unseeing eyes of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, skateboarders practice their tricks.

Thursday, 1 September 2011

Recent Tearsheets

Monday, 8 August 2011

Recent Tearsheets

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Commercial: Piaggio Factory

Who is this intrepid man?

Monday, 25 July 2011

Rock Hard

More shots from my recent trips to climbing areas in and around Hanoi. These visits have confirmed two things: 1) These people are strong, 2) I am very weak. But I went back to the Vietclimb gym a week after I took the photos, and swarmed and sweated my way around small sections of the wall like an ill, muscle-free spider and I now know two more things: 1) After 6 months of such stuff I'll need to walk through doorways sideways, and 2) At that time you would be ill-advised to ask me to hold your watermelon - I'll crush it in one hand like a quail egg. Truth.

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Recent Tearsheets

From the July issue of The Word. Che, sticky rice, various street foods - this month involved a lot of eating.

Friday, 24 June 2011

Che. Che. Che.