Friendly Planet and Toscanini's Present a Photographic Exhibit:
Nestled in the Himalaya north of India, south of Tibet, and east of Nepal, Bhutan is home to one of the world's last unspoiled cultures and ecologies. About the size of Switzerland, but with a population of only 600,000, Bhutan sees perhaps 5,000 visitors per year and famously resisted television until 1999. The sense of serenity in this richly exoteric Buddhist culture is palpable.
In Bhutan, provinces are called dzongkhags, each of which is presided over by an imposing dzong: a medieval fortress-monastery. These castles are unique. Perched on fantastic cliffs, with stunning stone and beam architecture, Bhutan's impossibly beautiful dzongs are to this day the homes of the monk body and hubs around which village and spiritual life revolves.
Teams of photographers from MIT and Friendly Planet travelled on three expeditions to Bhutan from November of 2001 through December 2002. They trekked all over the country, and working with Bhutanese children, took over 50,000 photographs. The images presented in this exhibit show a glimpse of life in an almose unimaginably colorful, warmhearted and deeply peaceful corner of the world.
Representing a remarkable confluence of technologies, these images were produced with extraordinary support from Hewlett Packard (using their high-end DesignJet printers tuned for fine art production) and Kodak (using their professional digital film scanning system). The assistance of HP and Kodak and their technical teams, as well as fundamental support from MIT, and the Microsoft-funded iCampus program at MIT, are very graciously acknowledged.
The images will be on display at both Toscanini's locations in Cambridge, and at the Someday Cafe in Davis Square from March 20 until April 30.
An on line exhibit is here: http://www.friendlyplanet.org/tosci/exhibit
Friendly Planet is a 501(c)-3 nonprofit corporation devoted to children's education in developing regions. The team is producing a new series of photo books, beginning with Growing Up In Cambodia and Growing Up In Bhutan. Proceeds help to fund needy schools in these places. Contact: gu@friendlyplanet.org
Toscanini's makes the best ice cream in Cambridge, or just about anywhere else.
Contact: Gus Rancatore