A visual essay by David Simon and Blanca Galindo
Cinnamon Diaries
Sri Lanka
A vision by David Simon and Blanca Galindo
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sinharaja is the country’s last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic, and many of them are considered rare: trees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The purple-faced langur, tarantulas, black widow spider, Hump-nosed Lizard, wild peacocks and mongoose.
We stayed with Vini and his family. Vini was fighting ten years ago in the Special Forces against the Tamil in the Sri Lanka Civil War. So he had returned to his beloved forest and his passion for the insects. He took us into the jungle at night, when the sounds are even louder and you can barely see, but it’s moving with life. We learned a lot from Vini. Besides telling us about different reptiles, birds and insects, one of the most exciting things we discovered was vegan honey that came from a palm tree called kitul.
We stayed with Vini and his family. Vini was fighting ten years ago in the Special Forces against the Tamil in the Sri Lanka Civil War. So he had returned to his beloved forest and his passion for the insects. He took us into the jungle at night, when the sounds are even louder and you can barely see, but it’s moving with life. We learned a lot from Vini. Besides telling us about different reptiles, birds and insects, one of the most exciting things we discovered was vegan honey that came from a palm tree called kitul.
Traveller/s
David Simon
Photographer
David Simon studied philosophy and photography in Barcelona. Since he was a kid he had dreamed of traveling the world. An enthusiast of nature and anthropology, he works on long term photo & audiovisual projects.
David Simon and Blanca Galindo are visual artists working in photography and film based between Barcelona, Spain and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their work takes in photojournalism, art photography, fashion, music, NGO commissions and commercial projects. In 2012 David and Blanca co-created Leafhopper, an image based project taking its name from the common cicada, and focused on concept driven long form stories that combine philosophical criteria with powerful aesthetic images creating a reflection on the human and the natural world. In their work as Leafhopper, culture, people, fauna and flora are seen as equal expressions of the natural sublime, creating a common thread across subject matter as seemingly disparate as LGBTQ communities in Malaysia, narco-iconography in Mexico, coral bleaching and a global study in addiction published in 2019 as 'It’s a Wonderful Life’.
@leafhopperprojectBlanca Galindo
Visual Artist & Mixed Media
Blanca studied Media and Communications at UAB and University of California Santa Barbara. For more than 14 years she’s been travelling the world personally and professionally, whether touring with a band, visiting museums or covering events around the globe.
David Simon and Blanca Galindo are visual artists working in photography and film based between Barcelona, Spain and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their work takes in photojournalism, art photography, fashion, music, NGO commissions and commercial projects. In 2012 David and Blanca co-created Leafhopper, an image based project taking its name from the common cicada, and focused on concept driven long form stories that combine philosophical criteria with powerful aesthetic images creating a reflection on the human and the natural world. In their work as Leafhopper, culture, people, fauna and flora are seen as equal expressions of the natural sublime, creating a common thread across subject matter as seemingly disparate as LGBTQ communities in Malaysia, narco-iconography in Mexico, coral bleaching and a global study in addiction published in 2019 as 'It’s a Wonderful Life’.
