Himalaya Program Welcome Reception and Photo Exhibition Opening: Life with the Forest in Sikkim

Join the Himalaya Program for a Welcome Reception to mark the beginning of the 2018-2019 academic year and the opening of a photo exhibition by Saori Ogura, a PhD student at UBC Forestry.

The reception will be held from 5:00 – 7:00PM in Room 1221, in the Forest Sciences Centre, with the exhibit on show in the adjoining Atrium.

Photo Exhibit Information:

The forest is life for people in the Eastern Himalaya. Scholar and artist Saori Ogura lived in Sikkim for one year, from 2011-2012, to better understand the indigenous Lepcha, or Rongkup, people’s ways of life and wisdom borne of living with the forest. During her stay, Saori captured portraits of the villagers’ warmth and strength, as well as their livelihoods – especially the great diversity of traditional crops which are on the cusp of disappearing. Despite rapid lifestyle changes, village life offers an insight into the intricate relationships people have developed over many generations, enabling them to live in harmony with the forest.

 

 

Artist Information: 

Saori Ogura is a PhD student at the Faculty of Forestry. She was the recipient of the 2017 Nikon Salon Miki Jun Inspiration Award for her photojournalism project documenting her time living in Sikkim and Darjeeling in India’s Eastern Himalayas. Her doctoral research explores the relationships between people and nature, with a particular focus on food security through diversity of traditional crops in Mazvihwa, Zimbabwe.