A safe start in life

The 500 entries in a United Nations Population Fund photo contest, collectively portraying “A World Where Every Pregnancy is Wanted”, demonstrate that the term can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. There are images of a struggling teen mother, a welcoming ritual for a newborn – and an infant sleeping on the sidewalk.
“This is exactly what we wanted,” says Caspar Peek of the UN Population Fund’s Thai office, which organised the contest with the Contemporary Photography Foundation of Thailand.
“We wanted to see people interpret the meaning of birth and pregnancy through the camera lens. It’s also interesting to see how the photographers incorporated the Thai context into their images.”
The entries are on exhibit at CentralWorld through Friday.
The idea was to get people thinking about the country’s fast-ageing society and the challenges it faces, including shifting family structure, more unwanted pregnancies and the influx of foreigners.
“The topic was quite difficult,” says National Artist Yanyong Olarachin, one of the judges. “I was wondering how the entries would turn out, but, after seeing the pictures, I think we’ve got a diversity of photos with different interpretations.”
Submissions came in from July to October – 449 entries in the general category and 51 from photographers under 20 years of age. The theme reflects the UN agency’s mission to safeguard pregnancy and childbirth and help youngsters fulfil their innate potential.
Hansa Tangmanbhuwadol’s image “Teen Pregnancy” won in the general category, a dramatic shot of a distressed young mother whose husband is walking out the door.
Among the young entrants, “Life … Goes On” by Jirawatchara Saivuthinont illustrates that everyone is entitled to a good life, regardless of background.
The diversity among the entries is truly remarkable. The notion of an unwanted pregnancy, for example, was interpreted as a middle-school student breaking a pregnancy-test kit – implying she wasn’t ready to have a baby – and the nail-biting moment of birth in an emergency room.
“Based on what we’ve seen,” says Assistant Professor Dr Chawan Koopipat, another of the judges, “the entries can be summed up in three aspects – birth, the relationship between parent and child, and activities relating to birth, both positive and negative, such as such a woman beggar with a baby.”
“The entries aren’t just about mother and child,” agrees Anuchai Secharunputong, a judge and photographer. “These pictures are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, illuminating a complicated social problem. Overall it shows that photography can serve society by making people think about the issue.”
 

A MOMENT TO PONDER
“A World Where Every Pregnancy is Wanted” is on show until Friday in CentralWorld’s Eden Area. 

Awards will be presented to the winners there at 1.30pm tomorrow.