Street art of Art Street

Pics by Ravindra Dharmathilake

If one takes Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, now called Nelum Pokuna Mawatha, to travel from Nelum Pokuna Theater towards National Art Gallery, the paintings displayed along the road cannot be missed. The exquisite paintings of realistic, wildlife, modern to integral styles as well as portraits grab the attention of passersby. Paintings on novel themes or revolutionary pieces show that the art street is a place where artists perform experiments and reach out for novelty. If one happens to visit Art Street during weekends he or she will be able to observe more than a thousand unique paintings. Yet, this experience is given to you free. 

Art Street is a collection of achievers; a group of talented artists who displays their creations for art lovers. Representing all the artists on Art Street, Rajakaruna Ananda, coordinator of the Open Air Art Society; the society functioning among Art Street painters, spoke to ‘Fine’ about the functions of Art Street. “We prefer to call this Art Street, as this is the only such place in Sri Lanka,” Ananda said proudly.

Art Street is located along Ananda Kumaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 7. “This is the only art street in Sri Lanka. There are countries where they have streets like this in the major cities in the world, where people can inspect, learn and buy paintings.” He explained that street art is simply visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues and an art street is where an artist exhibits and sells art work.

Art Street is located in the center of tourist attractions. Art Street runs along opposite the back boundary of Viharamaha Devi Park, where Nelum Pokuna Theater is on one side and Kala Bhawana and National Museum on the other. Ananda pointed out that this road, frequented by tourists and art lovers, helps to promote their work. “In a way, this street contributes to the country’s economy through foreign revenue. Many tourists are attracted to this because this street is only a few minutes away from the Independence Square, Laksala and Colombo based tourist hotels,” he said.

A person who visits the Art Street might ponder whether these painters are unfortunate to not have a proper place to exhibit their creations. Yet, artist Ananda said that each and every artist on Art Street stays there voluntarily and they do get the best of appreciations from buyers as well as art lovers. “We are all happy to be here,” he said. “This is not a mere art sale; this also adds beauty to the city.” He said that almost all artists on Art Street are quite well-off and they are not here because they are unable to procure space in a private gallery.

Most of the artists on the street represent an art society, ‘Open Air Art Society’, and as Ananda explained this society maintains the quality of the paintings. “Our paintings will last a long time, much longer than our own lifetime. We also discuss our basic needs and future plans to function as a society,” he said. The foundation for the Open Air Art Society was laid over 15 years ago by the students of the University of the Visual and Performing Arts out of frustration that they weren’t able to find a gallery for their work.

“This society started functioning officially under this name seven years ago. Their attempt was successful and Art Street became a permanent place for painters to exhibit their talent.” Open Air Art Society has more than 50 members from different parts of the country, who use different styles.

According to Ananda, artists on Art Street are a mixed bag. “There are self-taught artists to artists who have received their bachelor’s degree in arts. There are wildlife painters to modern artists. There are the young and the adult,” he said. “Yet, we all follow the same guidelines to produce the best we can and I can guarantee that these paintings are of the finest quality, similar to most art you find in private galleries,” he added.

The busiest days of the Art Street are during weekends. Most of the artists can be seen alongside their paintings and some will also do new paintings during this time. It is a place of wisdom for them where they share their experiences, novelties and ideas. “Most of the artists here are engaged in other occupations. Most among them are art teachers. Some get invitations to paint for private institutions like hotels and companies. There are plenty of those who provide their paintings to private art galleries or foreign buyers,” he said. “Therefore, they will not be available on Art Street during the weekdays. But everyone flocks here on Saturday and Sunday.”

He also spoke about the customers of Art Street. “We have both foreign and local customers. We’ve been on the street for a long time now. We will not be able to survive for this long, if our paintings are not of the finest quality,” he explained. Art Street artists can also be commissioned. “If art lovers can’t find what they like on this street, they have the ability to choose their favorite artists and get them to paint what they desire using the colors they want and according to the canvas size they want,” Ananda pointed out another specialty of Art Street.

