1000 Families
06/24/2004 16:20 Filed in: Culture Watch
On a bet that he couldn't do it, Uwe Ommer took on the challenge of photographing 1000 families from around the world. It took him about four years, but he visited over 130 countries and took pictures of over 1200 families. His technique was pretty simple. He threw the same white tarp behind every family and tried to capture the picture in the same amount of lighting.
Last night, Kathy and I were strolling along Waterfront Park when we came across the Speed Museum's outdoor exhibit of Ommer's work. The pictures are almost life-size and there were quite a few people taking a look. Each picture comes with a description of the family photographed, with the name and occupation of those in the portrait. Since Ommer, a German photographer, was taking the pictures in the late nineties, he asked many of his subjects what they hoped for in the new millennium. Their answers provide a glimpse into the global sense of hopefulness that all people share, regardless of their background or social standing. Also, from the look of some of the clothes the people are wearing, my hunch is that they ran to get the "best" item of clothing they owned. Often they will be wearing a shiny pair of shoes or what looks like a brand new jacket. The descriptions under the portraits are in English, French, and German.
While standing in front of a picture of a family from Colombia, a real-life visitor from Colombia approached us and asked if we would take his picture with the exhibit family from his native country.
Pardon the teacher in me, but let me suggest that if you are in the Louisville area and have children, take them to the park and examine each picture together. Bring with you an atlas of the world so that you can look up each country represented in the pictures. Set aside an afternoon because there are quite a few of the pictures on display (but not not anywhere near the whole 1000). Read each description and reflect on what life might be like in that country. This could also be a lesson for your children (and you!) about appreciating the things we are blessed with in our country. Most of the families photographed seemed very poor by our standards. However, there still seemed to be a general sense of happiness and hope for the future.
Below is a low-res picture I took of Kathy standing next to one of the exhibits. Unfortunately, we only had the camera on my cell phone. The man in the picture trains monkeys to climb trees and retrieve coconuts. Notice that there is a monkey standing next to him much like a child with his father. Pictured at their feet are two coconuts.
The pictures will be on exhibit at the Overlook on Waterfront Park until September 19 and at the Speed Museum until November 28.
Last night, Kathy and I were strolling along Waterfront Park when we came across the Speed Museum's outdoor exhibit of Ommer's work. The pictures are almost life-size and there were quite a few people taking a look. Each picture comes with a description of the family photographed, with the name and occupation of those in the portrait. Since Ommer, a German photographer, was taking the pictures in the late nineties, he asked many of his subjects what they hoped for in the new millennium. Their answers provide a glimpse into the global sense of hopefulness that all people share, regardless of their background or social standing. Also, from the look of some of the clothes the people are wearing, my hunch is that they ran to get the "best" item of clothing they owned. Often they will be wearing a shiny pair of shoes or what looks like a brand new jacket. The descriptions under the portraits are in English, French, and German.
While standing in front of a picture of a family from Colombia, a real-life visitor from Colombia approached us and asked if we would take his picture with the exhibit family from his native country.
Pardon the teacher in me, but let me suggest that if you are in the Louisville area and have children, take them to the park and examine each picture together. Bring with you an atlas of the world so that you can look up each country represented in the pictures. Set aside an afternoon because there are quite a few of the pictures on display (but not not anywhere near the whole 1000). Read each description and reflect on what life might be like in that country. This could also be a lesson for your children (and you!) about appreciating the things we are blessed with in our country. Most of the families photographed seemed very poor by our standards. However, there still seemed to be a general sense of happiness and hope for the future.
Below is a low-res picture I took of Kathy standing next to one of the exhibits. Unfortunately, we only had the camera on my cell phone. The man in the picture trains monkeys to climb trees and retrieve coconuts. Notice that there is a monkey standing next to him much like a child with his father. Pictured at their feet are two coconuts.
The pictures will be on exhibit at the Overlook on Waterfront Park until September 19 and at the Speed Museum until November 28.
