Theme: To Live
Date: March 1 – 30, 2015
Venue: Central Library, Vancouver
Presentation: March 18, 2015 (Wed)
Session 1: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Cantonese)
Session 2: 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm (English)
From the beginning to the end, our lives are comprised of different stages and we are faced with a variety of circumstances. Children are usually worry-free; youths are happy and sweet. However, there are some who are abandoned and left to fend for themselves. They have to bear heavy burdens despite their young age. Some, even before they begin to enjoy their teenager years, are made to be someone’s wife. These young mothers often have to take care of their families and earn a living at the same time. Time flies, and their years go by them with hardships. Unknowingly, their strength fails, their eyes grow dim, their appetite diminishes, and sleep eludes them. Before they realize it, they are nearing the end of their life journey.
“To Live” Photo Exhibition — One Visitor’s Perspective
Albert Ma is a Kinesiology student at UBC and a recent visitor to the “To Live” photo exhibition. We were interested to know what he thought about the exhibition and how it impacted him.
You’ve been to different exhibitions. What do you think sets this one apart from others?
“This exhibition has a back story to every photograph and all for a good cause; it shows where each was taken, and different regions in the world are reflected. I haven’t had the opportunity to travel to all these places, so these photos depict a completely different life from mine. It gives me appreciation for what I have, even for things such as public transit. Our complaints are really just first world problems. We really do live in such different worlds from those in the photos. For example, the kids’ games in some countries are just marbles, whereas kids here play with iPhones and iPads!
“I also like that this exhibition has bilingual captions. It is not often that you see that. It is great, since there is such a large Chinese community here.”
What feelings did the exhibition evoke in you?
“The theme of the photos was a progression from birth to death. Lately, what has filled my mind the most is what I want to do with my future. I’ve never needed to worry about survival like these people do. My problems seem so superficial compared to theirs.”
Which picture impacted you the most?
“The one about education. Some children have to put so much effort to go to school in other countries. But the caption said, even if they get to go to school, how far can school take them? Here, we take it for granted that we can graduate even from high school, but others really have to struggle a lot to go to school. I feel that children in other countries have their maturity more developed earlier on.”