Wildlife Photo Exhibition at Sejong Center for Performing Arts
Wallspread photo by Greg Du Toit
I no longer have any interest in going to the zoo. Of course, at times it can be inspiring to see the actual animal you’ve heard and seen in pictures and videos; to see the rippling muscles in the shoulders of a tiger, or to see the sea otters glide effortlessly through the water. It may be a good thing that zoos preserve some of the animals that are on the verge of extinction, and how they promote the education on endangered species. Yet I am now convinced that a wildlife photo exhibition is a much more powerful experience than a trip to the zoo.
The wildlife photo exhibition that was held at Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul was simply amazing. The bold colors, the captivating framing, the vivid life that was captured in the photos was more than any zoo could claim to have. Than even I could claim to have. I walked out of the exhibition back into the city and was surrounded by a drab grey. What miserable busy creatures we’ve become. Gone are the days spent playing outside in the sunny grass; today’s we play in a digital playground full of hostility and profanity. It is so easy to get caught up in this modern world and let the days and hours pass in a life dominated by artificiality. Work-life balance isn’t anything to scoff about or put off until “later.” The more convenience we obtain through technology the more effort we must consciously put in towards finding that balance.
The beauty that lies in a wildlife photo exhibition is that moment of being in the present. What better way to appreciate animals than photographs that capture them in all their natural majestic glory? To see their feathers down to the smallest detail, to see their whiskers with such clarity, to feel their wet noses and gritty texture of the earth upon them. The animals in the zoo? Yes they are safe and sound. They also look miserably bored out of their minds. You can give them all sorts of “mental stimulation” and a roomy space to live in, but I can guarantee that they want out of their pens and glass enclosures. Even my dog, who gets pampered and roams freely around the house is over joyed at the prospect of going out for a walk. If you were locked up in your house with plenty of mental stimulation, wouldn’t you still go mad from not being able to go outdoors? On that note, time to go out for a walk. You see? Kip is positively thrilled.
