NOMADIC VISIONS

The Visual & Audio Blog of Photographer Duane Prentice
Week 3 Recovery Images:  The Timbuktu Wells where the Tuareg climb down the hand carved staircases to the muddy waters at the bottom of the well.  Shot in December 1993 while crossing the Sahara desert north to south.

Week 3 Recovery Images:  The Timbuktu Wells where the Tuareg climb down the hand carved staircases to the muddy waters at the bottom of the well.  Shot in December 1993 while crossing the Sahara desert north to south.

One of the oldest libraries in  Timbuktu (image made in 1994) cared for by Mr. Ahmend Saloum Boularaf, who has been caring for ancient documents in  Timbuktu  for years. Mr. Boularaf was responsible for many of the most precious books from his grandfather’s collection in the Centre des Recheres Ahhmed Baba (CEDRAB) and it was known at that time to be the most impressive private collection in  Timbuktu.  It covers topics from science to medicine, history, theology grammar, geography.  Across Timbuktu , in cupboards, rusting chests, private collections and libraries, tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of manuscripts bear witness to this legendary city’s remarkable intellectual history.   This past weekend Islamist insurgents retreating from Timbuktu,  set fire to two  libraries containing thousands of priceless historic manuscripts (The manuscripts were reportedly held in two separate locations: an ageing library (I suspect this to be Mr. Boularaf’s) and the new South African-funded research centre, the Ahmad Babu Institute, less than a mile away. Completed in 2009 and named after a 17th-century Timbuktu scholar, the centre used state-of-the-art techniques to study and conserve the crumbling scrolls. )  It turns out that most of the manuscripts had already been smuggled into hiding.  The people of Timbuktu have long been used to hiding their precious books and the curators of the South African centred aware of the danger the library might be in had already removed most of the books in their care.

One of the oldest libraries in  Timbuktu (image made in 1994) cared for by Mr. Ahmend Saloum Boularaf, who has been caring for ancient documents in  Timbuktu  for years.

Mr. Boularaf was responsible for many of the most precious books from his grandfather’s collection in the Centre des Recheres Ahhmed Baba (CEDRAB) and it was known at that time to be the most impressive private collection in  Timbuktu.  It covers topics from science to medicine, history, theology grammar, geography.  Across Timbuktu , in cupboards, rusting chests, private collections and libraries, tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of manuscripts bear witness to this legendary city’s remarkable intellectual history.  

This past weekend Islamist insurgents retreating from Timbuktu,  set fire to two  libraries containing thousands of priceless historic manuscripts (The manuscripts were reportedly held in two separate locations: an ageing library (I suspect this to be Mr. Boularaf’s) and the new South African-funded research centre, the Ahmad Babu Institute, less than a mile away. Completed in 2009 and named after a 17th-century Timbuktu scholar, the centre used state-of-the-art techniques to study and conserve the crumbling scrolls. )  It turns out that most of the manuscripts had already been smuggled into hiding.  The people of Timbuktu have long been used to hiding their precious books and the curators of the South African centred aware of the danger the library might be in had already removed most of the books in their care.

Week 2 Recovery Images:  Champagne Sparkles is a member of the Cheesecake Burlesque Revue and this image is part of the Behind the Tease Series I worked on in 2008.

Week 2 Recovery Images:  Champagne Sparkles is a member of the Cheesecake Burlesque Revue and this image is part of the Behind the Tease Series I worked on in 2008.

As part of a series of recovering old photos I am going back through the files to rediscover some old favourites and hopefully uncover some new jewels.  This image from East Timor was published in Life magazine in 1998.

As part of a series of recovering old photos I am going back through the files to rediscover some old favourites and hopefully uncover some new jewels.  This image from East Timor was published in Life magazine in 1998.

So here is the 2012 PhotoBook list. It is a wonderful few days as I pull out a book and remind myself why I liked it, and discover in some cases I don’t like it as much any more, or maybe one that was slow to excite me is now an enticing collection of imagery. I chose not to do the retrospective collections this year, although there are five that are worth checking out. And even though these are my choices, you will have others that inspired you, and that is what collecting photo books is all about. If you are interested in a bit more why I chose a book scroll through the previous posts to see a bit about each of these books. There is lots to be grateful in our overly visually stimulated world for the chance to sit with any one of these books by very committed photographers. Enjoy! In no special order:Ron Jude Lick Creek Line Mack Cristina de Middel Afronauts CDMPTorbjørn Rødland  Vanilla Partner MackStephen Gill Coexistence NobodySophie Calle Rachel, Monique Ed Xavier BarralTimothy H. O’Sullivan: King Survey Photos YaleDavid Alan Harvey based on a true story Burn magStephen Ferry Violentology Umbrage J Carrier Elementary Calculus MackAntoine D’Agata Ice Images En ManoeuvresPlease check out my Journal page for why these are the books I chose.http://www.nomadicvisions.com/Journal/Journal.html

So here is the 2012 PhotoBook list. It is a wonderful few days as I pull out a book and remind myself why I liked it, and discover in some cases I don’t like it as much any more, or maybe one that was slow to excite me is now an enticing collection of imagery. I chose not to do the retrospective collections this year, although there are five that are worth checking out. And even though these are my choices, you will have others that inspired you, and that is what collecting photo books is all about. If you are interested in a bit more why I chose a book scroll through the previous posts to see a bit about each of these books. There is lots to be grateful in our overly visually stimulated world for the chance to sit with any one of these books by very committed photographers. Enjoy! In no special order:

Ron Jude Lick Creek Line Mack 
Cristina de Middel Afronauts CDMP
Torbjørn Rødland
 Vanilla Partner Mack
Stephen Gill Coexistence Nobody
Sophie Calle Rachel, Monique Ed Xavier Barral
Timothy H. O’Sullivan: King Survey Photos Yale
David Alan Harvey based on a true story Burn mag
Stephen Ferry Violentology Umbrage 
J Carrier Elementary Calculus Mack
Antoine D’Agata Ice Images En Manoeuvres

Please check out my Journal page for why these are the books I chose.

http://www.nomadicvisions.com/Journal/Journal.html

Remnants XII Firewood for the Winter

Remnants XII Firewood for the Winter

Duane Prentice

—201210_Slashfire

Sound recording of a slash fire burning on Vancouver Island,  Recorded with the Soundman Binaural microphones which are best listened to with stereo headphones that allow the true nature of stereo to be experienced.

Remnants XII  With the demise of Kodak, I may not be able to get any more 8x10 transparency and so the documentation of Vancouver Island in large format may come to an end this winter.  Have to come with another way to do this I imagine.

Remnants XII 

With the demise of Kodak, I may not be able to get any more 8x10 transparency and so the documentation of Vancouver Island in large format may come to an end this winter.  Have to come with another way to do this I imagine.