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| Reaching from other side... (130mm, f/6.3, 1/100s, ISO1250) |
Smoke... the veil between the realms' is a black and white essay that revolves around the use of smoke, incense and kemenyan (gum benjamin) during spirit medium consultations and trances. The smoke here appears to the photographer as the thin veil between the realm of the living and the other side, with objects being passed over smoke to bring out the magical, mystical properties of the spirit world. Hence the smoke represents the gateway that the medium breaches through and back, connecting both worlds.
Incense and smoke is a common denominator in many religious practices. Whether it is agarwood, frankincense, gum benjamin or a concoction of psychoactive herbs, they have been employed as a means of offering, purification or a way to reach the other world
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| Menurun.... (Going into trance) (35mm, f/6.3, 1/50s, ISO1000) |
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| Memotong... Tongue cutting for blood to write talisman. (65mm, f/6.3, 1/50s, ISO1250) |
Besides smoke, various acts and objects are always associated with trances, especially with local deity trances. Issuance of talismans, whether they are paper talismans written with ink or blood, or objects like limes, consultation on personal matters, 4-digit lottery numbers and even traditional healing remedies, all which requires the use of smoke to sanctify or empower it.
