In collaboration with the New Zealand Embassy, the American University in Cairo's Sony Gallery held a retrospective of the work of John Feeney (1922-2006), widely known as Riverman for his lifetime infatuation with rivers the world over. After filming the Waikato, New Zealand's longest, he embarked on his greatest project -- filming the Nile and, in the process, portraying the daily life of its people with a rare tenderness. Feeney ended up spending a good half of his life based in Cairo.
A story teller and writer as well as a photographer and filmmaker, his stills reflect a profound understanding of Egypt, its people and their development since the Aswan High Dam put an end to Nile floods; this is social history at its best. The word "authenticity" invariably comes to mind in connection with this man. Nursing students looking down the stairway of Ain Shams University Hospital in 1974, circus clowns at the Agouza Theatre in 1979, little girls carrying the jasmine harvest in 1980: here is a profound understanding of the cultural environment combined with masterful application of Cartier-Bresson's "decisive moment" technique. Experiences ranging from shadow puppet theatre to the candied fruit produced by Groppi's in 1975 inform both the photos and the sensibility with which they were taken.
No comments:
Post a Comment