Robert Blank in Myanmar: Capturing the peace of a restless country

SALISBURY — For much of his career as an urban planner, Robert Blank was involved with the resurrection and rebirth of urban centers. In his second career as a photographer, it’s not surprising that similar themes have attracted him. Most recently, he turned his lense on the Buddhist temples and culture of Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma.

"Buddhism is omnipresent in Myanmar, from the many impressive pagodas and monasteries to the myriad statues of Buddha to the hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns to the common people who feed them," he said.

Blank didn’t intend to do a Buddhist-themed photo show when he and his wife, Renee, packed their bags for their trip last summer. They also didn’t intend to come at a time of particular political unrest; shortly after they left the country, violent demonstrations against the government broke out, and many of the monks who led those protests were jailed.

"There were no signs of any unrest when we were there," Blank said, and his photos seem to show a country that, while poor, is at peace with itself. Apparently, as is so often the case in life, appearances were deceiving.

The people of Myanmar didn’t seem to be quietly seething, Blank said.

"Aside from soldiers outside some of the embassies, you don’t see anyone with guns," he recalled. "People seem to be going about their business. But it is hard to get anyone to talk about what their conditions are."

The conditions are hard, apparently.

"The place is falling apart," Blank said. "The people are extremely poor."

Most are farmers, and are able to feed themselves. They also support the monks.

"Just about every male in Myanmar is a monk or was one at one time," he said. "There are 6-year-old monks. Some stay with it, others leave it. But they all were, are or are related to someone who is a monk."

Though his show at the new Tremaine Gallery at the Salisbury School (not to be confused with the older Tremaine Gallery at The Hotchkiss School) is called "Myanmar 2007, The Calm Before the Storm," Blank’s photos are not intended to make a political statement. He went with an open mind and found his eye (and camera lense) wandering predominantly in the direction of Buddhist buildings and monks.

"The statues, the pagodas, the monasteries, the monks," he said. "It’s what seemed to be speaking to me."

In addition to his work as an urban planner, Blank trained in photography at the International Center of Photography in New York City, where he studied with Constantine Manos. He shoots black-and-white film and his prints, which are for sale, are 14 by 18 inches.

The show remains at the Tremaine Gallery until Jan. 4 and the gallery is open from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.