Border Dreams

“The border regions in the Golden Triangle formed by the intersection of Burma, Laos and Thailand have long been lawless zones where rebel groups hold sway; the smuggling of drugs, weapons, timber and people flourishes; aids and malaria are rife. Gambling is just the next logical step. Casinos have become the hottest new business for former opium kingpins, mass murderers and shady politicians.” (Source:Time Asia, 2000) “I don’t like casinos, but the biggest goal for giving permission to build casinos is to protect the border” “One can remove border markers, but one can’t remove five-storey hotels. Don’t be stupid” Hun Sen, cambodian prime minister, said in a 5 hours speech in August 2012, in response to opposition criticism that the gambling dens were harmful to the country.“You force me to talk about it. This should be a secret strategy to protect the nation” (Source: AFP) Cambodia, Lao e Myanmar are 157°, 160° e 172° on the world’s perceived corruption rank, based on 176 countries. (Source: Transparency International) From the surreal ghost town of Boten, in Laos, to the nearby unstable region of the Golden Triangle, passing through the squalor of the cambodian’s borders and ending in Macao, the border city / state for excellence, world’s capital of gambling . A journey along the borders, weak borders, both territorial and ethicals, in countries with extremely fragile balance and shady games of power. Casinos are structurally and socially non-places built to confuse day and night, between empty streets and players’ illusions. Paying attention to both geo-politics dynamics and historical facts I tried to paint a world that does not like to talk about himself. www.2rph.com www.studio2rph.com