Meeting the residents of Bangkok’s oldest and largest slum.
During my stay in Bangkok (see Bangkok Street Shots), I ventured into the heart of Khlong Toei, the city’s largest and oldest slum. In the 1950s, as the nearby commercial port expanded rapidly, a vast informal settlement grew on land owned by the PAT (Port Authority of Thailand). Today home to nearly 120,000 people, this immense maze of narrow alleyways is like a city within the city, a self-governed community. Garbage collection services do not venture inside; the residents take care of it themselves. Because Khlong Toei has suffered numerous devastating fires over the years, a loudspeaker warning system was installed to alert residents whenever a fire breaks out. For many years, rising land values have led the PAT to seek ways to “clean up” Khlong Toei and reclaim its land, though without success so far, as no real-estate developer has been willing to undertake a project that would require relocating 120,000 people. While Wikipedia describes the area as being “plagued by violence, drug trafficking and prostitution,” that was not at all the impression I came away with after walking these streets. One would have to be blind not to notice the difficult living conditions faced by many residents, yet they welcomed me into their neighbourhood with warm smiles. Having no desire to produce sensationalist or voyeuristic images of their circumstances, I chose instead to create a series of street portraits. I came looking for a place; I found people. Turning a corner in one of these narrow alleyways, I came across this man wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “I Love Photography”… Most Thais, being predominantly Buddhist, would probably have seen it as a sign from fate!
I Love Photography
Khlong Toei
Meeting the residents of Bangkok’s oldest and largest slum.
During my stay in Bangkok (see Bangkok Street Shots), I ventured into the heart of Khlong Toei, the city’s largest and oldest slum. In the 1950s, as the nearby commercial port expanded rapidly, a vast informal settlement grew on land owned by the PAT (Port Authority of Thailand). Today home to nearly 120,000 people, this immense maze of narrow alleyways is like a city within the city, a self-governed community. Garbage collection services do not venture inside; the residents take care of it themselves. Because Khlong Toei has suffered numerous devastating fires over the years, a loudspeaker warning system was installed to alert residents whenever a fire breaks out. For many years, rising land values have led the PAT to seek ways to “clean up” Khlong Toei and reclaim its land, though without success so far, as no real-estate developer has been willing to undertake a project that would require relocating 120,000 people. While Wikipedia describes the area as being “plagued by violence, drug trafficking and prostitution,” that was not at all the impression I came away with after walking these streets. One would have to be blind not to notice the difficult living conditions faced by many residents, yet they welcomed me into their neighbourhood with warm smiles. Having no desire to produce sensationalist or voyeuristic images of their circumstances, I chose instead to create a series of street portraits. I came looking for a place; I found people. Turning a corner in one of these narrow alleyways, I came across this man wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “I Love Photography”… Most Thais, being predominantly Buddhist, would probably have seen it as a sign from fate!
I Love Photography
Khlong Toei
Meeting the residents of Bangkok’s oldest and largest slum.
During my stay in Bangkok (see Bangkok Street Shots), I ventured into the heart of Khlong Toei, the city’s largest and oldest slum. In the 1950s, as the nearby commercial port expanded rapidly, a vast informal settlement grew on land owned by the PAT (Port Authority of Thailand). Today home to nearly 120,000 people, this immense maze of narrow alleyways is like a city within the city, a self-governed community. Garbage collection services do not venture inside; the residents take care of it themselves. Because Khlong Toei has suffered numerous devastating fires over the years, a loudspeaker warning system was installed to alert residents whenever a fire breaks out. For many years, rising land values have led the PAT to seek ways to “clean up” Khlong Toei and reclaim its land, though without success so far, as no real-estate developer has been willing to undertake a project that would require relocating 120,000 people. While Wikipedia describes the area as being “plagued by violence, drug trafficking and prostitution,” that was not at all the impression I came away with after walking these streets. One would have to be blind not to notice the difficult living conditions faced by many residents, yet they welcomed me into their neighbourhood with warm smiles. Having no desire to produce sensationalist or voyeuristic images of their circumstances, I chose instead to create a series of street portraits. I came looking for a place; I found people. Turning a corner in one of these narrow alleyways, I came across this man wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “I Love Photography”… Most Thais, being predominantly Buddhist, would probably have seen it as a sign from fate!
I Love Photography
Khlong Toei