As I walked around Kathmandu, I kept encountering these lovely ladies who looked vaguely familiar. They had that funny hair like European women from the 1960s. Well, sure enough, a local friend told me they WERE European ladies from the 1960s! They have aged quite gracefully (unlike me). Local clothing vendors bought second-hand European mannequins and still use them to show their wares. Why change a good thing?
In the photograph above, notice the gent in the background digging out some debris from his proboscis. The fabrics that the Nepalis create are terrific.
This one was a bit worse for wear, possibly not one to encounter in a dark alley.
Cloth and fabrics are sold in clustered areas, like many consumer goods in Kathmandu (the vegetable area, the cloth area, the metalwork area, the electronics area, etc). These vendors and mannequins were near the Asan Chowk market, a short walk from the Thamel tourist area.
The street vendors set up at an open spot and pack up at night. It is a lot of work, but everyone seems to work hard in Nepal.
Some of the fabrics are a bit strange. I'm not sure of the symbolism of these examples.
Photographs hand-held, taken with Fuji, Olympus, and Panasonic digital cameras.
3 comments:
I love the pictures--the contrast between the mannequins and the fabrics are striking. I was going for a more delicate approach with the man in the window, though; I think he was holding his nose at some stench in the area. :) This reminds me of the African markets I have seen--they pack everything into giant bags at night, haul it all back home on a crowded taxi ride that can take hours, and then do it all over again the next morning.
Great post and great title--I kind of expected a different, possibly illicit subject! Thanks for showing us this whole different part of the world.
You are just showing a small part of Kathmandu.. Only people with extremely low income shop in these areas. Medium and high level people shop in big malls which can be found in many parts of the city.
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