THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY – HONG KONG
presents
“The High Pamirs: the Roof of the World”
by
Matthieu Paley
on
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
1F, Duke of Windsor Building,
15 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong
(please note that this building is in a convenient location, about 5 minutes from Admiralty MTR or Pacific Place, next to the HK Police HQ)
6.30pm Drinks Reception; 7.30 pm Lecture
We are delighted to welcome Matthieu Paley to lecture at the Royal Geographical Society on “The High Pamirs: the Roof of the World”. Mr Paley lectures on his work as a photographer in the Afghan Pamirs and its neighbours Tajikistan, Pakistan and China, as well as the history, geographical and geopolitical situation of these countries.
Mr Paley has resided in Hong Kong since 2002, but spends much of his time in the most remote and often highest altitude corners of Asia, as an intrepid explorer and award-winning photographer. Since first arriving in Asia in 1999, he has spent over four years living, exploring and photographing the remote mountainous regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Following into the footsteps of explorers such as Sir Francis Younghusband and John Woods, Matthieu Paley explores these regions to seek a better understanding of their remote lands and people. During his time travelling, he has immersed himself in the culture and language of the indigenous tribal peoples of these regions, and is conversant in Wakhi, Tajik and Urdu. By returning repeatedly to these remote regions and, over time, building friendships and trust with nomadic and indigenous communities isolated from the outside world, Mr Paley has been able to take unique photographs captured with the sensitivity of an accepted insider.
Following the lecture, Mr Paley is going to show his multimedia documentary "Forgotten on the Roof of the World", which was recently screened at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival in Colorado. It tells the story of a little-known tribe of Kirghiz nomads in one of earth’s most remote regions, Afghanistan’s High Pamirs mountains. Leading the viewer through this people's stories of struggle, opium addiction and survival, Mr Paley and American anthropologist Ted Callahan tell the story of the film in word and image. Their documentation covers the tribe’ s unique barter trade with a small community in Pakistan as well as their routines and traditions in Afghanistan.
A frequent speaker on the lecture circuit in Asia and at Festivals in Europe and Asia, Mr Paley’s work has been published widely in numerous publications including GEO, National Geographic Adventure, Time, Outside, Discovery, Vanity Fair, Le Figaro and Le Monde, among others. Mr Paley's work has been exhibited at galleries in France, New York and Munich as well as at the Perpignan Photojournalism Fair.
Members and their guests are most welcome to attend this lecture, which is HK$100 for Members, and HK$150 for Members' guests and others. Location: http://www.hkcss.org.hk/image/map/HKCSS-map.jpg
GPO Box 6681, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2583 9700
Fax: (852) 2140 6000
Email: events@rgshk.org.hk
Website: www.rgshk.org.hk
