Received this wonderful star through the post this morning.
Broadcasting on the Community Channel Monday 8th September 10pm
A couple of my short films are to be broadcasted on the Community Channel on Monday 8th September 2014 at 10pm.
See the listings here:
http://www.communitychannel.org/schedule/20140908/
"Collecting two short films that delve into India's festival culture, we travel to the Kumbh Mela, 'the largest human gathering ever', before we visit the kite festival in Gujarat."
The Community Channel is on the following channels: Freeview 63 • Freeview HD 109 • Sky 539 • Virgin Media 233 • Freesat 651 • BBC iPlayer • TVPlayer • BT TV
I hope you get a chance to tune in!
The Crocodile's Picnic
In the depths of Botswana, Africa, a crocodile finds some free food. But will he be able to get a meal?
A short (01:47mins) comedy filmed in Botswana 2012. Enjoy!! :-)
My Story on the Captured Earth Project
Featured on the Captured Earth's photography project, capturing humanity around the world. Click through the picture to see visit the site.
A Special Lecture on Aeronautics (somewhere in the Zambian countryside)
**New short film online!**
In 2012 during another year's travelling I found myself in a small Zambian village with no electricity or running water. We were greeted with song and dance and countless smiling faces.
What could I do to give something back?
Ski Touring in the Indian Himalayas
During my six month travels through India I saw and experienced many things. I was heading into the Himalayas to partake in a 10 day silent meditation course but as soon as I saw the mountains I yearned to be on them. Check out my little stint on a pair of skis in my newest short video:
Two stories about the meditation that happened soon after:
After the Vipassana and The Darkness of the Mind. Find them in the stories section.
Swimming with seals
What a fantastic couple of weeks of weather we've had. It reminds me of the time I was a child and the summer's were (a little more) predictable. We used to have weeks and almost months of pleasant temperatures and when the conditions are just right there is no where else I'd rather be than in the English countryside.
We came to Cornwall on the summer's solstice to swim with Basking Sharks. Unfortunately we didn't see any but took the next best thing, SEALS!
They are inquisitive and cute, nipping at our fins as they glide past us. The young ones stare at us with big brown eyes, twitching their whiskers before sticking their heads out of the water to check us out more thoroughly.
On our way back we came across a pod of Reese's dolphins, jumping and slapping their tail right in front of our boat. One dolphin was played around with a giant jellyfish pushing him out of the water and back down again. But no photos of these (camera malfunction).
What's on your doorstep? (Adventures on a summer's solstice)
Someone's 'exotic' is your doorstep. Sometimes in the search for the wonders of the world we forget to look at the world around us. This summer's solstice I spent in Cornwall. With temperatures upto 25C and a 9.30pm sunset there is no place in the world I'd rather be. Check out what we got upto:
Authenticity in Travel
It’s authenticity that we have always been in search of: The search for ‘cool’, the declaration of ‘pretentiousness’ and the smirking at hipsters are all about our definition and acceptance of authenticity.
In the fast moving pace of urban western society this is a subjective minefield and the very search for authenticity, by definition, becomes the very opposite. But authenticity isn’t a modern trait and neither is it confined to the realms of western society. When we travel, I have noticed, we are continually searching for the ‘real’ country, authenticity it seems, consumes us even abroad. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what it means to be a real (authentic?) traveller. Is it in search for people, societies or cultures that have yet to be assimilated into the fold of the mono-cultural, homogeneous society that we are converging into? A lot of people I met would agree with this, they would argue that that is to experience the ‘real’ country; an ‘authentic experience’. To be honest with myself, this was something that attracted me to travel too. The farther away these societies are from our own, the greater these differences, means the greater our awe, the more we’re entertained and quite possibly, more we learn. But is the search for this authentic? I might’ve been in agreement with this question in the past, but now I would disagree. To be a real traveller is to see what is there, without any preconceived notions or ideas of what to find. As soon as we are in search for something we are no longer open to other experiences, to other ideas, we have already narrowed our mind and by that we are no longer seeing the ‘real’ country, blind to the reality that is before our eyes – whatever it may be. That is how I define the difference between travelling and tourism, it’s a mindset, and is brilliantly phrased by G. K. Chesterton with his quote ‘The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.’
This is not to put down tourism or to revere travel. Sometimes when on a trip I grow tired of ‘travelling’ and I become a tourist for a few days/weeks, deciding what I’m seeing beforehand. In doing so I might learn more intellectually, satisfy a curiosity and quite frankly have a far more enjoyable time, but none of these lessons cuts as deep as that of an experiential learning that comes from experiencing the world from a traveller’s perspective. During my trips I am both a traveller and a tourist, the former being the real work which is often tiring and the latter being, in a way, a type of rest and relaxation.
Authenticity in travel is not thus defining oneself as a traveller as opposed to a tourist, but is, in fact, just the same as authenticity in every aspect of life – It is to be true to oneself.
