Canadian filmmaker and photographer Gregory Colbert captures the beautiful, uninhibited relationship between man and wildlife. He took a ten-year hiatus from exhibiting any work to travel the world, exploring the vast and natural landscapes of exotic lands including India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Egypt, and Antarctica. On his journey, he discovered and documented the exquisite coexistence of humans and animals in his ongoing series titled Ashes and Snow.
The project states: “No longer shown as merely a member of the family of man, humans are seen as a member of the family of animals.” There is an undeniable connection between each person and his co-starring animal companion. There isn’t a competition or hostility between the species presented within any given frame. Instead, there is a sense of unity and understanding. The separation between animal and man seems to have disintegrated in this series that proudly boasts the absence of any digital manipulation used to splice the subjects together.
Colbert first exhibited his works from this collection in 2002 in Venice. The remarkable thing about his show and every subsequent showing of this series is that they are all exhibited in his Nomadic Museum, which travels with him and whose architectural design evolves as it makes its way from city to city. The exhibit contains over 50 large-scale photographs (approximately 7×12 feet), a one-hour film, and two short film “haikus” about the seamless interactions between humans and animals.
You can watch a few short video clips on Ashes and Snow’s YouTube channel and keep on eye on Colbert’s official YouTube channel where the artist is planning to release more videos as he continues on his journey.
