Since 2007 I have been documenting the plight of the Asian elephant in Thailand. Once a symbol of honour, dignity and the engine of rural development, many of these once proud creatures have been left on the fringes of Thailand’s modern economy and have come to represent the failures and inequity of the country’s economic development.
The elephant represented as the majestic centerpiece in Thailand’s collective unconscious, both past and present, is in undeniable contrast with the current tragic reality of the Thai elephant. The notion of the elephant as symbolic of strength and pride in Thailand is extinct everywhere except in Thai’s minds. My work concentrates on how this is group denial is manifested and the repercussions of failing to come to terms with the reality.
It was the sight of these beautiful creatures vying aimlessly for space in the congested streets of Bangkok that compelled me to explore this subject further. Why are they begging on the streets with their handlers? Why are they not in the wild? What drives these people to bring elephants into the capital’s downtown core? How can the people of Bangkok turn a blind eye to this illegal activity? And how do Thai people reconcile the uncomfortable sight of a wandering street elephant in its derelict state with the honorable and majestic image of the elephant as it is represented in all other facets of Thai culture?
My work in this area is mainly informed by the experience of the Gouey mahouts of Isaan who have been keeping elephants as pets for centuries and proudly hold the title of being the first to capture wild elephants in the region. The plight of the Thai elephants and their caregivers is a narrative that is played out in different forms in many developing countries across the world. It is the story of struggle: the struggle to preserve traditional cultural identities in a rapidly changing economic landscape and the struggle between tradition and modernity. It is about the choices individuals make in order to preserve a dying way of life and the lengths people will go to safeguard this fading way of life, even when it begins to harm the very things they hold most valuable.
Brent is an award-winning documentary and fine art photographer that splits his time between Toronto and Bangkok. His work mainly focuses on the plight of the Asian elephant in Thailand and issues about how societies manage their waste.
Lewin’s photos have been awarded from Pictures of the Year International, Photo District News, the International Photo Awards and Prix de la Photographie Paris. His work has also been featured in publications such as National Geographic, New York Times, Applied Arts, and American Photo
