Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2015
About a month ago, I was in Bali for the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2015 and had a wonderful time connecting with like-minded peers while coming up with a photo essay for a presentation on the final night.
The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop for 2016 will be held in Cape Town, South Africa and I highly recommend it. I will touch more on my experience in the workshop during my coming posts but for now, I would like to share the story I worked on during the workshop.
A Ngaben or a cremation ceremony is a ritual the Balinese perform as part of their funeral process.
I did not speak a word of Bahasa and my driver kind of left me there for 6 hours which made it really awkward in the beginning since I was the only foreigner with a camera yet, without a word, the Balinese families welcomed me and allowed me to silently document their ceremony.
A fellow Foundry participant, Quinn did a story on the cremation too.
The entire ceremony was elaborate with many rituals; yet from what I understood, what I photographed was the ‘cheaper and fast-forwarded’ version of the real ceremony as it is very expensive and lasts a couple of days. In some cases, a mass ceremony will be performed because it is more affordable.
In Remembrance
A boy runs through the funeral grounds
Two funerals were held at that time slot
A prayer for the dead
Body with the various offerings
Everyone helps with cleaning and preparing the body for the cremation
Daughter of the deceased
Thanking her friends for making it down.
A rather joyous occasion in general
Walking around the bodies is said to confuse the spirit; that it will not follow the family back home
Performing a ritual
Saying a final goodbye to his wife
Picking out the bones
Cremation
Smoke from the cremation
Releasing the ashes in the river, ending the ceremony
Categories: Indonesia, Feature, Leica, Photo Essay
This is interesting! I went to Bali in June and I never really went close to a funeral before!
Thank you! Bali is such an interesting place that is so rich in culture and wonderful people! I’ll have stories on Bali coming up(:
Hi Jamie, Beautiful shots. I live in Ubud and have attended quite a few cremations (ngaben), but you’ve captured scenes that I’ve not yet been privy too. Where did this one take place? It’s quite the colorful and captivating procession and ceremony, isn’t it?! Looking forward to seeing more photos on the Foundry site.
Thank you so much!
Yes, the ngaben are an incredible ceremony to witness!
This was held in Denpasar, right near a river. It is a little strange that funerals are such joyous occasions for them as compared to the funerals that I am used to.
Ubud is lovely! I was there for a good part of my trip; I miss the food!
What a fascinating look at such an intimate ritual of this culture. You’ve captured the many competing emotions beautifully.
Thank you so much Angela!