New Showreel for 2014
Just finished my new showreel for 2014. Check it out:
EC Bristol Drinks with Vijay and the Kumbh Mela: 1st May
Great to talk at Explorers Connect yesterday in Bristol and in Southampton last week.
See the full video of the Kumbh Mela below (excerpt shown yesterday):
Film and Photography in Polar Environments for UK POLAR NETWORK in Southampton.
Upcoming Talks...
Two talks coming up this month:
'Film and Photography in the Field' for the UK Polar Network at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, 23rd April 2014. PhD Students only.
'The Kumbh Mela - The Largest Human Gathering (Ever)' for Explorers Connect, Bristol, 1st May 2014. Open to all. Details here: http://www.explorersconnect.com/diary/bristol/expeditions/-/ec-bristol-drinks-with-vjay-and-the-kumbh-mela-1st-may-15967/
The Fish River Canyon
In late 2012 as part of our travels through Southern Africa we sneaked onto the 90km Fish River Canyon hike in Namibia.
The hike took us through some of the most spectacular scenery in Africa. Check out the film below. It runs at 9mins 35secs.
The Kite Cutter
The kite festival in Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India is one of the most eagerly anticipated festivals of the year. Millions of kites are flown over the two day festival. This video follows Deepak Banjara, a local kite enthusiast as he celebrates this festival in 2013.
Film:
Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India. Filmed by Vijay Shah
THE KUMBH MELA: French, Spanish and Italian subtitles added
Exciting news! The Kumbh Mela documentary now has subtitles in English, French, Spanish and Italian. Click on the CC button and choose which language you want.
Bonne nouvelles!! Kumbh Mela documentaire a maintenant sous-titres français. Cliquez sur le bouton cc et choisissez française.
Buenas noticias. Kumbh Mela documental cuenta ahora con subtítulos en español. Haga clic en el botón cc y seleccione español.
Buone notizie. Kumbh Mela documentario ha ora sottotitoli in italiano. Fare clic sul pulsante cc e scegli italiano.
BAFFIN ISLAND CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT 2010
It's been an incredible winter here in the UK. It's the wettest winter on record bringing flooding to many parts of southern England. It has also been surprisingly mild (average of 5.2C), making it one of the warmest winters on record. This is in stark contrast with Northern America which has been locked in a polar vortex bringing temperatures down to -40C for extended periods of time. These unprecedented conditions have been linked to climate change.
This reminds me of a video project I conducted a few years ago on our summer expedition to Baffin Island 2010. For us, climate change has always been a 'hot' topic and I took the opportunity on this expedition to ask the members, in the midst of one of the most beautiful places in the world and undoubtedly one of the places most at risk from changes in the climate, about this topic. I asked them 'Why should we care if the climate changes?' And in part two I asked them to discuss 'What needs to happen in order for us as a society to live more sustainably?'
See what the members answered in this video below, now edited for 2014:
In August 2010, a team of students, graduates and outdoor instructors spent one month on Baffin Island, trekking over 300km over tundra, morraine and glaciers.
During the expedition I asked them: Why should we care if the climate changes?
The Act of Killing
I don't normally write about other media on here but sometimes something strikes me so deeply that I have to share it. I saw 'The Act of Killing' by Joshua Oppenheimer last year, a 3.5 hour directors cut, with an interview with Joshua beforehand. He described filming the movie as if "I'd wandered into Germany 40 years after the holocaust, only to find the Nazis still in power."
I have to say I smirked at this description, but for the next 3.5 hours my jaw dropped and my heart contorted into every shape imaginable. He had described it perfectly. This is a story of a revolution and of a genocide. This is a story of the victors relishing in their might and of the rest of the population afraid of their own shadows. This is the story of Indonesia today!
Some might say that they do not wish to hear such sad and horrible stories but this is not some fictional tale. This is history. This is what has happened during many of our lifetimes. We do not have the right to look away. It's our duty to at least know this story and Joshua Oppenheimer describes it ingeniously in this film. This is essential viewing.
Read about the film in Joshua's own words in The Guardian:
“I’d wandered into Germany 40 years after the holocaust, only to find the Nazis still in power.”
THE KUMBH MELA 2013 - The Largest Human Festival Ever
In 2013 as I was travelling through India I was invited by a respected holy man to attend the largest human festival that has every occurred.
I spent eight days and nights at the festival which was attended by 100 million people. The experience was one of the most incredible I have ever witnessed.
Horizontal Limits
The world is once again in peril, there is just some extreme mountaineering between paradise and certain Armageddon. Will Good prevail over Evil?
During our Baffin Island 2010 expedition we found some time to create a parody of a film we love to hate, 'Vertical Limits'.
With a very basic script and planning this film was made possible only with the amazing improvisational acting by the actors. The time limits were such that even the bags that they are wearing are about 30kg each... our full expedition weight. The whole sequence was made in less than an hour and then we continued on our way getting in the requisite 15-20km in that we had to walk that day.
The Big Screen
Showed the first screening of my Kumbh Mela video this evening in Bristol. After a couple more cuts it'll be up here.
