(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: The exhibition“Between Science and Art: Early Photography in the Middle East” at Qatar National Library (QNL) has successfully concluded with hundreds of visitors exploring the exhibition between September and December 2021.
The concept for the exhibition was to showcase some of the earliest photographic images taken in the Middle East.
Though the exhibition is closed, the Heritage Library's rich collection of valuable historical texts and manuscripts can be accessed by researchers, historians and the general public in person and online.
“People of Qatar and abroad will be able to virtually visit our exhibition with a 360° immersive experience, which will soon be available through our website. In addition, some of the pieces from Qatar National Library will be displayed in the Heritage Library's permanent exhibition. Furthermore, members can freely access historical photographic material through our Digital Repository and the Heritage Library Reading Room,” Giulia Martini, Historical Photography Archivist at Qatar National Library has said earlier.
The exhibition took visitors on a journey into the history of photography, from the invention of the camera obscura by Arab scholar Ibn al-Haytham (354 – 430 AH/965 – 1040 CE) in the 11th century, to the advent of photomechanical printing in the 19th century.
The exhibition showcased some of the earliest and rarest photographic images of the Middle East, taken by travelers, scholars and archaeologists who practiced the daguerreotype, which was the first commercially successful photographic process invented in 1839 by Frenchman Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787 – 1851).
In its early manifestations, photography seemed to be more of a scientific tool than a form of artistic expression, as is perceived today. Thus, the exhibition aimed to address both - material aspects of photography, its influence on the construction of“the Orient”, and the intellectual debate photography sparkled in the Arab world.
The exhibition was inaugurated by H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, Minister of State, Qatar and President of Qatar National Library, in the presence of H E Jean-Baptiste Faivre, Ambassador of the France to Qatar. The exhibition hosted objects from both the Library and Qatar Museums collections, such as works by pioneer French photographer Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (1804 – 1892) and the“Giroux Daguerréotype”, a rare example of the first commercially produced camera.
One of the aims of the exhibition is to promote the Historical Photography Archive and the Distinctive Collections. Qatar and Qatar National Library have been investing to develop the growing collection documenting the heritage of Qatar, the region, and the Arab and Islamic world. As an Archivist and Information Service Librarian my work is to make these resources available for the people of Qatar and abroad.
Qatar National Library is well positioned to promote cultural understanding and historical research on the region. The photography exhibition is one such project that the Heritage Library has been working on this year and we are proud to have shared valuable information on the evolution of photography in the region. Future exhibitions and events will continue to spread historical knowledge about the region's heritage to future generations.
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