When the spirit of Vesak caught his eye
Vesak Poya, one of the most important days in Buddhism, commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of the Buddha. This religious and cultural festival sees devotees engage in Bodhi Poojas, Vesak devotional songs (bakthi gee) and making offerings in homage to the Buddha, alms-givings or ‘dansal’. In the days preceding, Vesak lanterns of various sizes are constructed and displayed in homes and on the streets, and large pandals are erected in public spaces, illuminating most parts of towns and cities.
This fusion of worship, excitement and culture is what instantaneously inspired photographer K.B. Bishara, who is no stranger to documenting and capturing the soul of a city or country, to begin documenting the festival and the festivities that come with it. The endeavour began a few years ago before the pandemic hit when he arrived in Colombo on the eve of Vesak, boarding a packed train to Galle a day later - a journey which was spent being educated on the upcoming celebrations and traditions.
Exploring and documenting the festivities in the Galle Fort, KB wandered into Sri Sudharmalaya Buddhist Temple eager to learn more about the festival and managed to witness and record everything that he displays in his photo essay titled ‘VESAK’ which can be viewed on his website. The photographs exhibited in this collection capture the essence of how people observe Vesak, from preparation to celebration. The photo essay also includes images taken over a series of visits over the next few years.
Talking about the inspiration for his work he says, “in efforts to preserve the authenticity, I never plan a project, every experience is birthed from a blank space, one that is true to the moments, their environments and occupants, hence why I always mirror and credit those who gracefully allow me into their worlds, entrusting me into their daily moments without margins.”
As a humanitarian and visual storyteller he prefers to stay in the shadows, allowing all the focus to fall on his work.
Born in London, KB spent a large part of his life in Doha and his love for the city is encapsulated in his digitally published book ‘Doha’. Currently available on Amazon Kindle the book contains over 100 photographs of the city that was inspired by his years spent there.
Apart from the published book of photography, one of his proudest projects was what he likes to define as a ‘poetry in motion/visual story’ that explored humanity, love, and survival. The thought-provoking ‘III – Identity In Individualism’ is a body of work formed from self-funded humanitarian experiences in collaboration with communities impacted by socio-political and socio-economic issues, with attention towards homelessness, displacement and poverty.
A selection from this project was exhibited in a solo show at Oxford’s Northwall Art Gallery in 2016 and currently, it is used by KB for education and awareness purposes collaborating with charities, social government entities and education institutes. He is also continuously producing documentary photo essays and short films based on his projects in countries such as Vietnam, Sudan, Qatar, Egypt, France, and India, some of which are published on his website with all revenue generated from the projects being dedicated to the communities.
His professional life involves consulting on global projects which focus on crosscultural development, community integrations, and international marketing, operating within sectors from government to sports, arts, and entertainment. Predominantly specialising in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region he has also been involved in projects from the Far East to the Far West.
See www.room8935.com/vesak for all photographs in the photo essay titled ‘VESAK’ as well as the accompanying short film.