GREETINGS FROM THAILAND 2005

"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."
- Edward Abbey

A pre-planned journey coincided with one of the largest natural disasters in recent history. An unplanned detour led two women into a geographical region in transformation. Joining in the relief effort, Lisa Santonato and Maggie McAdorey volunteered in the massive clean-up efforts on Koh Phi Phi Island, and documented the experience as witness to the transformation.

The images presented in the 2006 CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival exhibition GREETINGS FROM THAILAND 2005 reveal events on Koh Phi Phi Island, where only two months after the tsunami of December 26, 2004, residents and volunteers worked together to rebuild the wasteland. On an island where more than 1250 people - 25% of the island population - were tragically washed away along with 70% of businesses, broken homes and debris become new, familiar landmarks in an environment destroyed by the wave.

Juxtaposing images of Thailand's natural and serene beauty with the eerie stillness of empty beaches, GREETINGS FROM THAILAND 2005 presents images of an unforgettable experience, witnessing wonder and trauma in the land of 'smiles and calm'. Inspired by the 2006 CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival theme Imaging a Global Culture the GREETINGS FROM THAILAND 2005

exhibition offers a glimpse into fragile human connections and landscapes in transformation. Proceeds donated via the grassroots aid organization, Hi Phi Phi International.

The GREETINGS FROM THAILAND 2005 exhibition is a fundraising project organized and curated by Lisa Santonato and FTP Media Inc. Presented as part of the 2006 CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival May 1 - 31st 2006.

OBJECTIVES
As of today, cleanup efforts on Koh Phi Phi are now complete and Hi Phi Phi International no longer appeals for volunteers. Instead, Hi Phi Phi now assists locals in setting up charities to aid long-term reconstruction and care for island children, many of them tsunami orphans. Our goal is to raise funds for these charities through the exhibition and sale of printed images, and through our opening event's fundraising after-party and silent auction.

All proceeds will go to support the Phi Phi Island Tsunami Relief Fund. This organization dedicates 60% of its financing to Child Welfare support for orphans and schools on Koh Phi Phi Island, in the province of Krabi, Thailand. Donations may also go directly to the Krabi Relief Fund, whose "Adopt An Orphan" program provides scholarship monies to the children of Krabi Province who were affected by the tsunami.