{"id":15237,"date":"2015-05-20T06:55:31","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T10:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/?p=15237"},"modified":"2015-05-20T06:55:31","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T10:55:31","slug":"alumn-cira-crowell-exhibition-book-envisioning-ecstasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/15237\/alumn-cira-crowell-exhibition-book-envisioning-ecstasy\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumn Cira Crowell – Exhibition & Book – "Envisioning Ecstasy""},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cirrus<\/a><\/p>\n

In the summer of 2013 I had the\u00a0fortune of travelling to Ladakh, India, a remote Himalayan\u00a0kingdom that is now far Northwestern India, bordered by Pakistani controlled Kasmir and Chinese controlled Tibet. \u00a0Ladakh\u2019s high desert rises from\u00a0valley floors at 12,000 feet to the mountain peaks at 20,000ft. Water from the Indus River is skillfully directed through lush fields then on to irrigate countless other valleys in India. The Ladakhis live in carefully\u00a0organized communities of adobe homes where they maintain cattle and yak, pashmina goat herds, make mud bricks for export, hone\u00a0their traditional crafts, keep cultural ways of life and practice an intense spirituality. \u00a0It is a place where monasteries seem to float above military bases and vast expanses that shimmer in the intense, clear light.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Translated as\u00a0\u201cThe Land of High Passes\u201d\u00a0Ladakh is a region of sunshine and snow, of dark temples and bright spirits.<\/span><\/p>\n

I happened to meet fellow photographer Christopher Michel in Delhi when he was doing what he does best, photographing people with his happy-go-lucky-how-could-you-say-no direct approach. \u00a0We happened to have the same somewhat unusual camera and lens combo so I struck up a conversation. \u00a0Little did I know we would be\u00a0traveling to the same place and often shooting standing shoulder to shoulder with several thousand other people.<\/p>\n

\"Faster<\/p>\n

One hundred and fifty thousand ethnic Tibetans were gathering in Ladakh for the ancient Kalachakra ceremony, a two thousand year old ten-day teaching given by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. \u00a0I went as a student of life, to see and\u00a0experience with\u00a0camera in hand but no specific assignment or shot list. \u00a0It was not easy. \u00a0The mid-summer\u00a0heat of India was as hard on the equipment as it was on the attendees. \u00a0It was difficult to breathe, move, and photograph in the dust, smoke, heat and an international crowd of so many, packed into a tight space and hurrying over long distances to get there. \u00a0There were near mob-scene moments as well as times of great kindness that transcended language barriers. \u00a0The intense sun cast deep shadows in the desert while the traditional adobe architecture had dark interiors often only illuminated with butter lamps and a single strong shaft of light. \u00a0The\u00a0experience was overwhelming and required great\u00a0openness to each moment, the physical stamina to endure heat and altitude as well as the willingness to play well with others. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Every extra moment from sunrise to starry night was spent exploring the stupa fields, monasteries, city of Leh and village life with friends\u00a0met along the way. \u00a0Chris\u2019 focus on the essence of each moment was an\u00a0inspiration and his photographs reflect his incisive eye, whether the subject was people or place. During the two weeks in Ladakh we did not share work or even review our own images. \u00a0There was limited electricity for anything beyond charging\u00a0batteries. \u00a0Several weeks later I happened to come across a blog article about Chris’ work in Ladakh and immediately suggested a collaborative show to benefit Tibetan culture at Tibet House US. \u00a0Fortunately Chris agreed to my out-of-the-blue request and the curator of Tibet House US, Zola Nyambuu, was happy with the show we proposed. \u00a0So began the coincidental collaboration of\u00a0\u201cEnvisioning Ecstasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show has forty black and white photographic\u00a0prints of landscape, portraits and details of Ladakh during the Kalachakra. \u00a0These range from arid desertscapes to lush irrigated fields reflecting the mountains. \u00a0There are images from the Kalachakra as well as incongruous graffiti overlooking the capitol city, Leh. \u00a0Curious camels, luminous nightscapes and the famously painted Indian trucks balance the spiritual iconography. \u00a0A traveling circus with a lotus-decorated ferris wheel loomed above the vast desert providing an\u00a0unforgettable personal and photographic experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnvisioning Ecstasy\u201d also has a conceptual aspect in the form of\u00a0eleven large-scale lumenographic prints based on illustration based photographs originally sketched during the Kalachakra. \u00a0Two projected animations bring these drawings to life and complete the show.\u00a0The story behind many of the documentary images was captured in Chas Curtis\u2019 keen videograpy. \u00a0Chas’ evocative timelapses and\u00a0captivating clips from ceremony to circus were seamlessly edited into a luminous video interview by Kyle Ruddick. The video is a multi-media presentation of “Envisioning Ecstasy” and will be screened at the opening.\u00a0The show is accompanied by a catalog,\u00a0<\/span>Envisioning Ecstasy<\/span>\u00a0and a clothbound book,\u00a0<\/span>108 Visions : Ladakh During the Kalachakra<\/span>, thoughtfully designed by Michael Motley, which offers glimpses of the journey from small details to sweeping vistas. \u00a0Books and print sales benefit Tibet House US, which brings the concept of collaboration full circle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CCrowell_ClearLightMind_425px<\/p>\n

All of this work was greatly enhanced by John Paul and Seth\u2019s dynamic duo Art of Processing and Art of Creativity. The workshops are an intense immersive experience for honing artistic vision, voice and direction. \u00a0And of course any workshop with JP and Seth is a lesson in that all important art of playing well with others, one of my favorite photographic mantras.\u00a0\u00a0Photography is often seen as a solitary pursuit and though it has it\u2019s quiet moments, communal creativity widens the collective perspective.\u00a0This golden rule underpins the entire show of\u00a0\u201cEnvisioning Ecstasy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnvisioning Ecstasy\u201d opens at Tibet House US<\/a>, New York, May 20 from 6-8pm and is on exhibit until June 26. Two publications will be released for the show: a catalog, \u201cEnvisioning Ecstasy,\u201d and a hardcover book,\u00a0<\/span>108 Visions: Ladakh During the Kalachakra.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Please contact Tibet House US regarding show information and books.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn\u00a0more about Envisioning Ecstacy on The\u00a0Leica Blog.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Find out more about Cira Crowell here.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Alumni Success Stories here.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the summer of 2013 I had the\u00a0fortune of travelling to Ladakh, India, a remote Himalayan\u00a0kingdom that is now far Northwestern India, bordered by Pakistani controlled Kasmir and Chinese controlled Tibet. \u00a0Ladakh\u2019s high desert rises from\u00a0valley floors at 12,000 feet to the mountain peaks at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[361],"tags":[657,86,437,2974,3440,412,1210,3441,23,3442],"post_folder":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlumn Cira Crowell - Exhibition & Book - "Envisioning Ecstasy" - John Paul Caponigro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/15237\/alumn-cira-crowell-exhibition-book-envisioning-ecstasy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumn Cira Crowell - 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