Saturday, August 2, 2008

HELAR Fest 2008: The Sudden Rain

Text and pictures by Eki Qushay Akhwan

There are a number of festivals going on in Bandung in July and August. One of them is the HELAR Fest 2008. This festival is an annual creative art fest held to promote Bandung as an emerging center for the creative art industry in the country and regionally (I'll tell you more about it in tomorrow's post).

Anyway, as I did not have to go to work today, I decided to go to there this afternoon. The event was very impressive and visually entertaining. Then the rain started to fall. (August is the peak of the dry season in Bandung and we don't usually expect rain to fall this time of the year. So, the rain was actually a nice cooling break from the heat of dry season.)

I was a bit discouraged at first, but, observing how people reacted to the sudden rain through my camera's view finder, I began to realize that it was actually very interesting photographically. So I began to take pictures again, and here are some of them:

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Some of them didn't seem to care about getting wet like these teenagers. It was not a heavy rain after all.

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Some seemed to have been prepared with umbrellas (I don't know how they knew it was going to rain).

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Still, some prefered to find a shelter and waited till the rain stopped, like these two stand attendants who had just had their lunch at a tent cafe when the rain began to fall.

9 comments:

melanie said...

Il pleut mais tout le monde a le sourire ! C'est réconfortant. Les petites tentes blanches au toit pointu sont-elles celles des Fées ?

Benjamin Madison said...

Yes, rain always disturbs my photography too - I think it is because I like bright colors and light but it is also because I am always worried about my camera getting wet. I always enjoy your blog posts and have added a link to this blog in my blog list.

Rambling Woods said...

I don't know how you do it Eki, but you take something common place and make it interesting and different. I am a bit tired of the rain here in NY state..well, more than a bit..

Hilda said...

The kids in the first two photos actually look like they're having fun. Wish I could say the same for myself — it's been raining every day this past week, and usually when we're just about to leave work, making commuting such a big hassle!

nobu said...

I wish it will turn to fine.
By the way, Here in Funabashi, It is so hot, I want some rain here.

Z said...

So, how did these few people know it was going to rain? Do people use umbrellas for sunshade as well? That would make sense, I think, wouldn't it? And then you'd have protection against rain too!!

MJ said...

Another beautiful depiction of local life.

I don't mind the rain, the cools everything down.

Anonymous said...

love your photos in the street, even when It rains life goes on!!

pyo said...

Rain? Never stops Bandung's "distro" lovers to be creative (both in creating and shopping :p).

"distro"... is it a name of place? or art? or style? I give up! all I know, it is used to mention a small shop where several clothes are sold. Each shop has their own unique style, especially in how the pictures are drawn on the clothes.

I can say that Bandung is the original town that introduced this new style of clothing. I bet I'm right!!! It is different with those clothings exist in Central Java or even Bali... ;p