They've arrived! Some 30+ images from the jungles of Colombia will be on display in The Gallery in February thanks to Betty Udesen, of The Seattle Times. Her travel partner, Latin America expert and sound documentarian, is Emily Greenleaf. Together they've gathered documentary stories from Columbia. "Finca el Paraiso" tells the story of self-sufficient community that is struggling to survive, raise its children in health and safety, and learn how to adapt to the dangers of the drug trafficking and its politics.
The images are a powerful collection of environmental portraits, beautiful landscapes and telling narrative images. Udesen's work is gathered over four trips to Colombia and a growing interest in the forces that make life both simple in earthly pleasures and devastatingly painful. A little boy cutting his brother's hair; a girl gleefully shirking off a chick's playful dance atop her head; and a child bouncing on a mattress. These images are balanced by reminders of displacement from homelands, the dangerous practice of zero-sum politics (where affiliation with one party equates to hostility from opponents), embracing neutrality and ultimately, the brutal taking of life and decapitation. "People think of Daniel Pearl (the courageous Wall Street Journal reporter brutally murdered by an Islamic militant and possible Al Qaeda agents in Karachi, Pakistan) and what happened to him, but we don't recognize it's a ... common reality in places in Colombia," Betty said, her voice trailing off. For more on Pearl's captors, killers and context, go to: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403E5DD1630F93BA1575AC0A9609C8B63
None of the "Finca el Paraiso" images reflect graphic violence. On the contrary, they reflect the resilience of a people who are refugees from a violent time doing their best to live apart from its dangers. At the borders of the 100-person village, signs announce no guns, no drugs, etc. The village yearns to be a haven from harm. Its stand for neutrality is an emphatic proclamation that authentically requires courage when you listen to the intricacies of Colombian politics as explained by Greenleaf. For more information, see: http://www.forusa.org/programs/colombia/col-pp-update-0504.html Emily Greenleaf, a professional musician, captured the sounds of the Colombian jungle and interviews to create a rich multimedia show. The artists will speak at noon on Feb. 27 in the Little Theater at PC. This exhibit is made possible by contributions from The PC Foundation, The Sequim Gazette and the Peninsula Daily News.
"Shoot to live another day!" --Betty Udesen, Jan. 27, 2008. For more of Udesen's brilliant work, see: http://web.mac.com/udesen/iWeb/Site/Home.html
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