Welcome to part 2 of a look at the island of Java through the lens of a blind guy. If you haven’t had a look at part 1 yet you can check it out here.
Walking through a residential area of Yogakarta, called Kali Jode, was a lot of fun. The locals were relaxed at the end of the day and were happy to say hello. Well rather than hello it was mungo; my favourite Javanese word!
Image description. An Indonesian man sits, wearing only green shorts, in front of his house. He is holding a knife which he is using to trim the sole of a sandal. He is looking down, concentrating on his work. In front of him is a large pile of sandals which he has made.
Image description. An elderly Indonesian woman sits on a step in the doorway of her house. She is looking off in the distance, towards the left of the image, seemingly content at the end of the day. She is wearing a bright yellow and pink cardigan; her black and white skirt features abstract, geometric shapes. Her right foot has a sandal while her left is bare. She has a wooden pole, a walking stick, on the ground in front of her; her right hand is reaching down to it while her left big toe is just on top of it.
Image description. Two children pose with their bikes. The girl on the left has her chin resting in her left hand as she poses towards the camera. Her bike is pink, as are the sleeves of her top; the rest is blue. The child on the left has a silver bike, predominantly white clothing and is making a peace sign with two fingers. They are standing in front of a narrow residential street The two storey buildings behind them butt against each other with only a small distance between the front of each; inner city dwellings. They are of various colours including green, grey, yellow and white.
“Instagrammable” was my secod favourite Javanese word. Instagram and the posing that comes with it are a favourite pastime of many Indonesians, particularly the females. Ancient temples are a particular favourite backdrop for these selfie photoshoots. For me seeing the locals have fun in their beautiful outfits was more interesting than the historic monumenta themaelvea.
Image description. Photograph shows five youg women sitting in front of Borobudur Temple. There are five belled shaped domes in the background; they are made of stone with holes or wndows on them. They are sitting on stone basses. Behind them is a larger bell shaped dome with no windows. The girls in the forefround are sitting in a star shape with their feet meeting in the middle.They are dressed in various colours and each has a headscarfe or other head covering as they are Muslim. They are smiling at the camera and giving a thumbs up and one girl has a smart phone held aloft on a selfie stick. There are other people amongst the domes in the background also taking selfies.
Image description. Two girls walk under an umberalla. The umberalla has a pink, blue and yellow floral pattern. The girls are dressed in grey tones including their headscarves. One is wearing a pink face covering; only here eyes are visible above it and below the umberalla. The girl on the right is smiling but her eyes are covered. It is the girl on the right holding the umberalla as the two walk and talk. Behind them is a blurred background with a grey temple building.
Image description. Two females sit on the steps of a temple; Prambanan. The first, sitting higher and slightly to the left is a young girl who is looking at the camera. Below her is a woman, possibly the girl’s mother, looking to the right. Both are wearing blue outfits which include headscarves. Above the woman and to the right of the girl is a stone statue of a lion which is part of a Hindu temple. The lion’s mouth is open while the girl next to it smiles.
Image description. Three Indonesian girls pose for the camera. They are on a day out so are dressed up. The first, on the left, is wearing a long, pink dress with a purple hijab. She is smiling at the camera and holding a pink umberalla which is resting on her right shoulder. The girl in the middle is wearing a pink hijab and a predominantly light blue, pink and yellow dress. She is smiling, wearing glasses and also holding a blue/green umbrella. Beside her, on the right of the image is another girl wearing a long bluish dress with floral patterns and a pink/red hijab. She is wearing sunglasses and smiling. Behind them are a number of thin, tall trees covered with green leaves providing the girls with some shade from the bright sunlight which can be seen filtered through the trees.
Local markets are always fun and interesting places. I can’t usually see much of the goods on offer but I enjoy getting a glimpse of the different people, their outfits and the random goings on. This market, or pasar, was located in Surabaya.
Image description. Two women sit amongst their local market stalls. The woman on the left is wearing purple and yellow clothes with a beige headscarf. She has her left hand against her face which is looking slightly to the right of the image. Her eyes are closed and mouth open as if talking or smiling. To the right of the image is another woman. She is adjusting her light green headscarf whilst also smiling with her eyes closed. She is dressed mainly in purple with her feet up on a wooden table in front of her. To her right are piles of crates, boxes, egg cartons and other items. The two women appear to be having a chat and a laugh.
Image description. A woman in green skirt, brightly multicoloured shirt, beige headscarf and bare feet tipsthe contents of a multicolouredwoven basket into a larger pile. There are numerous baskets and piles of small round vegetables around her. We cannot see much of her face, just a flicker of a smile between her arm and basket.
Image description. A woman in a black shirt, patterned skirt and woven, net like headscarf walks through a narrow street with her back to the camera. Her right hand is balancing a crate which is sitting on her head. Her left hand grips a bar on a rickshaw (a peddle powered taxi) appearing to be stopping it from bumping onto her. She stands tall and is looking straight ahead. To her right is another woman dressed mainly in purple; she is slightly higher than the first woman and appears to be standing back out of the first woman’s way. The narrow alleyway is filled with crates piled high and other market paraphanelia.
Thanks for looking! Don’t forget to have a look at the Blurry Borders blind photography exhibition!
