AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT - Lala Yu T. Myers
Lala Yu T. Myers (b. 1999) is a photographer, fiber artist, and writer of Korean and Filipino ancestry from Kahalu’u, O‘ahu. As a lifelong voracious reader and writer, her conception of memory is deeply intertwined with story and place, and these are themes that are pervasive throughout all her work. While attending the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa to study English, a knee injury and subsequent surgery rendered her temporarily disabled. Myers found herself housebound and unable to rely on her body for her usual hobbies, and so she turned to film photography. Initially, Myers documented only scenes she had access to from car windows and short walks. As her recovery progressed, and with the aid of a cane, she was able to return to local punk shows, which became a primary subject of her photographs.
Against the Dying of the Light is a collection of photographs taken on black and white 35mm film during the course of Myers’ recovery. The work is a celebration of the local punk musicians of Honolulu and the community that surrounds them. In these images, Myers captures fleeting moments of joy, rage, tenderness, and release; illuminating the humanity and grit of a scene often overlooked.
These photographs are as much about punk as they are about survival. It documents a personal journey of reclaiming agency through art, and a collective one of finding strength in solidarity. By turning her lens toward a subculture rooted in resistance, Myers reflects on what it means to persist — creatively, physically, and emotionally.
