20 Prints, 20 Frames, 20 stories for conservation

the project

My first solo exhibition - absolutely terrifying, but so exhilarating. Having been offered to use a relatively big space in Camden (still under construction!) that is to host future social innovation projects, it was an opportunity I could not refuse, despite the nerves and fear at the idea of putting up my work in the “real” world for the first time at that scale.

From the beginning of my photographic journey, the point as always been to raise awareness through te Aesthetic, by depicting Beauty and making accessible the Natural world. Trying to fill in the gaps of disconnectedness, something that is creeping upon, slowly but surely. (Re)Building our links and relationships with our environment, as my favourite philosopher Albert Camus wrote in the ‘The Myth of Sisyphus”.

So effectively, I had an opportunity to communicate, to raise awareness in a deeper way than on social media or through the odd publication of an article here and there. At the end of the day, if only 3 people turned up, then it was 3 people more who would be receptive to the message I try to send out, about socio-ecology (what I see as wildlife conservation 2.0). And if a print sold, then it meant donating money back into conservation projects relative to the print.

The organisations supported here were the Virunga Foundation and African Parks Network.

The Artwork

Initially wanting to print only about 12 prints, we ended up at 20. A nice round number. My wonderful mum (L’Atelier de Bedford) is a very specially talented framer artist, and it was a beautiful opportunity to collaborate in what was a strong celebration of womanhood and mother-daughter relationships at the same time.

She works with vibrant and textured papers of all sorts, some imitating lizard, veal, ostrich textures, others smooth…possibilities were endless. To celebrate Africa, and the diversity of our natural world, I wanted colour, but I wanted the colours to have meaning. For example, a deep, blood-red ostrich-like paper to frame the black and white print of 4 elephants lined up one behind the other, their tusks alined (image 1). That particular piece, “Shades of Ivory”, was the only Black and white image but contrasted so well with the rest of the colourful prints. A deeper message, for elephant populations have declined by 97% in 120 years.

We decided, for cost and time-frame reasons (did I mention we organised everything in 2 weeks? Had a trip to Kenya just before the show, and so before I left I tried to get everything print; so that she could send me colour and texture samples next to the prints via WhatsApp, when I wasn't battling for connectivity) to have her frame 10 of the 20 prints, the rest of the frames to be simple white wooden ones.

The space

We set up everything the day before, though it was stressful. The space was a contraction site, after all. Leaks, dampness, bad lighting…but we turned it into something absolutely amazing (see below). Construction site large spots for the lighting, maasai blankets to cover the pipes, a retro looking wall…beauty in chaos. Organisation and sense in chaos. New beginnings…So many different symbols came through with our collaboration with Soul’s Space Democracy Project.

The Journey

I wanted a diversity of places, from the Congolese forests to the Kenyan coast, to the Namib desert and the floodplains of Zimbabwe. We wanted a sensually holistic experience, playing with vision, of course, touch with the Maasai beads and the textured frames, sound with a mix of 2 playlists - sounds from the African Bush at night on one base, songs by Angolan singer Bonga on another. We had taste, with a mix of local foods.

It was an immersive experience, and a journey in the literal sense. The prints were lined up in a particular order, with a mountain gorilla looking up to the next print, the Maasai (who traditionally hunt lion) dancing under a print of a lion in golden light to celebrate their ways of adapting their tradition to adapting to new ways of coexisting with wildlife. I had prepared and printed a sort of textual map, with the title of each print and a short story behind it, people then could walk around the space, map in hand, read and look at the print, creating an interactive effect. Feedback on that was really great, and it’s definitely something I’d like to do again!

The talk lasted about 25minutes. It was a celebration of conservation, Nature, but of society as well, and of humanity. I believe optimism, success stories and hope to be key drivers in action - what’s the point otherwise, if there’s no hope?! I wish i had the full of video of it, but it got corrupted on another hard drive.

Regarding print sales…overwhelmingly, 17 out of 20 prints were sold that evening, as well as a whole set of orders for other prints. Which meant that 1000£ were raised for conservation in a single evening. For those who maybe could not / did not want to get a print, yet still wanted to take something home, postcards were available for purchase on a little stand.

I was buzzing that evening! About 100 people turned up, each person open to understanding conservation, getting involved, debating and sharing opinions. It was a fantastic experience, and I look forward to repeating it.