Sunday Times 2
In black and white: Capturing the mysticism of nature
View(s):Marie Caroline Senil, wife of French Ambassador holds photography exhibition
By Kaveesha Fernando
Marie-Caroline Senlis’s interest in photography began when she was a young schoolgirl in France. She learned how to take black and white photographs and develop the films at the age of 16. Following a hiatus of 20 years, she re-learnt the art of photography in 2002 when she decided to take pictures of Shanghai in 2002. “I wanted to photograph the old city before it was destroyed,” she says. The old buildings of Shanghai were being demolished to prepare the city for the 2010 World Expo (world fair).
The wife of the present French envoy here, her career in photography which began in 2010 has continued ever since. It has accompanied her as she travelled with her husband, as he was posted in various countries around the globe. She has previously held many exhibitions in different countries and is exhibiting her work in Colombo at an open studio at theirresidence today.
Having previously presented her three years of work on the Versailles palace garden at the Black Cat Café in Colombo 07, Ms Senlis feels that an open studio is better suited for the work on various subjects she will be exhibiting this time. “I wanted people to see that I can work on many subjects and not just one,” she explains, adding that the various rooms of her residence offer the space for her to exhibit her work on different subjects in a creative way. This exhibition will include portraits of trees and people, with a seeming focus on natural phenomena such as blankets of mist enveloping mountains. An ardent admirer of the theme of mysticism, she often takes photographs which capture the spiritual mood of certain settings.
Ms. Senlis takes the pictures and develops them herself in a dark room in her house. She uses the gelatin silver process for black and white pictures and the digital process for colour pictures. As someone who prefers black and white pictures, she only uses colour when necessary. “Black and white goes deeper into the subject and you cannot hide anything with black and white pictures,” she explains. After she takes her pictures, she develops them and prints them small and decides which ones she likes before printing and enlarging.
The Sri Lankan heat can get in the way of her photography. Apart from the glare caused by bright sunlight, there is also the issue of chemicals smelling worse in the heat and the water temperature being significantly higher than the 20 degrees Celsius that is needed to clean the film before developing them. However, she feels that Sri Lanka is as exciting a place to be as all the other places she has been to. “I won’t necessarily say that it is better or worse than any other place I’ve been to – I just think it’s different,” says Ms. Senlis. She feels blessed to have travelled to many countries and feels that it has been an enriching experience which has provided her fresh subjects which has made her work rich and diverse.
Today is the last day of Marie-Caroline Senlis’s open studio exhibition. It is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at their residence, 205 Lake Drive, Colombo. Entrance is free.
