July 30, 2003
Pictures of Life
"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated." -James Nachtwey-A friend of mine asking me two days ago, "Mas, what's life?" Mas is a close call for "big brother" in Indonesian. Ya, she is a friend of my little brother, she is younger than me. I was really impressed with that kind question. I really never get a question or even talk with other person of that topics. It's hard to think an answer of that question. But, as life is always going on, i should get a word to spread on my mouth.
After thinking two or may be ten second, i got that in my mind. I answer she immediately. I talk to her, "Life is a kind of a very Great Theatre, where a man living there to act in their role". She then asking me back to respon, "If there's a role, why there exist a bad role of Evil and a good role? Why God doesn't creates a good role only, instead of too many bad role living in our humble world?" It's hard to believe this bright responses comes in immediate moment, I realize there's an answer, "Yes, if there're only good roles, or even only bad roles, what kind of performing it is? If there is a theatre performs that likely scenario, I thinks nobodies will watch it"
Talking about scenario and life, I get to recall a great man in the history of journalism who gives the works of his great photography. He is James Nachtwey. I see his remarkable biography on a film by Christian Frei, War Photographer. It's a film about this man, who many people called him a silent man, a never spoken man, a very misterious man even for his close friends. His photos lies in a mysterious ways which always tell a story of unspoken people in misery, in pain, a very usual kind of problem in conflicts area. This film portrait his works in conflict area ranging from Kosovo, South Africa, Palestine and Indonesia. This area of life, like what my friend asking me, is a kind of life that we never been reaching. It's a secret of life. A secret of great scenario that lies in our humanity which successfully pictured by Nachtwey's portrait. The editor of STERN Magazine in Germany commented him as a mysterious man who creates pictures neven one could. If you still can't understand what I mean, I think you should see his picture. Even two photographers stand in that same spot with Nachtwey, his pictures even better tell the stories.
Every minute I was there, I wanted to flee. I did not want war photographer to see this. Would I cut and run or would I deal with the responsibility of being there with camera?
Well actually, I really impressed with Nahctwey because he pays attention very much on Indonesia. In that film only, there're three sequences has been taken on Indonesia, ranging from Jakarta (May/June 1999) Jakarta anarchy and portrait of Sumarno's family, Kawah Ijen Sulfur Mine - East Java (October 1999).
"Why photograph war?" he asking himself. "Is it posible to put an end to human behaviour, which is exist through our history? why means to photography?" In this mean of life, he added, "If you feel what the experience seems extremely immediate what you sees is not only on images in a magazine a 10 thousand miles away which advertised a rolex watch on the next page. What you see is unmedicated pain in justice and misery... it's cured to me if everyone could be there just once to see for themself, but everyone cannot be there (in conflicts, and sees clinflict, Me) and that's why photographer go there to show them to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they are doing and pay attention to what is going on..."
The life, the conflicts, and the war photographers which taken the pictures of conflicts and made me see it in close ways, it's what the theatre to be played. It's close beneath our soul. And finally, the friend of mine replying me, "Thanks Mas, I now get a new images of what life is" Actually I thanks her too for that question, and for Nachtwey who gives me a very great gift to see life.
Posted at July 30, 2003 11:25 AM | Perspective
