The Cobweb Empire,

About the event

A photo exhibition in London about Burma's heritage by Dora Myszko. Supported by: Alan Baxter design consultancy and Yangon Heritage Trust.

TOPIC: The tropical city of Rangoon was changed forever when the British arrived in 1824 and began building the infrastructure from which to run their new frontier. A hundred and twenty four years later they left as suddenly as they came, leaving behind a city of unique architecture. From Imperial structures to modest homes, a Burmese blend of Britishness had bloomed then died.
With the passage of time the day to day lives of people permeated every nook and cranny of this forsaken city centre. The informal street-side economy of teahouses and markets, the key cutting stalls, curry houses and lottery booths colonised the buildings as society reverted to its pre British hierarchy of space and time. As nature slowly overran Angkor Wat so the street life of Yangon has reduced the once proud monuments to fragile ghosts. A cobweb empire.
Amongst the relentless crowd and dust I recognise the European styles of home, a Corinthian column, an iron shaft of a Victorian elevator. But instead of a comforting familiarity they are the strange backdrop to a different reality. The contrast is doubly poignant; each ennobles the other and together they merge into a uniquely Burmese phenomenon.
These images document ruins that escaped standard procedures of repairing things in due time. They are a portal to a different world and excite imagination. It’s both natural but mysterious, just like ageing is to a human.

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Dora Myszko

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