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Descendants 350By trchambers(47) History has always been an interest of mine ... even when I was in grade school, for some reason ... but I think it's boring for a lot of people, particularly youth because there's a sense of detachment. The past [certainly, the distant-past] situation/event seems to have no connection or relevance with what's current. And young people [others] are "now" oriented. So in 1986 and as a part of Rhode Island's 350th Anniversary Celebration, I put together the documentary portraiture project, "Descendants 350", to offer a unique look and study of the State's early history. I made images of Descendants (contemporaries) as icons or symbols to pay tribute to and talk about their Ancestors' (First Settlers') contributions during the early to middle 1600s through text extracted from The Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island (and other sources). This unique coupling of present and past bloodlines makes this project special as it relates to Rhode Island's early history. There's a connection with the Descendants [the contemporaries who are alive and interact with other residents of the State during the present time] and a perpetuation of sorts of the Ancestors'/First Settlers' contributions in formulating the State's history. The sense of presence or immediacy is the key factor that makes this project special in a curricular sense. The expression and posture of the Descendants within the images are essentially the same throughout the series of portraits to establish a common thread which indicates a unity of pride for their Ancestry. And the settings [surroundings] are reflective of their Ancestors' respective backgrounds. Even though the images can be viewed strictly as portraiture, they are also a collection of icons or symbols that presents itself through flesh objects (Descendants) as gifts of gratitude, respect and admiration for those Ancestors/First Settlers who founded and settled a new society [Rhode Island] based on freedom from religious persecution. The project was funded by Providence 350, Inc., and it was exhibited at ten different venues in Rhode Island. It now resides as a part of the Rhode Island State Archives. Some news coverage states: "Descendants 350 views like a stately procession of New England nobility. The show consists of black-and-white portraits of 40 Rhode Island scions who singularly and collectively convey an intense bond with local governmental, social and religious beginnings." Descendants 350 [This year marks its 20th Anniversary.] Tom R. Chambers http://tomrchambers.com This Blog Post has been read 1 times. Posted to ProBlogs.com on Monday, January 01, 2007 View other posts by trchambers Comments on this blog post: No comments yet. Leave a Public Comment or Question: An American Teacher's Experience Near Zhengzhou, China The McEwen Photographic Studio Dyer Street Portraiture Acclaim to the photographer Kuo Tung Tai's works-Tea Series (Photo Updated) Ashes and Snow-by Gregory Colbert Earth from Above-A Great Photographer-Yann Arthus-Bertrand Mother's 45s |
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