|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 4 February 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Artscope | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
A slice of life by Irangika Range CITY an exhibition of photographs about the city of Chicago, USA was opened by American Ambassador Geffrey J. Lunstead at the Barefoot Gallery recently. The exhibition was organised by the Comer Foundation, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Embassy of the United States of America. Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Marketing and Special Initiatives Director, Valentine Judge said the exhibition was held to introduce the normal life of Chicago city. Chicago, in the heart of America's great Midwest, is a major metropolis on the shores of a Great Lake whose history is the American dream of migration, economic growth, vitality and creativity. It is a city of neighbourhoods linked by geography, culture and customs. Chicago is a city of unsurpassed beauty, drawing visitors from around the globe throughout the year. Placed on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago boasts 29 miles of sparkling lakefront and over 500 beautiful parks. It is home to internationally acclaimed music, renowned architecture and 46 museums.
The Museum Campus features three of the city's most dynamic institutions, Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium, Adler planetarium and the field Museum. Chicago is known for its diverse cultures and visitors can learn about them at neighbourhood based museum such as the DuSable Museum of African-American History and the Mexican Fine Arts Centre Museum. Festivals Festivals abound offering Chicago style music and cuisine and as well as international flair. Some seasonal festivals include Chicago Winter Delights-January through February, Art Chicago in May, the Chicago Blues Festival in June, Taste of Chicago in July, World Music Festival in the fall, the Chicago Marathon in October and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in November. On a quest to create a lasting record of life in Chicago, in 2000, more than 200 photographers spent 366 days canvassing the city and chronicling its people, places and personality. The project's eclectic mix of styles and approaches-from photojournalism to fine art photography has blended into a rich historic document that will inform those in the future long after it teaches us about life in Chicago today. The photographers shot nearly 500,000 frames and visited each of the city's 198 neighbourhoods. The resulting archive offers insight into everyday life, out of the way secrets and cultural events. The Department of Cultural Affairs organised the Cultural events to the city. "For this ideal project we needed money," Judge said. City lover, Giry Comer wanted to give a gift to Chicago city. He provided the money and then everybody tried to create this project as a gift to the city," she said. Life Judge said the exhibition expressed mostly work by ordinary people's different kind of their alternative life. The project was developed by different photographers. One man spent his idea going around all kinds of different churches, temples, mosques and other religious places. Some photographers spent time with babies, teenagers and adults. Professionals She said photographers are full-time professionals in Chicago. Some work on newspapers and some are documentary photographers. They have many styles. Judge said they organised this exhibition at Mumbai and Ghopal of India in November and December. "The exhibition was a success. People absorbed a lot of things of Chicago city,"she said. She said Sri Lankans learnt much about Chicago and their way of life from this exhibition. "American television programmes, do not show the real life of USA," she said. Judge suggested that this kind of exhibition in Sri Lanka will be very useful because life changes quickly and Sri Lanka has its own tradition. "It would be wonderful to get pictures that document everyday life," she said. Judge hoped to organise the exhibition in Malaysia, China and Laos this year. **** Back **** |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