When buyers visit an art gallery hoping to buy art, they might not get the chance to talk to the artists. They only get to speak to the mediator who collects art and exhibits. If buyers could buy the paintings directly from the rightful owner, the price of a painting is less. When a mediator gets involved, the price goes up. “Most of the art galleries address only to a particular level of society. But Art Street is open to everyone. There are people who provide paintings for galleries here. It’s the same quality, but two prices,” he said.

“But we do not duplicate those paintings painted for galleries here. You can’t find the same painting here and at a gallery,” he noted. He also mentioned that on average Art Street sells five painting each day. “We sell more on weekends and less on the rainy season,” he said. There are paintings worth Rs 1,000 to 80,000 on the street. According to artists, buyers mostly demand traditional paintings which represent Sri Lankan culture. Ananda also mentioned that the demand is very good that they cannot complain about the local buyers for lack of demand. 

“Sometimes it is surprising to see the enthusiasm of the art lovers. Art Street is the best place where art lovers of any level can come and enjoy art,” he said. 

He further explained how the value of a painting rises when it is exhibited at a reputed gallery. He explained how the space allocated to a single painting; time and space the art lover has inside a gallery and the special attention towards a single painting becomes the factors which increase the price. “All this should be calculated when the price of a painting is determined. This is why there is a difference in prices,” he explained. 

Art Street is not a burden to anyone. All the artists on the street are satisfied with their current placement. “Few years ago, we were placed around Viharamaha Devi Park. We were allowed to display our paintings on their iron fence. That fence was taken down when the park was modified and consequently we were asked to move here,” he said that everyone is happy that the Ministry of Defense has promised that the Art Street will continue to function along Nelum Pokuna Mawatha.

Originally published : http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/30183-street-art-of-art-street.html 

When jumbos trumpet on the canvas

Vishi R Dharmasiriwardena says it’s hard for him to even hear about it. The wildlife and nature artist covered his ears when he was asked about what he thinks about the human elephant conflict and hakka patas, frequently on the news. “It is a very sad story. The elephant is a national treasure. An elephant in the wild is an awe inspiring sight. These animals cannot articulate their struggle to survive. That is why we should be helping them,” Vishi pointed out. “I believe we have to promote the elephant everywhere including hotels. Take Africa or Kenya for example, they promote their wildlife. I have travelled a lot, I have seen how it’s promoted. Why can’t we do it here? Why can’t we use the elephants to our advantage, so that we will be protecting the elephant while also promoting tourism,” he stressed.

Vishi is a nature lover and he believes that this love for Mother Nature made him a wildlife painter. He started painting at the age of five and has had neither formal training nor an academic training in art. When he was young he used to visit national parks and zoological gardens on many occasions to study animal behavior and anatomy. He claimed that he is a self- taught artist, except for the help he received from the art master at school. Little Vishi started his work with pencil sketches, moved on to crayon and then tried his hand at water colors. By the age of 14, he had already begun to use oil paint. Recalling his journey, he said he was inspired to become a professional wildlife artist, upon seeing the work of wildlife artists published in magazines.

When he held a joint exhibition with his brother titled ‘Weluwana Siththaru’, at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery Colombo in 1985, he was just 16 years old. Following year, he did 65 oil paintings for a leading beach hotel in Sri Lanka. He got the opportunity to exhibit some of his art work at the Mondial International Art Festival held in Hong Kong in 1996. He held his second exhibition ‘Nature’s Savage Innocence’ in 2001 at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. He received much critical acclaim from the British, French, Canadian, Italian and American ambassadors who were highly impressed with his work. His two large paintings, ‘The Charge’ and ‘The Serpent Eagle’ were purchased for the lifetime private collection of the USA embassy in Colombo few years ago.

