TEXT & PHOTO: ADAM BIRKAN
(For Thai, press here)
‘Sukhumvit- The Third Road’ explores the hypothesis that Sukhumvit road is a microcosm of Bangkok, and perhaps society as a whole. Although the road spans from Bangkok to the border of Cambodia (As Highway 3), the section explored in this book focuses mainly on the 14km portion of the road situated within the legal boundaries of Bangkok, from its point of origin at Ploenchit BTS Station, in the heart of the city, to The Chang Erawan BTS Station in the south of the city, just a short distance past the cities legal boundary. The series of images within offer no answers; they simply reveal the breadth of life contained along one road in one city. What the viewer sees and understands is as much a reflection of themselves as it is a reflection of reality. The road, like all roads, is a physical embodiment of the human experience, where struggle and prosperity, industry and history, time and culture coalesce to create a living tapestry. All the while, the unstoppable forces of new generations and the immovable objects of old generations grind away at each other until the end of our time.
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Adam Birkan is a freelance photographer and visual storyteller. He has been named one of Magnum’s 30 Under 30 and PDN 30. He has a Bachelors of Science in Visual Communication from Ohio University and is currently based in Bangkok, focusing on long term, and short term projects. His personal work often takes a macro view of social and economic issues. His focus is on literal and metaphorical juxtaposition and finding subtle moments that, collected together, reveal a broad depiction of accelerated industries and economic disparity.