Field Notes: Journey Across Asia

Gouache Paintings & Photography (2023)

How we frame our experiences shapes the narratives that we tell about the world. Conventional beauty makes for a more digestible highlight reel, however expanding our visual horizons can reveal the truths behind our experiences. Exposure to different cultures, by means of traveling, confronts us with this stark juxtaposition.

Field Notes: Journey Across Asia is a critical lens that showcases the individual as an active participant within global social systems and natural environments. Documenting four months spent solo traveling throughout Asia, this project explores two sides of global interconnection. Part one is a study of the deeply personal cultural experiences that traveling offers, whereas part two examines the intersection of tourism, trade and local livelihoods.

Part One: Mementos

“I’m in a beautiful mountain town in Malaysia. Chatter drifts through the hostel window from the street below. It’s Ramadan. People are celebrating. It’s Friday. I can hear people singing happy birthday. Except it’s in Chinese… I think. The same familiar tune, but in a different language.

I’m thinking about uncertainty, again. The fragility of being human. The joy. the pain. The sorrow. The exhilaration. The group is singing again. Chanting. Shouting. Having a grand old time!”

(Journal Excerpt)

Pocketbook

An illustrated diary of day-to-day experiences documented while backpacking through Asia. These miniature paintings capture the essence of different places, memories and moments. The sketchbook is presented here, in digital format, for you to flip through.

Note: Flipbook feature may not be compatible with some systems. View illustrations here.

Part Two: Connection

The taxi comes to an abrupt stop. Yogyakarta bustles with activity as vendors set up their stalls for the night. A nearby Mosque begins the call to prayer.

“So what do Javanese people think of Bali, about how it’s changed over the years?” I ask my driver. He turns to me, grinning, “Oh we love it,” he replies, “so many beautiful women in bikinis!”

Ha Giang Loop

Photos from a motorbike tour through Vietnam’s Northern mountain range. The four day loop is famous amongst travellers to the region for breathtaking scenery and adventurous driving conditions. Hundreds of visitors embark on the journey each day, bringing a rush of tourism to the region’s impoverished regional areas. Buses loaded with tourists connect small towns to urban regions, delivering produce, live animals and electronics. As you pass through ancient villages and terraformed rice paddies, it is not uncommon to see children running from huts, gleefully calling for a high five while snapping a photo of you with their smart phones.

Burning Fires (Plastic Waste Management)

Ijen Crater Sulphite Mine

Hiking up Ijen volcano in East Java, there are signs along the way showing the eruption evacuation route-run, down. Hoards of tourists come to the crater for sunrise, hoping to see the blue sulphuric flames visible only in darkness. During the day, they snap selfies with the crater’s lake, a natural body of water more toxic than battery acid.

Not advertised in the tour packages: the active sulphur mine at the base of the crater. Local workers arrive at dawn. Wet rags wrapped around their faces do little to filter out the toxic fumes. Their deep, wet coughs echo against the crater’s walls as they rise and descend; occasionally cracking jokes or offering to guide you down. One of the workers pulls backs his shirt, revealing broken bones that have reformed around the basket resting on his shoulder.

On Trip Advisor, the crater has a 4.7 star rating. One review describes the experience, “It's rough and rustic down there . It's cold and you need a gas mask at times. Once in a lifetime thing to do. Just jaw dropping.”

Portraits Courtesy of Max Zimmermann | Instagram: @max.zimmermann
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