Majority among his paintings are elephants. Moreover, he received his recent title for a painting of a magnificent elephant during the Jaipur Art Festival. “I was fond of the elephant since I was a kid. I used to sketch elephants since I was very young. At school also I selected art as a subject. After school I worked in the advertising field for a while as an artist. My interests were on landscaping and painting. But with time I developed my drawing skills and became a full time painter. When I visit other countries to take part in workshops, especially in India, I get lot of attention. This time, I painted an elephant in five days. I have never finished a painting within such a short period of time before. It is a personal record. My painting came out so well, the Indians who saw the painting were amazed. For them it was something that they have never seen,” he reiterated.

The International Jaipur Art Festival was held from March 19 to 23 at Hotel Diggi Palace Jaipur.  It is an international event where artists from all over the world participate. This year over 220 Indian and international artists joined the workshop from 25 countries and 22 states of India. “Madam Kiran Soni Gupta is the lady who invited me to this event. She saw my work last year. She was very pleased,” he recounted how he received the opportunity to participate at the Jaipur Art Festival. Kiran Soni Gupta is an Indian Administrative service officer of Rajasthan, more famous as an artist. “I was the only artist to represent Sri Lanka and I received the artist of the day title on the final day, which is considered a prestigious achievement,” he said proudly. “I believe it is a great honor to the country,” he added.

“People ask me why I am more interested in painting elephants. The elephant is an animal anybody loves to watch. It is intelligent and magnificent. Moreover we have our own elephant, Elephas maximus maximus, which I believe is a gift of Mother Nature,” he said. “My intentions of painting elephants are to promote them and make awareness on protecting them,” he added. His paintings are highly realistic and carries a three dimensional (3D) effect. Vishi does not use photographs or any other picture as reference when drawing. His paintings are what he has observed, he says. “They are experiences I gathered through continuous visits to national wildlife parks.”

According to him there is high demand for realistic art in Jaipur, where as Delhi and Mumbai has demand for abstract and modern art. But as he sees, there is no demand at all for paintings among the Sri Lankans. “Jaipur is a beautiful place with lot of cultural values unlike Mumbai. Maybe that’s why they have demand for realistic art. However, there is a demand for art and artists in India unlike in Sri Lanka,” he expressed his grief about the lack of enthusiasm for art in Sri Lanka. “The demand is actually going down in Sri Lanka. It is a pathetic situation. Our artists are literally on the road now. There is no proper gallery for them. Look at all the talented artists selling paintings along the road,” he pointed out.

He also said that it is hard for an artist to make money selling paintings in Sri Lanka, “Painting can only be engaged in as a pastime for fun. The artist should definitely engage in some other job, something like advertising to make a living. This happens because people don’t know how to appreciate art,” Vishi lamented. “People don’t want to buy paintings for large sums of money. They always go for the cheaper ones, despite the quality of the work. Our people spend lots of money building huge houses. But get cheaper paintings to decorate their walls. They don’t know the value of a painting. It’s as if they know nothing about art,” he added.

Vishi believes that people should make a habit of buying paintings for house decorations rather than buying printed foreign sceneries. “We should start talking about this for a start. Then we might be able to start a new trend,” he said while pointing out that such a trend would help the amateur artists struggling to build a name for themselves.

He also believes that it is an easy task to promote wildlife and nature paintings, photography as well as tourism since we have been gifted with all the necessities to do so by Mother Nature. “If people get organized and if the government imposes proper laws and a strong hand is extended to armature artists, it will not be a difficult task,” he opined. “Now it’s the time to promote Sri Lanka; the country, its culture, wildlife and nature as well as the artists. Foreigners are paying attention to Sri Lanka these days. If we promote our country methodically, they will be fascinated.”

Re-greening suburban homes

Architect Thisara Thanapathy. Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe

Their architecture promises to be a fusion of function and fashion. According to their vision statement, they focus on the aesthetic experience of spatial form. Founder of Thanapathy Associates, located at Egodawatta, Borelasgomuwa, Architect Thisara Thanapathy, speaking to The Nation said that architecture is all about striking a balance between creating spatial quality and achieving proper ambiance. “An architect is able to help his or her client have a relaxing environment while addressing issues of the physical environment,” Thanapathy said.

