Mondo Bizarro

While growing up in Oklahoma City, I had a summer job at 13 at the neighborhood Lake Air drive-in theater. The theater was seedy and rundown at best, and for $1.25 an hour six nights a week, I popped popcorn, served cold Cokes, and mopped the toilets. Each night before the main movie, there were several short films. My favorite was "Mondo Bizzaro."  It included black and white scenes of jungle safaris and exotic places. One of the featured events showed Asian men jamming swords through their faces and walking in a parade with fireworks exploding all around. Some 32 years later, I witnessed that when I photographed my first Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand. I remember telling myself at the time, "this is the craziest shit I have ever seen, this is "Mondo Bizzaro."
For 10 days in late September and early October, there's a kaleidoscope of strange scenes at the annual Vegetarian Festival.  Devotees pierce their cheeks and shove all sorts of sharp objects through the cuts in their face.  It looks painful, but there's no display of pain and very little blood.  The first time I saw a devotee have a spike shoved through his face, I didn't know whether to puke or shoot. I shot the moment and have been doing so ever since. The festival dates back to the mid-1800s when historians say a traveling troupe of Chinese actors fell ill, most likely with dysentery. A decision was made to abstain from eating meat and offer prayers to the Chinese emperor gods for ten days.  Everyone recovered, and the locals have been celebrating the festival ever since.
I have made the annual trip to Phuket to photograph the event since 1997. Each year I seem to discover a different layer to the festival yet. The scenes of men jamming swords and spikes through their cheeks always cause me to wince and is only one aspect of the festival. At the same time, the smoke and noise from endless strands of exploding fireworks can be occasionally overwhelming. The vegetarian food is tasteless, but the images keep calling me back. Book a hotel room in downtown Phuket. You will be able to walk outside your hotel and directly into the street processions. Just remember to wear all white.