Cremation in Bali
Family members and village elders burn incense and look on as the
body is loaded onto the bade (cremation tower). Final preparations
are made before the procession gets underway: A young boy, like a
jockey mounting his steed climbs atop the bade; and the gamelan
orchestra, which has been playing for much of the morning,
becomes mobile.
Far from the sombre tone associated with funeral processions
in ‘Western’ cultures, the low-key, contemplative mood that
prevailed in the morning soon gives way to a raucous, festive
atmosphere. In order to ensure that the deceased’s spirit does not
dwell in the Earthly realm, certain precautions must be undertaken
in order to confuse the spirit as to its current whereabouts before it
can move on. The almost hypnotic sound of the gamelan takes on a
frenetic quality in concert with the chaos that breaks out on a given
signal: The bade is tipped from side-to-side and spun around in
circles, while the ‘jockey’ hangs on for grim-life, all to the sound of
uproarious cheering and laughter. These scenes are repeated
several times along the way, before a last minute dash as the
cremation ground approaches.
A bountiful array of offerings, liberal quantities of holy water, along
with prayers from priests and the congregation help prepare the
way for the deceased’s spirit. The idea of cremation is to return the
body to Panca Maha Bhuta (the five elements) consisting of;
pertivvi (earth), apah (water), teja (fire), bayu (air), and akasa
(ether).
The shade of a tree provides refuge from the midday sun, while the
flames from the funeral pyre add to the oppressive heat. One ‘door’
closes as another opens: The spirit ascends to another realm.
R.I.P. Ketut Bagianing 1933-2011
Originally from England, Paul Thompson’s interest in photography was ignited whilst living in Bali, Indonesia where he immersed himself in the local culture - the tradition, dance and landscape are a photographer’s dream. In 2015 he started to enter competitions, to date his work has now been shown in 43 salons in 29 different countries. Paul was a finalist in the Fremantle International Portrait Prize (FIPP) and has received a number of international awards from the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), the International Photography Awards (IPA), the Prix de la Photographie Paris (PX3), the Monochrome Awards, the International Photographer of the Year Awards (IPOTY) and a number of others. Now living in Perth with his young family, Paul whilst having an inherent affinity for the genres of photojournalism and street photography now wants to take the next step from ‘taking’ photos to ‘making’ photographs in the area of portraiture and fine art.
Awards 2014 Monochrome Photography Awards - Honorable Mention
2014 Px3 - Honorable Mention - Press: Travel/Tourism
2015 Px3 - Honorable Mention - Press: People/Personality
2015 Monochrome Photography Awards - Honorable Mention
2015 IPA - Honorable Mentions x2
2015 FIPP Fremantle International Portrait Prize finalist
2015 Taipei International Salon of Photography - Bronze Medal
2015 IPOTY 2nd Prize Winner - Fine Art: Nudes
2015 IPOTY Honorable Mentions x10
2016 IPA - Family of Man: Birth 3rd Prize Winner
