3/29/08 Artist Talk - Journey to Ali

The presentation is produced with two objectives in mind. At one level, it introduces to the audience a remote area along the northern slope of the Himalayas in the southwestern part of Tibet. At another level, it explores the cultural connection between landscape photography and the Chinese traditional view of the cosmology.

At an average elevation of 4100 m, Ali is considered accessible only by those adventurous as well as physically fit against the high mountain altitude sickness. The area is known for (1) its spiritual importance in Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism; (2) its historical value dated back to the early part of Tibetan civilization; (3) its spectacular sceneries.

Although photography is a product of industrial revolution, the genre of landscape photography is held with particular interest by many Chinese photographers, because nature is considered as dynamic, even organic, according to Chinese cosmology. In this presentation, this aspect is explored with pictures taken from Ali where the sub-Indian tectonic plate collides with Eurasian plate and where the moist air of Indian Ocean interacts with the dry climate of Tibetan plateau.

This lecture begins with a 40-minute multi-media presentation synchronized to Tibetan music. It will be followed by a discussion on landscape photography inviting viewers’ participation.