Editions Gunung Bintan
documenting and showcasing the original Bintan
Gilles Massot ~ born 1955 in Aix en Provence (France), Gilles came to live in Singapore in 1981 after studying architecture and photography ~ in 1985, he chose the path of travel photographer and writer ~ since then, his work has been extensively published, and his unique approach to the art of travelling has resulted in many fine art exhibitions in France and throughout Asia
Gilles' work covers a wide range of styles, techniques and forms of expression, ranging from visual, to writing, to performing arts, to education ~ he recently published his second book, "Retro Specks Future Pixs: the Book", that summarizes his thirty years of research on the theme of time, space, and their relation to photography and painting ~ his first book "Bintan, Phoenix of the Malay Archipelago" was published in 2003 and remains to this day the only comprehensive publication on Bintan and the Riau Archipelago ~ he currently lectures photography at Lasalle School of Arts and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
Gilles Massot: website link
Marc Thalmann ~ born 1957 in Geneva (Switzerland), Marc arrived in the Far East in 1982, for a first job on Brunei's oil rigs after studying engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ~ a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, his oilfield career path brought him to India, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam ~ during his assignments, he developped a keen interest for the cultures where he lived, seeking more insight from litterature and collecting antiques
Marc first discovered the Riau Archipelago in an airline magazine feature ~ little did he know then that he would end up dropping his bags on one of these islands, Bintan ~ first in 1988 as dive cruise operator, then as project manager and coconut plantation owner, and since 1995 as business investor and sponsor of local ventures ~ Marc's self-assigned mission is to share his knowledge of the island and to bring the 'real' Bintan closer to the tourists staying in the five-star Bintan Resorts hotels ~ he is currently an executive member of BiTB, the Bintan Tourism Board
Marc Thalmann: e-mail contact
book "Bintan, Phoenix of the Malay Archipelago" ~ 136 pages, 250 photos ~ ISBN 981-04-8567-0
Bintan and Batam postcards ~ a selection of 60 original colour photographs
souvenir coffee spoon ~ 1 Bintan design ~ in presentation box
new! souvenir key chain ~ 1 Bintan design ~ in transparent wrap
to order the book directly: bookshop link