Photographs are probably the best means to seize a moment. We relive every memory attached to a particular photograph each time we see it. The photojournalists of various media houses of Kochi, too, have attempted something similar with Wet Frames, an exhibition comprising photographs of the deluge that hit Kerala in 2018, one of the most devastating natural calamities in the history of the state.
The exhibition, which serves as a platform to recollect the troubled memories of flood, is also an opportunity for all those people, who were stuck in different places and could not see the plight of others, to once again witness the miserable condition that existed at that time throughout our state, says Sudharmadas, photojournalist with a leading media house in Kochi.
“We know that people are only recovering from the recent floods and our intention was not to make the healing wounds afresh. But, we thought this is the apt time for the exhibition because there wouldn’t be a better time to show everyone the extent of the havoc such natural calamities create.
“This is important because it is high time we deciphered the reason for such floods, which has to do a lot with how carelessly we manage the nature and damage the ecosystem. All the photographs exhibited at Wet Frames are of real incidents and unfortunate situations that people had to encounter, some of them even thinking what to do next as they had to begin their life from scratch,” he adds.
Around 100 photographs of the 2018 floods clicked by 36 photojournalists are on show at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Kochi. Sudharmadas adds that the reaction they have been receiving is humbling and encourages them to come up with more such initiatives that help people feel and understand the real face of natural calamities that can be dreadful than expected. “We hope that people learn something from these sights and work towards a future without the fear of such calamities,” he says.
The exhibition, which was inaugurated by actor Mammootty will end today.
