My "photographic eye"

The door of Duc An ancient house (129 Tran Phu).

The child that I was at that time, every time I leaned against the door of my house and looked out, the eyes from the doors of the houses opposite seemed to look back to talk.

My memory also has a “yard and a corner of the sky”. That is the skylight located right in the center of the house. There, a cool well, a small fish pond with a mossy rockery covered with ornamental trees almost became the default with the square yard in the middle of the old house.

The eyes of the door attract tourists who love Hoi An culture.

Every afternoon around 2:00 p.m., when the sun is setting, occasionally a fish splashes, a cat drinks water, or a cool south wind blows down into the yard.

The water ripples, reflecting on the pillars and walls of the house a shimmering dance of light. I have enjoyed admiring this image many times.

There have been many studies on the meaning of “door eyes” and “skylights” in Hoi An ancient houses. But Hoi An residents have their own way of thinking.
With the door eye, Hoi An people always consider it a mascot.

It can see through good and evil thoughts and actions, creating a deterrent and encouraging mentality for guests coming to the house. Meanwhile, for family members, the door eyes seem to follow each person when they go out or return, always reminding them to maintain the honesty and goodness of the family tradition.

Visitors rest in the skylight space and learn about Hoi An culture (80 Tran Phu).

The skylight is a place where people are closer to nature. Hoi An people use this space to relax and contemplate life.

From family members to each guest entering the house, in this space, feelings are more open and closer than at the dining table or in the living room.

It seems that the memories and moments in the old house in Hoi An were the first "photographic eyes" for me to now be the photographer Dang Ke Dong...

The person who holds the soul of the old town

Dang Ke Dong is nicknamed "the person who captures the soul of the old town" by photographers nationwide. He has created his own place with the art of photography from the space of Hoi An. Dang Ke Dong is also one of the first photographers in Hoi An since the 1980s.

The work "Duyen tham" by Dang Ke Dong was taken in the skylight space of an ancient house.

His artistic photos reflect the different cultural dimensions of Hoi An. From the roofs covered with centuries of dew and rain, the moss-covered walls, the gables of the houses, the swaying night lights in the old town or the shoulder poles in the alleys of Hoi An, all become vivid moments... in Dang Ke Dong's photos.

Regarding the details of the door and skylight, Dang Ke Dong made his mark with special works. In the early 90s, "Strange Wharf" - a work capturing the moment of a boat moored under the door of Tan Ky ancient house during the flood season in Hoi An was selected to participate in a photo exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City. This was the first photo that led Dang Ke Dong to the path of artistic photography.

In 2005, the work "Duyen Tham" - describing a moment with light in the skylight of an ancient house brought Dang Ke Dong a Silver Medal at the International Photography Exhibition organized by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists.

Also from Dang Ke Dong, almost all photographers of Quang Nam and the whole country later had their own artistic photographic works about the cultural space of Hoi An... ( XUAN HIEN )

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/mat-anh-cua-toi-3130726.html