BETWEEN ACTS — Pretika Menon

BETWEEN ACTS

2024 - ONGOING

It starts and ends with the Nge family, who saw me every day as I began my adventures. Almost every house in the suburb had a general shop or a restaurant built into the patio. I stopped every few meters to meet and greet the business owners, and revisit at different times of day.

Old Mrs Nge was a proud grandma. She and her grand-son were locked onto their phone screens, ignoring the bustle around them. The family would congregate every evening, all fifteen of them, if all sons were in town.

In a parlor, four masseurs lay on massage beds after a heavy meal. Nimol liked to be photographed, and showed her face from behind a curtain.

At a food stall by the river I meet Pum Pum, and went on a late night picnic to meet her colleagues.

Soriya was my host at a local Karaoke bar, where we took turns singing songs neither of us could understand.

Cambodia in present day is an atmosphere of globalization, celebration and pride. The past and present overlap quite readily with a the vibrant population and an assortment of tourist driven businesses. Day ends for local Cambodians in shared meals, stories and drinks. Between Acts records public and private moments of working class people, spirited moments between work and rest.

ROAMING.