Kvosgol
In each and every ger, touches of the modern world are seeping through the rafters. One evening I would be watching a loud incomprehensible Russian card game lit by a single lightbulb. The next day lunchtime, I would be thanking a chain smoking old lady for tea, eyeing curiously the electronic boxes that powered her small flat screen monitor. Later that evening, I would be sitting warming my feet in the ger of a family of 3 in complete darkness, following the glowing blue screen of a mobile phone as the mother pushes in-between the wooden roof structure and the fabric top.
This gradual infiltration of modern conveniences in the countryside, as opposed to the bulldozing over with technology in many developing countries such as China, gives Mongolia a poetic charm. Whether this current lifestyle is as poetic to live as a daily reality is questionable. However, in the long run, perhaps this gradual change will allow for a more culturally rich modern society to emerge. Only time will tell.
Ulaanbaatar
When is a dress more than just a dress?
When it takes a day browsing Moron’s black market to select 2 beautiful and complementary fabrics. When you travel with this fabric to the next city in search of a tailor to transform it into a traditional del with a modern twist. When you spend an evening at the tailors flicking through photographs, mixing and matching elements, discussing without a common spoken language in what direction you would like the design to go. When you return a week later for 2 afternoons of fittings, finishing, and last minute adjustments.
As modern wardrobes overflow with ready-made clothing, has it become too easy to own clothes? Cheap easily accesible clothing is what drives the underpaid child labour industry. Maybe we need to start investing more effort and thought into clothing purchases. It may be time for more dresses to be more than just a dress.
Moron
As entertainment becomes louder, brighter and more 3D, we are drowning out the sensory delights nature has to offer. Should it be a rarity to hear the flapping of an eagle’s wings flying overhead? Should it be a surprise to look up and see a blanket of stars?
Kvosgol
Moonlight over the lake
Darkhan
“Sand” at the petrol station.
Erdenet
Building mural
Dulaankhaan
Boldbaatar runs one of the three remaining traditional bow and arrow (num sum) workshops in Mongolia. Custom-designed and hand-created, he uses old working methods to manipulate a mixture of traditional and modern materials. Admittedly, I felt a twinge of disappointment when my eye wandered from the beautiful carved horn onto the green nylon rope. Was this development of combining natural and synthetic materials a decision made to save on time and cost, or was it to improve performance?
There is no denying that despite the addition of the synthetic, these num sums hold the mystic of an old Mongolian craft. I just hope that the modern world does not dilute too much of that magic.
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