News

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer

A new book by an Avondale College lecturer will introduce Sri Lankans to each other and, despite years of violent unrest, share the optimistic spirit that survives in the country.

Photographer Martin Pieris, a sessional in the Faculty of Lifestyle Education and Visual Communication, launched The Sri Lankans: a portrait of a developing nation in the Joanne Felk Gallery earlier this month (June 3).

Keynote speaker Dr Allan Chawner, associate professor in the School of Drama, Fine Art and Music at the University of Newcastle, described Pieris as a "migrant seeking a new cultural link" and his 49 black and white photographs of culturally and socially influential Sri Lankans as "not just portraits, but portraits of people in their place."

Pieris makes statements about his subjects by using the subject's body language and environment. He takes no more than seven photographs of each subject and uses natural elements to light them. He also includes interviews--they read like conversations--with each subject. "The Sri Lankans is a warm and welcoming family portrait," said Chawner. "It reflects the sense of the photographer, who is an artist, who is a Sri Lankan."

The country's recorded history of 2500 years includes the arrival of the Indo-Arians and the Dravidians. The Arabs, Moors and Europeans--Portuguese, Dutch and English--followed, making Sri Lanka one of the original multicultural societies. Pieris produced the book to discover this mix of cultures, however they were too complex--Pieris would take seven years to complete the book. "Finishing . . . almost felt like leaving your family," said Pieris. "It would never happen, it could not happen, it should not happen. . . . It has, nevertheless, been a tremendous journey for me, a journey I hope to build on in years to come."

The Sri Lankans: a portrait of a developing nation (304 pages) is available from the Avondale College bookshop for $60.

Caption: Martin Pieris signs one of his books.
Credit: Ann Stafford