Arts

Tom Carter
CHINA: Portrait of a People Text
Ferina Natasya Abdul Aziz
637 pages l Blacksmith Books and Haven Books / Hong Kong

In his first photo book, Tom Carter tries to
dispel the stereotype that all Chinese are
short, yellow-skinned and have slitty eyes
when they smile. CHINA: Portrait of a Peo-
ple is the result of his dissatisfaction that the
world sees only a small part of the world’s
most populous country.
The 35-year-old photojournalist from
San Francisco spent two years photograph-
ing over ten thousand portraits of people
across 33 provinces in the People’s Republic
of China. The result is a candid account of
the 56 ethnic groups in China, as reflected
in his street shots that capture humanity in
all of its glory—and its failings.
In these 900 images, Carter shows just
diverse the Chinese really are, with their
different facial features, skin hues, lifestyles,
cultures and occupations. What ensues is
an engaging and enlightening photo essay
of 1.3 billion people.
For more information, please visit www.
blacksmithbooks.com or www.havenbookson-
line.com.

Directed by Ron Fricke

Baraka (Blu-ray) Text
Ferina Natasya Abdul Aziz
96 minutes l Magidson Films

This is a movie with no script, no actors,
and no discernible plot. Strange as it may
seem, director Ron Fricke has produced a
work of art that requires no words to be un-
derstood. This groundbreaking 1992 film
has just been released in a high-definition
Blu-ray format for home viewers.
The word “Baraka” means “blessing” in
many languages. A showcase of the master-
ful use of time-lapse photography, the film
was shot on a large 70-mm film format over
14 months in 24 countries across six conti-
nents. What ensues is a profound visual epic
that sums up the best and worst of life on
this planet.
From the busiest streets to the most re-
mote corners of the globe, the cinematog-
raphy captured scenes such as the intrigu-
ing ‘monkey chant’ ceremonies in Bali, the
whirling dervishes of Turkey, piles of skulls
in a Cambodian museum, Jewish devotees
deep in worship, and villagers bathing in
the Ganges river. The film also appears to
question the purpose of our so-called “ad-
vanced” societies: the mad bustle of urban
life in Tokyo, workers slaving on a mass pro-
duction line, and the overcrowded slums of
Rio de Janeiro.
This acclaimed film may get a little dif- footage in the Blu-ray DVD, where the di-
ficult to understand at times, especially if rector explains the intent of his work. This
you’re dying to know where is the scene is one movie where you just have to experi-
presented, or the context behind what the ence it to believe it.
people are doing. Thankfully, viewers can Baraka is now available in Blu-ray from
check out some behind-the-scenes bonus Amazon.com.

Kitaro
Best of Silk Road Text
Jeffrey Kong
Domo Records

Let Kitaro takes you to a faraway land with
his enigmatic blend of Asian instruments
and Western arrangements. This compila-
tion features several tracks from his 1980
Silk Road soundtrack, which was recorded
for a Japanese documentary series on the
ancient route.
The most distinctive track is, of course,
the haunting ‘Theme from Silk Road’, but
also notable is his collaboration with Chi-
nese musician Yu-Xiao Guang on ‘Fly-
ing Celestial Nymphs’ and ‘Caravansary’.
This album also features the track ‘Pray at
Xi’an/Mercury’, which was recorded live in
Xi’an, China during Kitaro’s Silk Road tour
in 2002.
This is a great album to own if you’re
not already acquainted with this Grammy
award-winning musician. So pop this CD
into your player, turn to our Silk Road fea-
ture on page 44, and be transported to a
land of endless deserts, dusty caravans and
oasis towns with the poetic orchestrations
by this New Age master.