Here at Parallax Photo Journal we aim to embrace the complexity of documentary. Across Southeast Asia, photographers, artists, documentarians, writers, critics, curators and organisations are consistently uncovering a wealth of photographic practice, both deeply embedded in their own locale, and in dialogue with others across the region and beyond. Our aim at Parallax Photo Journal is to exist as a node within that network, elevating local perspectives, narratives and voices with a focus on documentary based work from Southeast Asia and surrounds, made by practitioners both from and residing in the region.
Beyond platforming photographic work, we have the opportunity to foster a regional community, sharing ideas, expertise, resources and education. There are many people and organisations already actively engaged in this community, and we aim to work alongside and support those initiatives, embracing and putting into practice the concepts of allyship and mutual aid.
Why “Parallax?”
Parallax is the perceived position of a subject relative to the observer’s point of view. How we see things depends on our background, culture, society and other lived experiences. A parallax error can occur when our experiences are misaligned or misunderstood.
In acknowledging this, Parallax recognises that a more holistic approach involves a dialogue between the viewer and the viewed. We aim to present a diversity of points of view on the Southeast Asian region, while grounding these in our shared reality.
What about you?
If you are here, it is probably because you have an interest in photography, or Southeast Asia, or both. If so, welcome! We have things in common.
If you are a photographer, we encourage you to submit to our ongoing open call.
If your craft is with words, please feel free to get in touch. We have a blog, a newsletter and a podcast-in-the-making, and are always looking for voices and conversation.
If you are of a curious mind, please consider becoming a member and supporting the photographers whose work we publish.
If you are an organisation, we’d love to hear from you and support the work you are doing, and explore opportunities for collaborations.
Our door is always open, so to speak, and someone (Tom, Matt or Charlene) is probably making coffee, or tea, or perhaps preparing a Gin & Tonic…
Tom White has spent the last twenty years working in the fields of art, media and academia. He is a visual communications educator, as well as a photographer in the journalism, editorial, advocacy and commercial spaces. He designed and delivered the Photojournalism & Documentary curriculum for Yale-NUS College in Singapore, and has also taught at the International Center of Photography and Columbia University in New York, in addition to instructing and facilitating various workshops and community-based social programs. Tom’s current research includes a focus on the potential of immersive and interactive documentary methods, and the continued importance of visual and media literacy. He’s been based in Singapore since 2011.
