Five nature loving shutterbugs; 4 years of extensive travels. The result could only be one colourful exhibition of photography. And with sights from Nuwara Eliya, Knuckles, Horton Plains, Arugam Bay, Pasikuda, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Mannar, Wilpattu, Wasgamuwa, Yala, Kataragama and Galle- among other places around Sri Lanka, this is exactly what ‘Colours of Sri Lanka’ promises to be.
Having braved checkpoints, atrocious roads and difficult weather, the sightseeing and incessant clicking have amounted to thousands of photographs out of which Chameera Jayasekera, Dhanushka Senadheera, Lasantha Kumara, Saranga Dewa De Alwis and Harsha Matarage have chosen 130 of the best for the exhibition.
“We got to know each other mainly through Flickr and did some nature travels organizedby “Adventure Sri Lanka” - a travel group which Dhanushka co-founded,” they recall. “Because of our similar outlook and interests we became very good friends and traveled extensively together to explore many interesting places of this beautiful island. Each individual discovery led to further travel and we ended up with a great collection of memories and photographs.” The exhibition promises to encompass all the beauty in colour that Sri Lanka has to offer- from flora and fauna to the blue beaches, golden sunrises and sunsets, expressions of people and diverse wildlife. “What we want is for spectators to feel the same inspiration we did when we saw these sights first-hand.”
Taking a few steps further from your typical exhibition of photography, ‘Colours of Sri Lanka’ will also be available online- at www.coloursofsrilanka.com, making this the first parallel online exhibition held in Sri Lanka. In addition to this, all exhibits will be geo tagged. “Geo tagging,” explains Dhanushka, “will help participants to track the locations captured if they are interested in visiting those places. There will be few computer terminals available at the exhibition hall for viewers to explore more details about the relevant photos.”
The five declare that while the main aim of ‘Colours of Sri Lanka’ is to show off the beauty of the country to the rest of the world, they also hope that the exhibition would be a platform for the promotion of eco tourism and responsible travelling where travelers are more aware of their responsibilities towards their surroundings. “As a team, we are planning to organize this exhibition annually and in various locations with more and more interesting photos and let people discover the beauties of our nature without harming it.” They agree that although beauty is everywhere it is not possible for everyone to experience it, everyday.
“For relaxation, people take refuge in hotel rooms hotel rooms thinking this would be the best they could do with the little free time they have. After seeing the beauty of the roads less
travelled we thought this would be an eye opener for lot of people who like to experience the same.” While this is an exhibition of photography however, to the photographers it is not a mere exhibition of lighting and photo techniques or their personal skills but one which they hope will both educate and inspire the viewer.
‘Colours of Sri Lanka’ will be held on December 6, 7 and 8 at the National Art Gallery- Western Hall from 8.30am to 7.00pm. Entrance is free. |
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