Kathmandu as seen through the lens
Photo fest invites the world to Himalayan nation
Image is everything.
Nepal is struggling to rebuild its tourism industry and infrastructure following two devastating earthquakes that claimed the lives of nearly 9,000 people and injured 22,000 last April and May.
The 7.8- and 7.3-magnitude tremors set off landslides and avalanches across the Himalayan nation shattering ancient temples, levelling buildings and homes, and destroying roads and bridges.
With help from individuals, governments, corporations and charities around the globe, the home of the highest peak on earth — Mt. Everest — is counting on the future and Photo Kathmandu is one of the ways Nepal is forging ahead.
Patan, known as the "City of Festival and Feast" because of its rich tradition of arts and handicrafts, its dozens of ornate Buddhist and Hindu temples, and more than 1,200 historic monuments, is hosting the country’s first annual photo fest. About 7 kilometres from the capital of Kathmandu, the city is also undergoing extensive rebuilding and repairs to some of its World Heritage Sites in the aftermath of the earthquakes.
The photography exhibits of Photo Kathmandu 2015 will be on display from Nov. 3 to 9.
Funds raised by the sale of limited prints of Nepal’s archival photographs will go toward rebuilding some of the treasured structures lost in the quakes, and the photo festival is also intended to provide a global venue for the country’s talented photographers.
“We are hoping this festival will be an opportunity to create these professional networks and serve as a bridge between the local and the global to put Nepal photography on the world map.” NAYANTARA GURUNG KAKSHAPATI CO-FOUNDER OF PHOTO.CIRCLE
“Nepali photographers need the networks to be able to get their work out internationally,” said Nayantara Gurung Kakshapati, co-founder of photo.circle, established in 2007 as a platform for new photography in Nepal. Direct access to editors, curators, mentors, art directors and other professionals who can help them get their work out there.
“We are hoping this festival will be an opportunity to create these professional networks and serve as a bridge between the local and the global to put Nepal photography on the world map,” she added.
Photo.circle organizes various activities that bring photographers and other visual chroniclers together to document Nepal’s past, present and future.
That’s why the theme of the inaugural edition of the Photo Kathmandu festival is "Time" and organizers have invited photographers, curators, photo-based artists, historians, anthropologists and anyone else working with images to submit their ideas for digital projection, discussion, performance and workshops for the event through the website photoktm.com.
Submitted works can be historical or contemporary, and mixed-media submissions are also welcome. The visual festival will host exhibitions, slide shows, artist lectures, and other events within the public spaces of the old city of Patan.
Drawn from the archives of Nepal Picture Library and the Peace Corps Photo History Project, print sales aim to raise $100,000 for the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, one of the few bodies preserving heritage in Nepal.
A wide range of images featured on the Photo Kathmandu website are available for purchase online in limited numbers of 100 for $150 each.
“Every way you look at it, the importance of Photo Kathmandu at this time cannot be overlooked,” said Philip Blenkinsop, a Thailand-based photographer who is participating in the festival.
“It is a time for consolidation, for sharing, for rebuilding, for sewing the seeds of inspiration and of course, for celebration,” he added.
The exhibition runs concurrently with Kathmandu’s Jazzmandu music festival, which has been an annual multicultural music celebration featuring performances by musicians from around the world since 2002.