Simon Andrew MacArthur

Photographer
        
East of East, North of North
Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Nationality: British
Biography: Born in Claverham, England—Simon Andrew MacArthur is a documentary photographer whose work is focused on visually interpreting the world through an environmental lens.  In 1984, Simon completed a BA in Documentary Photography from The... MORE
Public Story
East of East, North of North
Copyright Simon Andrew MacArthur 2024
Date of Work May 2018 - Aug 2018
Updated Oct 2018
Topics Belief, Buddhism, Capitalism, Environment, Hunger, Photojournalism, Poverty, Travel
I've seen much of the world but there have been some gaping holes. I fixed one of them this year with a three-month sojourn through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. What began as a simple delve into an area I'd never visited before rapidly became an investigation into how the people of the region manage to get by with little-to-no government support. I realized that the expectation just isn't there for aid of any kind. Self-sufficiency is ingrained at a markedly young age here.
The travel was deliberately bare-bones; I went where the wind blew, when I felt like it, using local transport or rented scooters and stayed at hostels or homestays, the better to insert myself into the peoples lives and to get the true feel of the region. I discovered a sort of liberating lawlessness here; there are few rules, especially regarding personal safety. Much of Asia only makes sense when you're on two wheels so, if you want to pile a family of six onto a scooter to get where you need to go, then that's on you. Crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh City requires an act of faith as no-one obeys the traffic lights. But, as a photographer, I found a level of freedom to insert myself wherever I needed and not be questioned.
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