My Vietnam Portfolio

Jun 11, 2017
4 min read

Xin chào! Hello in Vietnamese, one of the very few words I retained from a May term session in 2016. Surprising to most of my family and few friends Vietnam is no longer a war zone or entirely dangerous. It's a country of thirst quenching landscapes and hardworking individuals. I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to have visited the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This blog is about my adventures abroad and the inspiration behind my Vietnamese portfolio.

Sometimes when I listen to the rain I can visualize myself sleeping on a flat bed back at the homestay in Mekong Delta. I feared a frog or a lizard would sneak under the mosquito net as I slept, to which I woke myself up several times in the night to make sure the coast was clear. I think about that day and how we all went biking around the village. I can feel the chilled pleasure of my soaking wet clothes as the breeze whipped by and I can remember the smile on my face. Pure Bliss.

My only regret that day was my sluggish energy to eat a slug. By the time I built up the courage to try one out they were all gone. Fortunately, during my stay, I was able to try foods I've never had before such as frog legs, pigeon and fried alligator. All different words for "tastes like chicken". Unfortunately, I was sick for a few days and begged for pizza more than I should have.

During this trip I reflected on myself more so than I ever had. I began a travel journal, which I highly recommend! When I travel, I feel the sensation of understanding by learning through my senses. The sounds of the busy streets. The smog that fills my lungs and the sight of wires clunked together and twisted through the city as if a cat had playfully untwined a yarn ball in chaos.

I was enrolled in a Photo III class but I found it hard to predict what I wanted to focus on. Along with my bags and stuffed animal dondon aka Mr. Donald duck, I lugged around medium and large format cameras. For those who don't know, IT IS NOT LIGHT AND IT WAS HOT.

I took notice of the bloodcurdling red that was draped around each city. At first it was a frightening color for my eyes to adjust to; however, after 18 days of traveling from North Vietnam to South, I found a sense of beauty in the repetitive hue. I had printed five different photos of two Asian sculptures found at a Buddhist temple. I was printing in black and white but I really wanted to add the red color and wasn't sure how. Ultimately, I ended up placing each image into its own tray and used five different painting mediums in hopes it would turn the paper red. My mind automatically finds problem solving through painting. For some the image was wiped away. Others were tinted red. For these five pieces, I focused more on the creative process than I have previously while developing photographs. My favorite of the four is a gerrymandered red shaped design laying over top the Asian sculpture.

I was also inspired by the common image of the dragon, which in Christian art is viewed as an evil force. The symbol can vary in meaning throughout Asia. The dragon is a symbol of vitality, associated with the sun, water, weather, royalty, and the power of heaven. For me I found the dragon to be powerful and yet ferocious. It is the guardian of their values, history and protector of their future. I learned how the five clawed dragon is a symbol for the king and the king only. In many legions the mystical creature can be seen as a patron especially for Ha Long Bay, one of the world's wonders and is named from the descending dragon.

At the time I was printing images and weaving them together with wire. I had taken parts of photos captured throughout my trip and intertwined them with one another. While doing so I created a dragon that framed the photo sculpture. I made my five clawed dragon heavily textured and covered it in shades of gold. The eyes and teeth were inspired by lacquer painting. Instead of eggshells they are made of broken sea shells found on a beach in Ha Long Bay. The gold was for the wealth I would see at temples or their many shrines along the way. I had also made two lanterns that hung in front of the dragon for a layered decorative effect.

Overall my pieces from Vietnam are insane. It took 10-12 hours a day for a week to complete. Currently my dragon was displayed in the president's house of Lycoming College for a full school year.

There's a million more topics and experiences I could have written about but I have to end this at some point. I made it home from Vietnam in one piece and wallet-less. I saw things I never thought I would see and I smelled things I wish I never had. My three week journey through Vietnam was one that was rewarding because of my challenges and educational through my experiences. I learned there is no more developed or less developed culture, there are only different values and diverse purposes. Taking shots of liquor soaked in a jar of 20 dead snakes is not out of the ordinary, it serves a purpose of longevity. Skinning animals alive isn't an act of murder, it's a sign of longevity. Actually everything is longevity. EXCEPT: when a toad leaps toward your face it is not longevity and it takes about five years off a life span. In conclusion, this trip and the many others I had with Lycoming College, I gained a value of a purposeful life. One that seeks new lessons and understandings. I had no idea if I was going to sink or swim during those four years but I ended up drinking pina coladas and skinny dipping with my best friend in Hoi An which in translation means "you safe".

Stay tuned for next months blog! I'm taking a break from all the travel and writing about Project President, a collection of multi-layered paintings which will be featured in two solo shows this year!