series shot in penang, malaysia as part of the 2018 Obscura Festival, mentored by Leonard Pongo
… a systematic study of the relationship between non-linguistic body
motions and communication.
The market is a place of community: where neighbours meet to gather supplies, where stallholders share their lives with each other, where tourists can experience the local culture and cuisine.
Exchanges of glances, money, unspoken signals and food is constant. Communication is currency. Even while the market gets bustling busy, the stallholders handle their product with grace.
Watching the final moments of a duck’s life in their firm grasp is not as brutal as it could be. The way a stallholder manoeuvres a severed cow’s head with one missing finger and another bent at 45˚ tells me that he’s been a butcher for most of his life. A stallholder gives a knowing look to a customer, because they know they really do need that extra bag of bok choy today.
Being at the market emphasises our use of non-verbal communication, shows the value in signs and signals and reaffirms the relationships and dialogue between bodies.
