Ramadan in Dhaka

The curtains are up so that no one can tell what is going on at the tea stand during this month of fasting.





The proprietor of this tea cart just down the road approaches Ramadan a bit differently.

Srimongal Flora and Fauna

What can I say? This was absolutely exquisite in real life. The photo does no justice.





I took a walk with Pruitt and Annika to find the sunset. We never saw the sun, but the sunless evening sky was nice enough. The "fog" was actually smoke from fires burning on the hillside.







These leaves were mammoth and so very nice and crunchy.







This tree with its strange seedpods was odd and somehow strangely poetic. "I think that I shall never see . . ."









Look what Dave found. The underside of this baby is where the beauty lies. The top is just plain jane black.

Pirates Three

Jensen: "Arrgh! How far do you think this baby could take us Matey's?"



Pruitt: "If I turn the wheel and get this baby spinning fast enough maybe it would take off like a helicopter."



Riley: "How fast does this baby go, Mateys?"

Hemp Twine

I found the process of making hemp twine amazing. The hemp is first purchased in it's raw form from a wholesale market close to the fields where it is grown. Then the fibre is cleaned and fluffed by dragging it rhythmically through a series of spikes (shown above). Then one woman starts the contraption spinning and two women spin the thread all the way across the courtyard, around a tree and back again. When they need to take a break to cook their lunch or what not, they do, and then come back to work when they can, because after all, it is in their back yard. These ladies are working for Jobarpur Enterprises, a former project of MCC's. After the twine is made, this current batch is knitted up into shower gloves sold by the Body Shop, UK. Go Body Shop!

Paper Parade

As an artist, I get excited about handmade paper paper. Visiting a handmade paper project only served to increase it's appeal to me. The process itself is beautiful. Above are a stack of screens used to make paper and below is an array of paper drying in the sun.

Traveling Colors

A Jhal Muri Wallah hawking his wares on the ferry. This is one of my favorite street vendor snacks. Unfortunately, Jensen and I had too much and are still making frequent trips to the bathroom four days later. Definitely worth it though. The snack consists of puffed rice, tomatoes, chillis, onions, mustard oil, and chanachur.





It is really difficult to describe traffic here in Bangladesh other than to say it is very un-North American and very well orchestrated.




On the ferry I had to capture this amazing rope shot. Okay, I like ropes...analyze that!







The trucks are crammed onto the ferry like sardines. The black and white sign is the license plate. As usual, the colors are primary and "in your face" in a pleasant, folksy kind of way.

Under the Big Top

I didn't take my camera to the actual show but here is a view of the tent from the river. I took the boys to the field to play soccer and frisbee but both fields were full. So, I decided to take a walk along the river and we ended up at the circus. I was going to just go check out what the times were, but it was just about to start, so we went on in. There was some singing and dancing which was quite boring for the boys, but eventually they were able to see some amazing stunts, some clown slapstick humor and a goat walking on a tight-rope (my personal favorite). I guess for me the best part actually was the tent itself. I guess I can share that much with you.

Pot Heaven!

Here is an amazing display of greenware. This is the first layer of the kiln load. The pots will be stacked higher and higher and then they will support the kiln that they are to be fired in. Absolutely amazing...not to mention beautiful!




Here are some real beauties in their natural habitat!





Contrasting bone-drying greenware with the finished pots.





More finished pots...




A broken pot hanging on the outside of a kiln. Photo is a bit washed out. This kiln was still hot from the last firing and as we walked up unto the kiln mound we started sweating. Okay, okay...we were sweating anyways.

Introductions

Hello, my name is Austin D. Miller. I recently moved (back) to Bangladesh as a designer for MCC Bangladesh's Job Creation program. I am an artist who has worked primarily in clay. The last four years of my life have been a time of much growth for me, both as an artist and as a person. While, I was aware of small changes in my life I hadn't realize how much my whole perspective had changed until I returned to Bangladesh after a four year hiatus. This blog is an attempt to explore and bring to light some of the "color" of Bangladesh from my perspective as an artist. I have a strong hunch that this is not just a new way of looking at Bangladesh, but that it is a new way of looking. The other day I decided to take a long walk and acquaint myself a bit with the town of Mymensingh. The walk took me past three or four cricket games to the river. I walked along the river, had a fire and brimstone snack of jhal muri and eventually sat down at the top of some steps leading down to the river. This boat (pictured above) was floating lazily at the river's edge awaiting some passengers. I wanted to capture the blue boat, but the nowka wallah was a bit too fast for me. I really can't wait to take my family down to the river and go on a boat ride. Perhaps on the weekend. Friends new and old...welcome to Color Marinade.