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Spirit of the Land –
african
spring
the w_i_d_e view of
zambia’s stunning wild landscape
photography: stephen robinson
Last month’s Lowdown included a short article on the forthcoming
photographic exhibition by Stephen Robinson, African Spring.
Since then, a number of things have happened. Firstly, there has
been a change of dates. This exhibition will now be held from 10 to
19 November. Venue, Alliance Française, Lusaka, remains the same.
The second thing is that we have been able to have a ‘pre-look’ at
the photos to be exhibited. Although everything was still in
‘pre-exhibition mode’ i.e. photos still waiting to be framed and
still unlabelled, and some photos still wrapped up in their
‘cardboard carriers’ we were able to get a pretty good impression of
what is in store for visitors to the exhibition.
‘Spirit of the Land’ is a project of Stephen’s which he started in
2003. Its main aim is to document the Zambian landscape in his
distinct style and is still, very much, a ‘work in progress’ with
new material being added all the time.
As
usual, the photos are taken in panoramic format, more closely
replicating what the human sees and absorbs from the scene before
him. Stephen is also trying to give the viewer an idea of the feel
of the landscape, of being right there in its midst. He has
certainly achieved this – I could feel the heat coming off the baked
ground and almost started to sneeze from the pollen of the flowers.
The theme of this months’ exhibition, African Spring, focuses
on the elements of Zambia’s long dry season. Unlike other
continents, Africa, or at least Zambia, does not have four distinct
seasons. They seem to ease into each other and are often opposite to
what one finds elsewhere. Take the European autumn which is
characterized by the leaves on the trees turning orange. Yet, here
in Zambia, this happens in the winter/spring and without the aid of
rain, but is instead aided by the rising temperatures.
As
always with Stephen’s photos, the subject matter is varied :
landscapes, trees, rivers, plants, waterfalls and some with evidence
of human habitation. Every single one of them makes you wonder at
the beauty of this country; a beauty which is not always
appreciated; a beauty which many people in our towns will never see
and, sadly, a beauty which is fast disappearing because of, amongst
other things, deforestation and bad agricultural practices.
Like last year, the exhibition is supported and hosted by the
Alliance Française and the Cooperation and Cultural Service of the
French Government and its Embassy in Lusaka.
And like last year, a visit to this exhibition is a must, especially
for those who do not have the time to travel far off the beaten
track to see the best of what this country has to offer. We are
indeed lucky to have Stephen, with his amazing eye for beauty,
travelling around Zambia and bringing to us, here in Lusaka (and
indeed into your living room if you so wish, as prints of the photos
are available for purchase) photos of things and places which we
would otherwise never see.
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November
2005