Thanapathy also said that this form of art cannot be taught. “My childhood and school experiences were very important in the development of these skills set.” He went on to explain that architecture is about developing the senses and honing the awareness of the environment around you. “It is an art form with a keen sense of the environment and material forms. You must be able to feel the special qualities of nature, ambiance and space,” he said.

Mathale holiday home

Pic by Waruna Gomis

Thanapathy had had his primary education from Maharagama Vidyakara Vidyalaya and joined Ananda College, Colombo 10 for higher studies. He did his Advanced Level in the Mathematics stream. After completing university education he first joined the architecture company ‘Designer group5’. “While I was there the company completed many projects in Colombo including the high rises and this was a great opportunity for me to learn many valuable techniques,” he recalled. He was awarded with the Geoffrey Bawa Award, considered the most prestigious award for an architect in Sri Lanka, in 2011 for his excellence in the field. His design for the Mathale Holiday Bungalow also received an honorable mention at the Geoffrey Bawa Award Ceromany in 2010. In addition he was also awarded the second place for the low income housing project, ‘SHELTA’ in Mirihana.

“Take dining for example, we have to create the mood and the atmosphere for our client to carryout this activity with full attention,” he explained. He also said that it’s only the technical drawing and construction skills that a person can learn from a university, but the creative and conceptual skills depend on the architect himself. “You can’t teach art or architecture to a person. Only the techniques can be taught. It has to come from one’s inner self,” he said.

Thanapathy also said that he finds a connection between spirituality, religion and the work he does as an architect. “The purpose of life is spiritual satisfaction. Whatever you do, if you do it to your fullest efficiency, you are in your peak performance. That helps your spiritually. It’s the same in designing. When you do your best you feel that fulfilled. Maybe it is momentary, but it is valuable,” he iterated. “Our architects try to create human feelings rather than give priority to social image,” he said. “The architect should know how to create this by articulating space. If the architect is successful in this, his creation would help his client concentrate on what he is doing. It will be like meditation,” he continued. The architect should be able to address peacefulness of mind and relaxation and reject the pretentiousness of social images created by the consumerist culture.

Thanapathy explains that the Sri Lankan architect’s work should be appropriate to the tropical climate. “A modern design should include the qualities of openness and freedom, continuity and immensity. It should also have the simplicity and peacefulness of a dwelling of the past,” he opined.

He mentioned that he has attempted to create timeless beauty in his projects. “Consider the traditional vernacular architecture; it is based on local needs and construction material, and reflected local traditions, but tended to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural, technological and historical context. Even these are not academically planned, this kind still plays a major role in the architecture and design, especially in local branches,” he explained. He also said that this traditional beauty is observed less in modern architecture. “Now the buildings and the designs are not as beautiful as the old designs. I believe this resulted from a change in culture and the mindset of the people,” he said.

Thanapathy believes that Sri Lankan architects are comparatively advanced. Therefore Sri Lankan architects have a good demand both locally and internationally. He said that this is a result of the correct guidance of the first generation of Sri Lankan modern architects. “Our first generation of modern architects tried to mix modernism with traditional architecture. Even though India had a very rich cultural history their local architecture is not strong. They have to get architects down from foreign countries,” he said. “Our first generation architects did a commendable job. But the new generation is not very keen on improving the field, but copy the work of the first generation,” he said. “The architect too is commercialized, as anything else. He has to market himself and when he markets himself he loses his genuineness. Now the designing is not about relating to the context, you have to think about our economy and environment. Rather than trying to be better than the others if the architect can focus on addressing the real issues, especially the environmental issues, they can help to minimize the issues up to a certain extent,” he explained.

He also believes that people are conditioned by society, commercialism and consumerist culture. “They are detached from their inner self. These influences have created false images in people’s mind. Majority wants to just show off. They are out of touch with the true beauty of nature. People want to project an image through the design, but don’t know how to feel the beauty of it,” he said.

He said that it is almost impossible to convince their customers of the economically and environmentally healthy designs. “Most of the time the customer is not educated or knowledgeable enough to understand that there is no point in spending large amounts of money to build a house,” he said. “But a skilled architect can also find a way to be environmentally healthy while satisfying the customer’s needs. Also we can raise public awareness of critical social and environmental issues,” he further said.

