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BOOK REVIEW
the pulse 43
Photo: Daniel Ehrlich
Bringing the backstage to the fore
Daniel Ehrlich’s photo book Backstage Mandalay sheds light on the dark, cramped
spaces where traditional Myanmar performers ready themselves to take the stage
dlong125@gmail.com
DOUGLAS
LONG
THE same picturesque
qualities that attract visitors
to Myanmar can also inspire
laziness when it comes to
producing photo books
about the country: Snap generic
pictures of golden pagodas, fishermen
on Inle Lake and cute kids wearing
thanaka, and you have a coffee-table
book ready for publication.
There is also the “creative” approach
taken by many local photographers,
in which great effort is
expended in setting up contrived,
“picture-perfect” shots: models
“harvesting” paddy while wearing
immaculate ethnic costumes, monks
idling in weathered monasteries with
open parasols resting on their shoulders
and girls making lacquerware in
the dim interiors of ancient pagodas.
Such artificial images might look
nice, but they suffer from a lack of
genuine narrative arc: There is no
story behind them, aside from the
photographer’s manipulations. The
result is a beautiful, yet ultimately hollow,
postcard image.
Boston-based photographer Daniel
Ehrlich takes an entirely different
approach in his book Backstage Mandalay:
The Netherworld of Burmese
Performing Arts (2012), a hardcover
volume featuring 290 images of the
behind-the-scenes preparations that
anchor nat (spirit) ceremonies and
traditional Burmese stage shows such
as zat pwe and anyeint pwe.
Ehrlich, who has made nearly
30 trips to Myanmar since his first
visit in 1987, prefers his images to be
unposed and candid, catching people
in unguarded moments. Whereas the
hokey, staged photographs so popular
in the Myanmar tourism industry
are essentially sterile and lifeless,
Ehrlich’s images capture telling details
that prompt speculation on the part
of the viewer and conjure narratives
that flow beyond the fleeting moment
captured in the image.
The leading image in Chapter 1, for
example, depicts the low-key atmosphere
of backstreet Mandalay, with
a dirt path winding past an old brick
monastery, wooden houses and shady,
haze-enshrouded trees.
Many photographers might be
tempted to frame this shot to block
out ugly reminders of the modern
age that run counter to the idea of
Myanmar as a timeless land of charm
and beauty. Refreshingly, Ehrlich
avoids this approach. Here, a light
truck is visible on the right-hand edge
of the photo, while on the left a street
Ehrlich’s images
capture telling
details that prompt
speculation on
the part of the
viewer and conjure
narratives that flow
beyond the fleeting
moment captured in
the image.
dog sniffs the ground near a pile of
trash. There are monks in the picture,
but rather than dawdling with dainty
parasols, they are lugging modern
bags and briefcases on their way to
who knows where.
The second chapter focuses on
the activity surrounding nat festivals,
including backstage rituals by nat
kadaw (spirit wives) preparing for
public ceremonies. Of particular interest
is a series of images spread across
three pages showing a nat kadaw
enduring the process of becoming possessed
by a spirit who enjoys quaffing
orange soft drinks and indulges in
the unhealthy habit of smoking two
cigarettes at once.
The centrepiece of the book is
Chapter 3, which captures the dimly
lit world of traditional performances,
and the time and effort that goes
into getting ready for the stage.
Singers, dancers and actors are shown
sleeping, waiting, watching, dressing
and putting on makeup as show time
approaches.
These are tough conditions for a
photographer who is reluctant to rely
on the camera’s flash, but Ehrlich
does an admirable job of capturing
the aura of mystery and otherworldliness
that permeates these events, both
onstage and behind the scenes. The
performers, sporting sumptuous, glittering
costumes, seem to come from
another era, and many of the subjects
appear to be lost in thoughts that can
only be imagined by the viewer.
Anyone who has seen one of these
live performances will understand
their capacity for transporting audiences
from the mundane world to the
realm of the fantastic, and those who
pay careful attention while paging
through Backstage Mandalay will
enjoy a similar experience.
Given Ehrlich’s devotion to documenting
reality, it’s not surprising
that he makes a point of breaking
the spell before the end of the book.
One of the last photographs captures
an all-night outdoor performance
winding down at daybreak. The
ground is strewn with trash, and the
few remaining audience members
are wrapped against the cold as they
wander away from the stage. One
person holds her scarf against her
face, as if shielding her nose from a
foul smell.
But the photograph on the next
page, taken in late afternoon, shows
families claiming their spaces on clean
bamboo mats in front of the stage,
settling in to enjoy another show that
will, over the next several hours, carry
them away into a world of tradition,
folklore and fantasy.
Ehrlich clearly hopes this cycle
won’t end anytime soon – that even
as the crowds disperse each morning,
they will return again in the evening
to witness another performance.
This desire is expressed in the
book’s dedication, in which Ehrlich
acknowledges that vast changes
will inevitably come to Myanmar in
the coming decade but pleads with
the country’s people to preserve the
“great ceremonies” that define them
uniquely in a world where everything
is becoming the same.