2008 Woodie Awards
New exhibit showcases wonders of Senegal
Christopher DeFillippi
Issue date: 12/1/04 Section: News
On Friday, Nov. 19 adjunct Professor Ken Martin and students who have studied photography with him showcased color photographs they had taken in Senegal over the years. Opening in the Project Space gallery at the New England School of Art and Design, the photographs on display captured a wide variety of the indigenous people as well as their artwork, costumes, rituals and the Senegalese landscape.
"I was proud of all of the art work and just wish that we had more space for each student's photographs," said Martin of the student contributions.
The title of the exhibition, "God's Bits of Wood," was taken from the title of a 1961 novel about the Senegalese War with the French colonists. The title specifically refers to the Senegalese term for children and loved ones, a common theme throughout the exhibit.
A photo by Suffolk graduate Nicole Wang, the image consisting almost exclusively of varying shades of brown and gold, featured a wide-eyed young girl standing in front of a parched desert landscape. Suffolk graduate Victoria Masters shot a colorful arrangement of children's dolls that were lined up so that they appeared to be dancing.
"You could tell, some of these children had never seen blue eyes before," said senior Carol Lee Mayon, who had taken a number of photographs of children. "They'd look up at you like you were a monster from outer-space."
The gallery was decorated with various items brought from Senegal for the purpose of decoration. Some of these included a small wooden sculpture of a goateed old man smoking a pipe, handcrafted clay pots, and hand-woven baskets and placemats positioned near books of additional photographs. Professor of History Robert Bellinger, with his friend Kimani Lumsden, provided musical accompaniment for the evening, drumming out traditional music indigenous to Guinea.
"Dr. Bob Bellinger and fellow drummer Kimani really called the African spirits of hospitality, goodwill and protection into the gallery with their excellent drum work," said Martin of the performers.