Our urban areas are becoming denser and less green. Natural beauty of the suburban landscape is fast diminishing. To address the space issue, related to this Thanapathy Associates have come up with a small housing system with split levels. “It is time to answer these broader environmental and social issues through personalized house design other than satisfying individual needs. A ‘Split level house’ is a strategy developed specially to create a garden in suburban houses, which helps to preserve greenery as much as possible,” he explained. Split level houses accommodate part of the activities in the ground floor of a typical house on a mezzanine level- the intermediate floor between main floors of a house, while maintaining functional relationships. This creates an additional garden space equal to the area of the mezzanine floor.

He further explained how the architect can address environmental issues. As he explained, the building industry has the ability to influence a significant portion of the total Carbon dioxide emissions in urban areas; therefore architects should consider ways to minimize the carbon dioxide amount emitted per square meter. “Even the high-rises can be designed in an environmentally healthy way. Even when you choose the material you can select less energy consuming raw material. Wood consumes very less energy and you can also regrow the trees,” he reiterated.

Speaking more about environmentally healthy designs he said that a proper environmental design would address the surrounding environmental issues in a broader sense. The architect should consider low energy design principles and also the wellbeing of the people, using daylight, natural ventilation and innovative solar design strategies in their designs.

“Environmental design will also encompass areas such as historical preservation and lighting design. It should also fit human activities into this built environment so that those activities function efficiently, have high visual quality and will have minimal impact on natural systems. This can only be achieved as a collaboration between planners, architects, civil engineers and landscape architects. In other words, I suppose, this is what we all call sustainable development,” he added.

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/25364-re-greening-suburban-homes.html

