Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute

Village in the Sky

Dedicated to the Arts and to the discovery of different cultures, Rachel Bussières, an anthropology student at Laval University, has developed a true passion for photography. Patient and contemplative in her approach, Rachel goes through a long process of trial and error with each masterpiece resting on the groundwork of a lot of other shots. During her journey to India where she worked as a photographer for the Tibetan Women’s Association in Dharamsala and the International Society for Ecology and Culture in Ladakh her relationship with the medium of photography grew profound.

Her exhibition, Village in the Sky, is a depiction of the village of Skindiyang situated in the high hills of Ladakh. Rachel was able to live in Skindiyang for a few days thanks to her affiliation with the International Society for Ecology and Culture . The exhibition flows from her desire to represent human nature in its day-to-day essence. In seeking to understand her subjects and to capture their portraits, Rachel first carried out one-on-one interviews with them. During her immersion with the people of Skindiyang, she became familiar with the language, food, and characteristics of daily life.

Village in the Sky tells the story of the villagers of Ladakh, but it also tells the story of a Westerner who went to visit them, who lived amongst them for many days. It is the story of friction between tradition and modernity, of culture shock, and of a type of adaptation that draws one into the emotions of one’s surrounding. Through art, Village in the Sky communicates the human experience of the villagers of Ladakh while also depicting the nature of the artist’s relationship with them.

Each photograph has been mounted on all-natural, handmade rice paper originating from Nepal and was printed in India using coloured ink. After separating out each individual pigment, the ink was carefully applied one image at a time. The end result encompasses the entire universe from which the photographs were taken.

Village in the Sky ran throughout the day on October 15th in Laval University’s Community Hall. It will also be displayed at ‘la galerie Tzara’ on rue Saint-Paul next spring.

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