Spirit of the Land
is a personal project by photographer Stephen Robinson.
It aims to document the landscape of Zambia, especially its unknown,
remote landscapes, in a distinct style.
The Project uses the panoramic format, which the photographer believes
better replicates the way the human eye explores and takes in a scene.
The photographs are therefore presented just as they were viewed
in-camera by the photographer’s eye – full frame, without selective
cropping or enlargement.
By use of an unusual format in this way, the photographer aims to give
the viewer some idea of the ‘feel’ of a landscape; and of the emotive
power the natural landscape has over the human eye.
The initial work in the Project was premiered in two major one man
exhibitions in 2005 and 2006 entitled
Spirit of the Land
and
african spring.
The latest work in the project is on the subject of
amenshi
[Water], and this was premiered at another major exhibition in 2007,
also hosted and supported by the French Government via the Alliance
Française de Lusaka.
Over 3500 people visited these exhibitions and
many others have visited various smaller Project shows and collective
art exhibitions and gallery shows at which the work has been shown.
The exhibitions have been met with an overwhelming response and
considerable interest in limited edition, fine art prints of the
photographs.
In recent and future Project work, the central theme of landscapes is
supplemented with photography illustrating the peoples of remote Zambia:
their life in, and their dependence on, the natural habitats depicted in
the landscape photographs.
The Photographer believes that, in this fast changing era of development
in Zambia, it is important to document and show the rich abundance of
the country’s largely unknown or unappreciated natural resources; to
increase awareness of them; and to ensure that they become valued to the
extent that they will be conserved and utilized on a sustainable basis.
His travels in remote areas have shown him that the very way of life and
the day-to-day survival of many rural populations in Zambia will depend
on such environmental awareness and action.
Education is an important element of all exhibitions and of the Project,
with guided visits by school and college students of all ages and
backgrounds.
Since the website’s launch in January 2006, this on-line exhibition has
been visited by over 40,000 people from all regions of the World.
Visitor feedback has shown that the website has
become
a global resource for educational use and for the promotion of Zambia in
the travel & tourism and development & investment fields.
As well as plans to
grow
the website as the Project proceeds, it is proposed that it be developed
for use by schools and other educational institutions.
The project continues as new work is added from all parts of Zambia.