Fishing in troubled waters

Pics by Rukshan Abeywansha

Sri Lanka Divers Society’s plea to save coastal environment
There is nothing quite like watching fish wiggle in water. Although keeping ornamental fish may seem pitiful, ornamental fishing is one of the major sources of income for divers. The extent of the Sri Lankan Territorial Sea is reported to be 21,500 sq. km. A multitude of tropical fish, magnificently colorful coral reefs and fascinating ship wrecks, hidden in the waters of the great blue ocean can be explored at several locations off the coasts. This has been one of the major reasons that make Sri Lanka a major tourist attraction. But unlike the tourists who visit Sri Lanka in search of great diving spots these ‘ornamental fish divers’ dive, day in and day out, to make a living.
According to these divers ornamental fishing is the fifth largest income earner for the country. Yet they claim that the government has not paid heed to their woes. “We are doing a very risky job,” Nihal, a professional diver who was getting ready to go out to sea for skin-diving (snorkeling) said. Nihal is one of the members of the Sri Lanka Divers Society in Dehiwala. Members of the society gather in their small hut facing the sea almost every day, early in the morning.
When the divers are confident that the weather is safe to dive they prepare their equipment. Fishing nets, gun (a tool which they use to catch large fish beneath the sea), plastic bags (to collect fish), oxygen tanks and few buckets (to bring back the fish) comprise their equipment. When the equipment is ready and when the diver is in his suit they set off. Rumantha, Nihal’s brother-in-law, was also ready to go scuba diving. His helper, Jayantha and a few others helped them push their boat off the shore.
Almost all the divers, except the helpers and guides who have retired, had toned bodies with abs (Abdominal muscles) straight out of a fitness magazine. Once the boat was pushed a few feet, Rumantha and Jayantha jumped into the boat. Jayantha waited for a big wave to start the engine which was previously checked for malfunctions. The boat eased off the shore. They prepared to anchor at the nearest reef. “Wind is a bit high today, so we are not planning to go any further,” Rumantha said while helping Jayantha to anchor. “There are days where we cannot sail at all because of bad (troublesome) weather. We can’t earn anything those days,” he managed to explain while throwing the anchor. It was noticeable that Rumantha and Jayantha were always at the opposite sides of the boat. “The balance of the boat is the most important thing if you don’t want the boat to capsize,” Jayantha explained.
Then the time came for Rumantha to dive. As he was already in his suit, the tight black swim suit, fins, gloves, oxygen mask, the regulator (that indicated the oxygen level of the tank) and the oxygen tank. He had the plastic bags strapped to his belt with fishing nets in one hand. Pressing the oxygen mask in the other hand against his face he dived into the deep sea. “I can trail him with the oxygen bubbles. Sometimes he dives down to 45 feet,” Jayantha said pointing at the air bubbles. The boat bobbed up and down with the waves.
“We dive only six months of the year. Diving season in this area is from October to March or April. It differs with the weather. When we can’t dive here we go to the East coast. There are some divers who go to the Maldives, Australia or Middle East countries during off season,” Jayantha said lighting a cigarette in the middle of the sea. There were four more oxygen tanks in the boat. Jayantha explained that the time it took to exhaust an oxygen tank differed from 20 to 60 minutes according to the depth of the diver. “He can see the oxygen level from the regulator in his hand. He knows when he should come up,” Jayantha said.
About 40 minutes later, Rumantha was ready to come up with the fish he collected. Jayantha started the engine again and followed the air bubbles to track him. Rumantha, still in the water, handed over the bags filled with fish to Jayantha. He then boarded the boat and removed the masks and the oxygen tank. Once the oxygen tank was replaced, he was ready for the second round.
After repeating the process four or five times, they were ready to return home. Once the boat reached the shore, the boys there came to help them pull the boat ashore. They carried the buckets filled with beautiful multicolored fish to the collectors. “There are several places collecting fish nearby. We sell our fish and they will sell them to the big companies that export them. We know that the big companies pay them a lot. But we don’t get much for the fish. Maximum for a fish is about Rs 400. Intermediates are the ones who earn the most from this,” lamented another diver who was resting at the hut after a dive.
All the divers gather at this hut after they return from sea. They share their experiences of the day, play a game of Carom and have cup of tea before they return home. Unity among the society provides the strength their challenging and often dangerous job requires. Sri Lanka Divers Society is a society registered under the Corporative Act with over 200 members.
President of the society, S.A Mahinda Silva spoke to The Nation about the challenges they face. “We have minimum job security. Only we know the dangers and risks of diving.”
According to them, the sudden loss of oxygen is probably the biggest threat. A diver’s oxygen tank can suddenly lose pressure, get damaged or even get lost. If that happens the diver must immediately resurface, or he is in danger of drowning. “Some times the helpers loose track of the diver.” Quite recently they had lost track of a diver. “Six boats went in search of him immediately after his boat informed us. Fortunately he was found near the Mount Lavonia Hotel. He had swum more than 11 nautical miles to get there. There were hundreds of people gathered at the shore to welcome him,” Mahinda recalled.
Another danger that divers face on a daily basis is the bends disease (Decompression Disease). Submerging or surfacing too rapidly can create bubbles in the tissues. This can wreak havoc in the circulatory system. The bends can be deadly if they are not properly tended to immediately. “There isn’t any medicine for bends in our hospitals. Some hospitals haven’t even heard of this disease,” Nihal drew our attention to Somasiri. Somasiri’s left leg has been paralyzed due to bends. R M S Somasiri, who started diving when he was 18 has been suffering from bends disease since 2000. “There is treatment for this in the Trincomalee Navy camp. But it is very hard for us to get,” he lamented.
They also complained about the coastal and sea pollution which has become a major threat to fish breeding areas. “There are few places where drainage water is released to the sea without proper standards. Plastic and polythene are destroying the coral reefs, also the water coming from the rivers,” another member of the society said. “The big foreign ships are another problem. The coral reefs get destroyed when they anchor.” Coral reefs in Buddigala, Guruwangala, Pitigala and Athangulpita are under the greatest threat according to them. They have informed National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), asking them to clean the coastal areas. Yet they haven’t responded to any of their letters.
“We don’t have a proper insurance system. Even the pension scheme for the divers is not satisfactory.” They explained that they had to face trying times after the tsunami. “It destroyed everything. We were promised compensation and equipment at the time. But we never received them. I still have the coupon they issued saying that I will be receiving some equipment,” another member complained. “And we are not entitled to any of the government compensation as we are not from the rural society; they are forcing us to become part of the rural society. But we will have better unity and strength if we are an all island society,” he added.
According to them there is no responsible authority over them. “We don’t need any compensation. We don’t need a special designated day for the divers. We just need them to help us to secure our jobs and our families,” they claimed. If the government takes proper action, we can save this beautiful environment. If it is properly done we will be able to earn a lot from exporting ornamental fish and also from tourism. Please take immediate action to safeguard the coastal environment and also our jobs,” it was their final plea.

