Well known photographer and visual artist, Abhi Indrarajan, is all set to launch his brand new photobook, ‘Landscape of memories’, together with long time friend and wellness coach Nasseema Taleb who will be presenting her own book titled: ‘Living Awake’.
The double launch event will be held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in uMhlanga on Saturday, 1 October, and will be followed by an exciting exhibition of South African landscapes from Indrarajan’s book which will be available to the public from, 8pm to 10pm, at the Elements Café before flying away to Dubai for the next show.
This occasion combines the work of two friends who are equally passionate about visual arts and mindfulness, whose friendship developed from their common roots in South Africa. Having co-facilitated several workshops on mindful photography and intuitive journaling in Dubai, the duo decided to combine the launch of their books as a collaborative effort to offer a taste of Indrarajan’s amazing photography.
“We met in Dubai in October 2020 at an arts and wellness event during the middle of the pandemic through a common friend. We are both from tropical islands, Nasseema is from Mauritius and I am from Sri Lanka, yet we both spent our formative years in Durban, where we developed our skills and built a network of connections. Having worked on several projects together including events running intuitive journaling and mindful photography workshops, it only made sense for us to co-launch our new projects together as colleagues and friends,” said Indrarajan.
Commenting on his book, he said: “This book is a collection of images shot around the world on my various trips, spanning over a decade. The images were curated and aligned with my friends’ contribution as quotes. My life revolves around the connections I have made across the world, and my friends have been my family. I wanted this book to reflect the quality of my valued friendships and capture the essence of my friends’ thoughts and feelings. This personalises the book and creates a space for all my precious connections to be part of this beautiful project.”
According to Taleb, her book ‘Living Awake’ is collection of personal short chapters depicting her journey of growth and personal transformation, using self-ethnographic writing which is the skill of applying self-inquiry and observation during the process of writing.
She said: “It involves the writer’s ability to immerse themselves fully into the experience and relay those experiences to their readers through a natural intuitive and mindful way. Intuitive writing is a process of connecting to the experience as it is happening and the ability to use various types of narrative styles to convey meaning through self-reflections.
“In many ways the book is a like a personal diary, except that it involves deeper reflective abilities, as I write my stories, learn through my writing and observe myself being the storyteller, all at the same time. It demands pure vulnerability from my side and courage,” she added.
