Southern Exposure

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Slow connections on the road, a busy schedule meeting relatives and oh yeah getting married in India all contributed to the trickle of blog posts these last few weeks. But I am back.

New Internationalist magazine displays some fascinating photography. Friend and mentor Shahidul Alam promotes the work of photographers “from the majority world” through his column SOUTHERN EXPOSURE in the magazine. This month, Alam highlights Dominic Sansoni from Sri Lanka.

Kataragama, a town in the southeast of Sri Lanka, is probably the most important centre for pilgrimage on the island. Based around a shrine to the god of the same name, this small jungle site is now a
bustling town. It is unique in that there is also a Buddhist temple and a mosque. The main festival time is July or August when pilgrims from across the country, of all denominations, flock to the town for
the big festival. It culminates with firewalking at night and a `water-cutting' ceremony in the Menik Ganga River on the last day.

For many years I have been photographing the way we wrap cloth around our bodies in Asia. A sari, a sarong, a shawl, a versti… Frequently the pictures are details – one series shows only torsos. This is the torso of a man on pilgrimage in classic red and white, the colours for homage at the shrine to Kataragama. Beautiful in its simplicity and great style.

Dominic Sansoni, Sri Lanka

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Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Seshu is an Avon, Connecticut based headshot photographer and family portrait photographer. He edits and publishes Tiffinbox and produces Tiffincast for photographers like you!