This practice-led research is situated within the setting of Chiang Mai, Thailand, a Northern province that borders Myanmar, where the migrant community, both documented and undocumented makes up at least one forth of the population. The project aims to negotiate for an alternative construction of the visibility and narrative of such a community through engagements in situations made possible by photographic-based practices such as pinhole cameras and liquid emulsion.

The medium of photography since its inception has been involved with the visibility of the movement of people, objects, ideas and identities across space and time. This is especially true when we think of human crossing geographical and cultural borders. Passports and other standardised identification documents are illustrative of how this technique has manifested itself into one very distinct and efficient form in order to intervene in the politics of mobility. In parallel to the recent mass registration of migrant labourers throughout Thailand, my practice takes an expanded concept of photography and image making and utilises them to mediate social relationships within this context of movement and migration. 

Sawit Prasertphan, a lecturer from Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University and PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Cross-Cultural Research Program will present a seminar introducing his research project.