Wake Up to a Gorgeous Nightmare

Error message

Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in eval() (line 52 of /srv/www/dev.phanganist.com/public_html/modules/php/php.module(80) : eval()'d code).

Phanganist's pal and member of 'Color Fighter' painting team Valentin was in the wars lately but he's still pushing on through with his amazing light graffiti/photography work, constantly evolving with a positive attitude towards life on Koh Phangan.

Accompanied by his beautiful assistant Summer, he arrives to visit us along with his rainbow coloured crutches and enjoys a homemade 'Bry0 juice' (kafir lime and lemongrass water) whilst he talks about this amazing work...

First tell us your Koh Phangan story...

It was a pretty weird story with Koh Phangan, I came five times to Thailand without ever getting remotely close to the island.

I was scared of the fluorescent buckets and westernised atmosphere.

But my friend dragged me here, asking me to trust him on the magical energy that I will find on Koh Phangan.

We arrived here in January with three weeks planned of painting and decoration at Half Moon, that was the original plan and it’s been four months now that I’m here.

When and why did you start taking photos?
It started six years ago when I first bought this Nikon D5000. I got really passionate about it and started doing light painting.

Explain the light painting for our readers…
I stopped for the last four years but this year on Phangan I needed to add another dimension to the ‘Color Fighter’ graffiti we were doing here.

So we started light painting in February with the half tiger half woman painting in Thong Sala and this was like an explosion of excitement and inspiration for me.

It allows you to control the time dimension applied on the photo in order to capture the atmosphere, the light and the motions. The moment!

There are three main parameters to play with; ISO, shutter speed and aperture. This allows you to write, dance and play for a few seconds on your photos, turning the darkness into thousands of lights.

Thus you will rarely see me with a camera in day time, too boring!

Even when the settings are known, the result is always surprising...

Are you mostly interested in pictures with the light images, words or both?
I’m attracted by the two, but there could be a lot going on in one picture so sometimes it’s good to choose one technique and one atmosphere.

For example, I’m going to do letters when there is already something to highlight in the photo or I’m just gonna highlight the different item, people, lights etc that I want to print on my picture.

What kind of light do you use?
Basically anything, the funny thing is that I mostly use the led of my phone, the one that is very clear.

The more lights the better though.

When there’s lots of performers at Jungle Experience for example, there is more and more combinations and possibilities.

What have you got planned for Jungle Experience on the 21st?
Wow, two amazing performers are going to get body painted during the afternoon and we’re gonna follow them all the way to the Jungle Experience party, having in mind all the different scenarios we are going to be able to accomplish with the light painting.

Jungle is the ideal atmosphere for crazy shit to happen.

With a group of live painters, more than ten gorgeous performers and a set of lights and trees everywhere around we have few ideas that we think will make a wonderful result.

The energy is gonna be nice.

I want to let you all know, the more people, the better. We are going to try to do the first massive light painting. All of you who read Phanganist and will be at the Jungle Experience, I need you!

I will position the camera on podium/stage, ALL of you who have their phones with a light, I will let you know when, switch your light ON and I'm gonna ask you to draw a little circle on top of ur head.

If you have any other light source, use it. If you want to do something else other than a circle, do it!

But I hope I will see Jungle Angels in the crowd!

THE SIGNAL: You cannot miss it, we will use a bright mega BLUE lazer. When you see the lazer going up from around the DJ, take your light out.

See you there!

Where can you see this work going?
The most important thing for me is that for the first time I’ve been asked to do pictures the way I like.

I’m not a wedding, people, faces kind of photographer, I’m using my camera as a drug to see what my eyes cannot, I’m addicted, let me express myself and you will be able to make your dream.

So why the name Gorgeous Nightmare?
Because it describes exactly how I live my life and how I see it, a big mix of contrast every day, all the time, everywhere.

Contrast also refers to the color of the ‘Color fighter’.

What do you still love about Koh Phangan?
As you can see I’ve done light graff in all of the parties and places so I like all of the corners of this island.