The Perspective of Art

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Mozambique | Thursday, August 5, 2010 | 5 photos

The photographs I have chosen represent my first impressions of Mozambique, the country I have been living in for the past six months.

Arriving in Maputo, I saw what most tourists would see: markets containing a vast display of vegetables, paintings, jewelry. The perfect place to purchase a ‘little piece of Africa’ to take back home and show the friends.

The last two photographs represent my next day’s experiences as I set out on the four day bus journey that would take me to the small village in which I would be working. The contrast is clear: empty streets, small gas stations selling diesel from plastic bottles, goods being transported by bicycle.

I am by no means a professional photographer but love the idea of representing ideas through art. I have spent the past two years travelling to different parts of the world and want to do more with the experiences I have had. I want to show people their planet through a different lens and encourage all to look at people, places and nature from a different perspective.

The world today is filled with so many opportunities thanks to the development of communications and technology; education and travel. Unfortunately, there are still huge misconceptions about what life is like in so many parts of the world and we are constantly surrounded by fear of the unknown causing disharmony and war all over. I want to encourage people to look beyond the surface and to see what lies outside of the tourist areas.

I fell in love with Asia in 2008 and can think of nothing more exciting than visiting Bhutan to learn more about photography in order to see the land from a different angle. I have many photographs from the past two years, but I like the distinct contrast between the ones I have chosen.