ACCIDENTAL IRONIES III: STOREFRONTS & SIGNAGES

The Accidental Ironies series looks to trash heaps, gutters, storefronts, signages, and, of course, the royal court of accumulated junk--the fleamarket--for quaint, disturbing, enlightening or poignant situations.

The use of the English language in multilingual contexts is often a take-you-out-of-body experience: you look, turn, pause, and look again--did they really mean to write that? Did no one tell them their beauty parlour invitation has scatology written all over it? But let us leave to Romans what is Nury Vittachi's job (king of the Canton-Freudian slip). Here, it's just the sound of the words in context that I hope makes you do a double-take. (c) 2006-2007

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Vienna keeps pace with modern taste

"Exotic schmuck, maybe", and in transliteration I spot a foreign jewel

No! Strollers please!! Unattended children will be sold as slaves in New Hope, Pennsylvania

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Cecil Street hair rockers, Little India, Singapore

Pig's Organ Soup hawker stall, Singapore

Simulacra and simulacrum, KL, Malaysia

An invitation? KL light rail signage, Malaysia

6...C...andles, Malacca beachside, Malaysia

ACCIDENTAL IRONIES II: BERLIN TREPTOWER

The Accidental Ironies series looks to trash heaps, gutters, storefronts, signages, and, of course, the royal court of accumulated junk--the fleamarket--for quaint, disturbing, enlightening or poignant situations.

In the spirit of MONGO hunting--the retrieval of discarded objects--Berlin's famous Mauerpark fleamarket yields no exciting l'objets d'arts fotographique (although there is some vintage clothing at a steal). Success was rather to be found at the much less hyped but nothing short of awe-inspiring treasure trove at the indoor Turkish fleamarket on the Kreuzberg edge of Treptower. Again, no scenes have been staged by the photographer. (c) 2007

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BEDROOM

BABY GOT BACK (with detail)

THE AMAZING CLOCKHUT (with detail)

A CONTENT CONTEMPORARY COUPLE

ACCIDENTAL IRONIES I: NASCHMARKT

The Accidental Ironies series looks to trash heaps, gutters, storefronts, signages, and, of course, the royal court of accumulated junk--the fleamarket--for quaint, disturbing, enlightening or poignant situations.

In the spirit of MONGO hunting--the retrieval of discarded objects--we begin with the wet stage of the Vienna "night" market's Saturday fleamarket (at Kettenbruckergasse), with all product stagings done by the highly irritable flohmarkt vendors.

"BEAR"

"DEER HUNTING"

"SMOKER BUNNY"

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD

EVERYTHING IS FOR SALE

"THE SCAVENGERS"

"FAMILY VALUE PACKS"