This presentation was chosen as the Winner of the Nikon Walkley Photographers Slide Night at the Powerhouse in Brisbane on 7th August 2012. It depicts, in still images and a beautiful musical piece, the current plight of the poor in Hong Kong – acknowledged as the Worlds richest city.
Words and Images © Brian Cassey
… announced yesterday … a selection of my work from “Life in a Coffin: Hong Kong” has been chosen as one of the three Finalists in the “2012 United Nations Media Peace Awards” for Photojournalism. The other two finalists in the photojournalism category are Stuart McEvoy from Melbourne and Lee Giriffiths from Western Australia.
The Winners will be announced at a presentation dinner attended by United Nations big wigs and media in Melbourne on October 26th to coincide (almost) with United Nations Day (Oct 24).
Really excellent to be selected in the final three … although Stuart and Lee’s work will both provide tough competition for the prize.
One of my selected images is shown below … whilst the entire “Life in a Coffin: Hong Kong” essay … and the story … can be found on the site of my photojournalism collective ‘fotostrada’ here.
© Image Brian Cassey
The second pic essay from my recent trip to Hong Kong … “Life in a Coffin – Hong Kong” has been posted to the web site of my collective ‘fotostrada’.
The pics – along with 1800 words – portray the situation of the poor of the former British Colony in the lowest cost housing alternatives of ‘coffin’ homes, bed space cage homes, wire cage homes, illegal rooftop shanties and illegal cubicles in old factories and industrial buildings. Although these still cost the residents more per square foot than the most expensive of Hong Kong’s luxury apartments, for the unfortunate they are just a step away from a life on the street.
The story also attempts to provide some historical perspective to the situation as the number of poor in HK exceeds the twenty percent figure (and the number of billionaires – which currently stands at 36 – continues to grow.)
The new essay can be found on ‘fotostrada’ in “Latest Stories” here … and will be posted to my personal site when time permits …
… whilst my older essay on the Hong Kong cage home dwellers – “Cage Dogs” – can be found on my web site here and on ‘fotostrada’ here.
Below I’ve posted a small selection of the many images from “Life in a Coffin – Hong Kong”.
© images Brian Cassey 2012
Following on from the huge success of the universally praised initial edition of photography magazine ‘Take’, publisher Andrew Johnstone has just released ‘Take’ edition 2.
Really pleased and humble to be amongst the 26 photographers from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina and Italy featured in the publication.
Excellent work from all through the 122 pages of images … all wrapped in a great hard cover … and all for just a cent under twenty bucks! Particularly pleased to see works from Jonathan Clifford, Jon Reid and Katrin Koenning also featuring.
My set in ‘Take’ 2 is the pic essay “Soulless in Seoul” which portrays the plight of the homeless in Seoul, South Korea who are being evicted from the Seoul Railway Station. To see it, do yourself a favour and buy a copy of ‘Take’ 2. If 19.99 is beyond your budget my Seoul images can be found here either on my website or on the site of my collective ‘fotostrada’.
To get your copy of ‘Take’ 2 go to the Take Magazine Facebook page here.
Below is an image of the beautiful hard cover of the new ‘Take’ 2 magazine and images of my featured pages.
Images © Take Magazine and Brian Cassey
The Walkley Magazine has published my “Soulless in Seoul” pic essay (retitled “Sleepless in Seoul”) as a double page spread in the centre of this months new edition. A great layout and a great shop window.
The images in the essay show the plight of the hundreds of homeless who are currently being evicted from Seoul Railway Station and precinct by South Korea’s super efficient state rail authority Korail.
Bizarrely, Korail have stated that the homeless pose a ‘terrorist threat’. In the latest twist the newly elected mayor of Seoul has asked Korail to reverse the decision to evict – but Korail have no intention of doing so.
I came across the sorry story during a brief stopover in Seoul whilst returning from exhibiting my work “Cage Dogs of Hong Kong” at the Gwangju Design Biennale in the south of South Korea.
