Drawn from the extensive photographic archives of Ceylonese material held privately and publicly within the UK, this exhibition examines the first fifty years of photography in Ceylon. The bewildering array of subjects encompasses both the epic and everyday, from sublime panoramas of mountain landscapes to the exquisite detail of an individual bread-fruit. Formal and vernacular portraiture is displayed alongside busy street scenes reflecting the coexistence of secular and religious life. Sequential images trace the development of key industries such as tea, coffee, cinnamon and plumbago - from the initial clearing of land to the preparation of goods for export.

The exhibition continues a programme of activity initiated in the mid 80s involving the repatriation of archival material held in Britain to its country of origin. This coincided with the reevaluation of the role of the photo-archive and its place within the construction of photographic meaning. The programme has involved new research into material from Madagascar, Turkey, India and the Caribbean.

The exhibition opened in Colombo and toured to seven other venues within Sri Lanka before the facsimile Iris prints were bequeathed to the National Museum, Colombo

A 96 page catalogue was produced to accompany the show, reproducing all the works in the exhibition with an introductory essay by the curator John Falconer in collaboration with Ismeth Raheem. This is available from Cornerhouse Publications

For further information please contact Brett Rogers