The People's Photography Exhibition 2007


After missing out on last year's exhibition I thought I'd think big this time, taking two spaces instead of my usual one.

The plan was to have one main display and several smaller ones. As it worked out this split in are into two distinct parts of different styles, almost as if it was the work of two different photographers.

The main display (pictured above) was designed to be an enlarged form of one of my photo albums, so a happy accident made the hinged boards look like pages from a book.

As you might guess from the prayer flags dancing in the breeze, the whole display is about my Tibetan trip last year. I wanted to combine words and pictures and tell a story of my experiences in Tibet.

I've taken a picture of each panel and have arranged them below, click on an image to see a larger picture, the text is still a bit blurry so when you move your mouse over an image the text should pop up.

Entering Lhasa you are greeted by the imposing edifice of The Potala, for hundreds of years the home of the God-Kings. Glorious and beautiful on the outside, climb the steps to the entrance of the Red Place and you'll find an empty shell, dark and dreary on the inside So dark that the Dalai Lamas used to count the days 'til Summer when they could escape to the bright summer palace of Norbulinka. From all over Tibet the pilgrims came, they came to pray in the Holy City, once home to the God King. For some this was a voyage of a lifetime to make the circuit of the Barkhor, to visit the Potala, to remember what it once was. We came for something different but we too came to pay our respects to this ancient and mysterious city. As you travel around Tibet where areas are often too high to grow anything beyond grass and scrubby bushes, you find your eyes drawn to the surrounding landscape, the rolling sandy brown hills, clothed in greens, yellows, browns, ochres and the occasional dash of snow… Everywhere you go in Tibet, the hairy yak is ambling past, this shaggy beast of burden provides a wide range of culinary experiences - dried yak jerky, divine yak momos dipped in curry sauce and yak butter tea. Made from yak butter, salt, milk, tea leaves and hot water, this unusual Tibetan elixir is served piping hot and tastes of melted butter.
Stories tell of an ancient city in a hidden valley somewhere in the mountains of Asia, a place free of conflict, illness and aging. This idyll became known as Shangri-La. For hundreds of years the lure of this city has caused hundreds of people to go searching the mountains of Tibet, many came back disappointed, many did not come back at all.. Travelling in Tibet isn't easy, you need a permit to get to Lhasa, you need further permits to travel to other parts of the country. You Can't take the local buses, you have to hire a car, a driver and sometimes even a guide. All over Lhasa, you'll find noticeboards where you can find people or groups organising trips. Searching through the noticeboards each day becomes second nature and part the experience of Lhasa life, until finally you bond with your group and the adventure begins. On high mountain passes they fly. Tethered to the ground, they strain to be free, ever reaching for the sky and the heavens above, their mission to send a message to the gods. For now they dance, knowing that one day they will be free to soar through the blue It's a short 8km walk from the end of the road to Everest Base Camp. For every step of the 8km, it's blinding whiteness standing out against the surrounding greens, greys and browns. Base camp is a tent village with a definite charm about it, you can even stay the night in one of the many tent hotels. Beyond the tent-town is the Mountain, the only mountain. It calls to you to take another step, it desires your embrace, it beckons you to continue onwards, upwards.

In addition to the main display, I made four montages. The first one I made for my first people's photography exhibition in 2004 and I liked it so much that I thought I'd show it again. It also inspired me to create three more montages of orchids, butterflies and orchids. You can see them below and clicking on them will show the larger image.

I wasn't exhibiting on my own this time, it was a more of a family thing this year as my sister was showing off her photos as well: