The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXXIX, Part 1-2 ... - Khamkoo

121
Though quite a few of Nostil2"s unagcs. do
sumd fts sausl1tctory ponrayals of Lhcir subjects.
too many photographs appear lO bL' tht work of
an amateur. Subjec1s are blurred or badly
t:xposcd, compositions. urc unh:thmced Or jus1
plain bad. Oetwccn Lhc chaplcrs uf black and
while photography appear fu ll-rolour J uubk ·
page spreads. Proi>ably chosen lo s1rikc a nwud.
Lh
1ht: EasL in pr.:-fcrcncc 10 un iv~rsll:y, job and
fnmil}'. A[t~r livt: d i s~ulut..: years. dis:-.alist:Jctlon
drnve him 10 Bangkok. where he became
intoxicated and add icted to BangkClk • s bnr scene-.
Then: 1~ no ling rcmarkahle 111 this story of n
\\·cs1eru k1d gotng astray. Over the dccudt:s
m:my hnve similnrly lost themselves Ul 13ang·
ko k"s low-li iC fO r ~~ time, b ul mcrci11t ll ~· mosl
only '-"xposed themseh•cs m pnv;.Hc. To those
whn ha v~ nen~r .;e"n this kinJ of lhing. the
scenes shown on tht:"ic pttgc.s will be disturbing
if nm merely disgusting; to uthcr.; thl·)' \vill b~:
interest in g_ i r 1101 rascitlal in g. To this r\.! V i ~WL· r· ~
knlm· lt:dgc it is th ~:o nl yex l c n s i ve photo essh tirscatcd wha1 Nostilz and his publisher
ha vc mosl successfU lly shown. and 1hat IS how
Olherwtsc l'on unatc WcslCmers can b nn~
dcgr::tdauon upon themsel ves in 13angkok. -
•••
·n 1c photogrophcr.; in these works deliber·
at~ l y set om 10 look a1 asportsoflilc in Bangkok.
The fi \\: volumes rl.!\'it:wcJ ~tan d Hpart from rhc:
prolilcr;.uinn or sou,·enir and coffee-table edi­
L io n~ purtruymg lhc rd in..:d and hcaUI i ful. One
may no1 like whal 1he books show. bul the
cameras liet' less in 1hese pages lhan on lhoseprcsL·ntm,g
• bcuu Li 1i.1l Thai land'. This makes a
wch.:omc change in a cuhurl..' when! so much
tlt:rcnds upon nppe:; r::~ nce The images of
llangkok cmphasi7..c the hin1rrc if not the hor.
ror, and yet chcy abu ~ hl)W ho'" humanlly
cxprc"