Below I’ve posted an image of the Walkley Magazine spread and one larger image from the essay.
The full “Soulless in Seoul” essay can be viewed on my personal website at https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/images.php?imagefolder=seoul … and on the web site of my collective ‘fotostrada’ at http://www.fotostrada.com/#/brian-cassey/soulless-in-seoul/BCSeoul1s
© images by Brian Cassey
Plenty of response to the publication of Cage Dogs on CNN World – most notably from the UK Daily Mail. The Mail requested the use of ten images … and they ran with the story headlined “Cage Dogs of Hong Kong: The Tragedy of Tens of Thousands Living in 6ft by 2ft Rabbit Hutches – in a City with more Louis Vuitton shops than Paris” – not so sure about the ‘rabbit hutches’ reference!
You can read the Daily Mail article and see the images at … http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084971/Hong-Kongs-cage-homes-Tens-thousands-living-6ft-2ft-rabbit-hutches.html
Clicking on the screen shot below will also take you to the DM article.
Images © Brian Cassey
Very nice to see my pic essay on the Cage Home People of Hong Kong – “Cage Dogs” – featured on the global CNN world web site this week.
CNN World say their aim is to ‘tell powerful, inspiring stories through photography and offer a behind-the-scenes look at emerging and established photographers.’
The images are used well – accompanied by nice text by CNN’s Elizabeth Johnson … and the comments on the story are … well … ‘interesting’ !
If you have a minute or three please take a look at “Cage Dogs” on CNN World at … http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/08/hong-kongs-poor-living-in-cages/
The images can also be found on my personal website at … https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/images.php?imagefolder=cagedogs … and on the web site of my collective ‘fotostrada’ at … http://www.fotostrada.com/#/brian-cassey/cage-dogs—hong-kong/
Just one of the images from the CNN World Cage Home feature is below …
© Brian Cassey
My newest essay “Soulless in Seoul” – on the evictions of homeless in Seoul South Korea (see post below) – is now also available on my personal photojournalism site proper at … https://www.briancasseyphotographer.com/images.php?imagefolder=seoul
Whilst spending two days in Seoul South Korea after exhibiting at the Gwangju Design Biennale 2011, I came across an evolving story that produced a compelling photo essay. Korail – the State owned railway operator – has commenced the forcible eviction of several hundred homeless from the main new Seoul railway station and the original restored 1925 station adjoining. Many of these homeless were victims of various financial crises over the years and, some, long time residents of the station complex.
At present Korail are removing people from the station building from the hours of 1.30am to 4.30am – but the action has only resulted in the homeless bedding down out in the open in the surrounding station precinct and in adjoining underpasses.
Various activists, churches and civic organisations have rallied to support the homeless but Korail has no intention of reversing the decision.
South Korea is one of the most dynamic economies on the planet and hurtling towards a place in the ‘Top Ten’ list … but the States treatment of it’s senior and less fortunate citizens appears less ’21st century’.
I’ve posted the full story and photo essay of 22 images on the ‘fotostrada’ website in “Latest Stories” … and a small selection of just four images below. As soon as time permits the essay will also be posted to my personal web site.
Images © Brian Cassey 2011
Pleased to be selected as the current “Featured Artist” at Tribal Truth – the online community of artists (from the fields of film, video, art, poetry and photography) and humanitarian organisations working on humanitarian issues and social change. Tribal Truth’s object is to “endeavour to increase understanding among people of different race, nationality, religion, age, and gender.”
The work selected is a selection of twenty of my images from Queensland’s indigenous communities. The pictures span the communities of Aurukun, Napranum, Urandangi, Mona Mona, Kowrowa, Mossman, Laura and more.
The complete featured work can be found here – http://tribaltruth.org/2011/07/brian-cassey/
Below is just one of the selected images – from the Mona Mona community – a former mission – near Kuranda and Cairns in north Queensland.
Image © Brian Cassey
