A Maze of Metal
Most visual artistes such as documentary photographers and filmmakers are nowadays highlighting ship-breaking yards in the country. So far, few of them have featured the other side of the coin -- the ship-building industry. Bangladesh has the potential to make a substantial income through building and selling ships. Documentary photographer Din Muhammad Shibly undertook a yearlong project on ship-building yards in the country. The outputs are now on display at Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi in Dhaka.
The solo exhibition, titled “The Maze of Metal”, opened on November 14. The exhibition displays 51 photos depicting complicated metal works at the ship-building yards. Deputy Ambassador of Denmark, Jan Møller Hansen, inaugurated the exhibition as special guest.
Shibly informed that he had to work previously at ship-building yards by the river Karnaphuli. He got inspired to document the growing industry. His aim is to reveal it to the rest of the country, as well as the world. “Along with RMG and ship-breaking industry, this could be another sector that propels Bangladesh one step closer to development,” said Shibly, who works as a photo editor for a business magazine.
The photos are classified into two categories. The larger group prioritises commercial aspect, while the smaller group showcases aesthetic visual elements. Most of the photographs highlight the work environment -- from an imposing view of a grand vassal to close-up snaps of labourers at work. As a visual artiste, he did not overlook aestheticism either.
Wide angle and panoramic shots features the magnificence of the river Karnaphuli. Aesthetics takes front seat in some extreme close-up shots that feature the apparently maze-like holes in the vassals.
The photographer also informed that the ongoing exhibition is a part of the preliminary stage of his dream project -- documenting the industry. That is why the exhibition does not feature any photo story. “My primary goal is to make people aware that Bangladesh has the capability to produce such large vassals,” said Shibly.
Shibly was born in 1977, in Rajshahi. He completed post graduation in Mass Communication from Rajshahi University in 1999. He is a graduate in photography from Pathshala, the South Asian Institute of Photography.
He is a visiting lecturer at Dhaka University.
His area of interest is socio-political documentaries. Among his projects, “Dhaka: The Other Look”, “Photo Diary: Female”, “Gunijan” and “Time/Life” are notable. Through his photography, he wants to highlight social issues and conflict to enable civic discourse.
Local ship-building company, Western Marine Shipyard Limited, sponsored the exhibition. “The Maze of Metal” is the third solo exhibition of the photographer.
The exhibition ends today.
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