Ambiance of places old and new
One could begin the exhibit by the photo of the sea in Venice, looking through the window. There was the drama of the buildings seen on top of the water and the gondolas. Then you saw London's St Paul's through the Millennium Bridge and was a mix of the old and new. "This brought in a facet of the state of our civilisation," Kashef said. "Next were some spaces in the Tate Gallery, which appeared like the inside of a cathedral. Then we saw the statue of Kaiser Wilhem in Cologne. It's like a shadow in history", Kashef commented. "Later we saw a memorial in Berlin along with a fountain. Then we had the image of a delightful small hotel window looking on to a train station.
"We then came across a second photograph of Venice in which one witnessed the care that the Madonna received in that place as her picture was adorned with a surfeit of flowers. Next we saw the main piazza in Vicenza, an important city in terms of architecture where you found a lot of work by Palladio. We went on to see a statue in the garden near a building by Palladio."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. What made Kashef go to these cities? "I was invited to attend a congress on world cities in Berlin. We also went to Hamburg and Cologne. I travelled on to Munich, Verona, Vicenza and Venice and London on the way back. I also went to Aachen. I stayed in each place for about two to three days. My intention was to get a feel of the places and not a record," he said. Asked which cities he liked the best Kashef said, "I liked the older parts of the cities. The Italian cities left an indelible mark on my mind. This was a lot to do outdoors in the city spaces. There were also the museums and art galleries in each city. You could be doing nothing and yet enjoying yourself."
Kashef has been doing photography for the last 15 years. As an architect he was drawn to photography and did a course in it. In his words, "I consider myself a professional photographer although I don't earn from this source. I enjoy photographing landscapes but what I tried to capture this time were feelings. Earlier, when I used to travel through cities, I used to look at architecture and take a lot of photographs on it. This time I tried to look at what made the city.
"Next month I hope to have another exhibition at the Drik Gallery called 'Impressions 05-05.' That too will not be travel photography. It will be very personal in nature."