Richard Pendavingh

Photographer, designer and weekend historian. Editor of The Unravel. Writes about design, tech, history and anthropology.


Feb
25
2015
Adrift on Mt Myōkō Richard Pendavingh 25.02.15

Earlier this year I tagged along with the Australian/International off-pissed ski team to the slopes of Myokokogen.  Matt chose Myoko because the guidebook gave it four and half snowflakes out of five in the 'powder' category.  Also because our plan called for us to go from there to Kyoto and then onto Tokyo and we wanted to make sure our itinerary doubled as a tongue twister.

Feb
25
2015
Kyoto, Japan’s Spiritual Capital Richard Pendavingh 25.02.15

The old capital of Kyoto is home to about 1600 temples and countless smaller shrines.

Sep
12
2014
China’s Firewall and the Siku Quanshu Richard Pendavingh 12.09.14

The National Library of China holds an artifact that represents what must be the most ambitious attempt to control information in history.

Aug
30
2014
A neon box-canyon in Yanta district of Xi'an.
China’s Frenemies Richard Pendavingh 30.08.14

Beijing incorporates all of the contradictions of Chinese society.

Aug
18
2014
Mt Huashan, China Richard Pendavingh 18.08.14

Huashan is a mountain located  about 120 kilometres east of Xi'an- China's old capital.  It's home to some very dicey walking tracks, a really spectacular set of cable cars, a tea house perched on a cliff face and a photo studio with some genuine occupational health and safety issues.

Aug
12
2014
Workers outside a department store in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Chengdu & the Chinese Dream Richard Pendavingh 12.08.14

The entry point for my brief tour of China was the southern Province of Sichuan-famed for its incredibly spicy food and baffling theatrical performances.  I flew into the capital Chengdu at the start of October and explored the city between bouts of rain before venturing out into the nearby mountains.

Dec
08
2013
Longtail boats at the shoreline of Tonsai bay.
Climbing in Ton Sai, Thailand Richard Pendavingh 08.12.13

When I first decided to visit Ton Sai ten or so years ago I discovered getting there was a little tricky.

Dec
03
2013
Diving with Sharks Richard Pendavingh 03.12.13

On South Africa's western cape we visited the coastal towns of Kalkbaai, Hermanus and Gaansbai.

Dec
02
2013
Africa’s Charismatic Megafauna Richard Pendavingh 02.12.13

In South Africa, the saying goes, 'wildlife must pay its way'. It's not enough to be endangered you have to generate revenue to be conserved.

Nov
27
2013
Ceres Valley, South Africa Richard Pendavingh 27.11.13

Another bleary-eyed morning spent rock-hopping in the pre-dawn light to get to a vantage point before sunrise.

Nov
18
2013
Sani Pass, Lesotho Richard Pendavingh 18.11.13

Sani Pass is a stretch of road on the border of South Africa and Lesotho. The stretch of road between the South African border post and the summit is one of the most treacherous roads I've ever come across.

Nov
12
2013
Drakensburg, SA Richard Pendavingh 12.11.13

Between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth we spent a few days exploring the great Drakensburg Escarpment that cleaves its way way along the eastern cape and forms the border of South Africa and Lesotho.

Nov
08
2013
A view from Uçhisar castle.
Byzantine Bunkers Richard Pendavingh 08.11.13

Across Europe and Russia you can find the remains of bunkers and air-raid shelters- a legacy of the Second World War and the Cold War that followed. In Cappadocia, in central Turkey, you can find much older and much more extensive underground shelters.

Nov
04
2013
Iconoclasm & the Burger King Richard Pendavingh 04.11.13

In the valleys of Cappadocia are hundreds of cave churches from the early years of Christianity.

Oct
31
2013
A panorama of the cliffs over Çavuşin in Cappadocia
The Refugees of Çavuşin Richard Pendavingh 31.10.13

On a cliff overlooking the small town of Cavusin a Turkish flag flies amidst the ruins of a village.

Oct
20
2013
Part 2: The fall of Trebizond Richard Pendavingh 20.10.13

After the fall of Constantinople the two remaining Byzantine states- the Despotate of Morea and the Empire of Trebizond- came under renewed pressure.

Oct
03
2013
Part 1: The Fall of Constantinople Richard Pendavingh 03.10.13

In the mountains around Trabzon you can find fragments of an empire that traces its origins back to ancient Rome.

Sep
30
2013
Golden Horn ferry
Istanbul Richard Pendavingh 30.09.13

Photos of the streets and waterways around the old Turkish capital.

Jun
02
2013
Taksim Square Protests, Part II Richard Pendavingh 02.06.13

The previous set of photos was taken on Istiklal avenue approaching Taksim Square.

Jun
02
2013
Retaking Gezi Park Richard Pendavingh 02.06.13

Photos I took of today's anti-government demonstrations in Istanbul.

May
13
2013
ICC Berlin Richard Pendavingh 13.05.13

Some images of Berlin's International Congress Centre designed by Ralf Schüler and Ursulina Schüler-Witte in 1979.