December 2, 2012
Link : http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/13007-fishing-in-troubled-waters.html?tmpl=component&print=1

‘One Day on Earth’: poverty within world of wealth

Inspiring awareness and appreciation for mother Earth, ‘One Day on Earth’, a unique movie experience, was screened in 170 countries all over the world on April 22, to coincide with International Earth Day. The film was also screened in Sri Lanka at Liberty Cinema.
‘One Day on Earth’ is the first film made with the contribution of all countries on the same day, directed by Kyle Ruddick and produced by Brandon Littman. It’s simply about the cycle of human life. Exploring the progression of life from birth to death and birth again, ‘One Day on Earth’ employs images of birth, love, creativity, war and death. We all face unprecedented challenges and tragedies despite where we come from. Yet there is always hope and choice for a better future until the day we die.
‘One Day on Earth’ involved 3,000 hours of footage in 70 languages from 19,000 volunteer filmmakers around the world. All events features were filmed during a single day, October 10, 2010 (10.10.10) across the world. Not only professional filmmakers but amateur filmmakers across the world made their contribution to the making of this motion picture. All events that take place in the film are actual incidents that happened on the day around the world. People in the movie are not actors but normal people, who had no idea that they would be contributing to the making of a film that would be screened worldwide.
Featuring music by Grammy winners Paul Simon and Tinariwen, Fela Kuti, Sigur Rós, and DJ Cut Chemist, ‘One Day on Earth’ captures a dazzling array of human experiences, from the birth of a newborn in Mongolia to a woman who collects clocks in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. The film fluidly links crises from water shortage to poverty, connects people across the globe and offers rarely seen images from life in North Korea, Iran and Kosovo.
Filming in every country requires a lot of friends, supporters and resources. ‘One Day on Earth’ community has spent long days and nights establishing communication with organizations such as United Nations, Red Cross and Red Crescent, NGOs and filmmakers across the World. According to their records there were about 15,000 members of ‘One Day on Earth’ by the day it was filmed. Producers of the ‘One Day on Earth’ were very keen not to miss any of the significant events that happened on the October 10, 2010. Director Kyle Ruddick has mentioned that the movie is showing the poverty in a world of wealth, in a more encompassing manner than a foreign newspaper. The movie makes you feel more interconnected with the rest of the world fulfilling the dreams of its creators.
Beyond the film, the project has established a community platform of filmmakers worldwide and a shared public archive of video footage. The film has been financed by an array of sources, including significant support by the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms initiative. ‘One Day on Earth’ online community founded in 2008, is set out to explore our planet’s identity and challenges including poverty, environment, education, gender equality, human rights, migrations and refugees, health, humanitarian aid and child welfare.
‘One Day on Earth’ is also hoping to release a film of the November 11, 2011 (11.11.11) footage. And it’s planning to attempt the same feat again on December 12, 2012 (12.12.12), compiling that footage into a feature film as well. With the simultaneous filming event they created on the Earth Day 2012, the world will wait for the next steps of ‘One Day on Earth’, the story of the world they try to tell.

 

April 29, 2012
Link : https://www.nation.lk/edition/environment/item/5404-%E2%80%98one-day-on-earth%E2%80%99-poverty-within-world-of-wealth.html