Scent of Time: Stop and Smell the Roses

A new exhibition launched at the Photographic Gallery last week showcases student projects which depict the quick passage of time and its effect on people’s productivity.

In a very tranquil state, albeit not to the extent of passiveness, the photographs displayed different ways of conceiving and experiencing time. They invited people to stop and appreciate the beauty of life and linger.

Life is accelerated while time is slowed down.

The exhibition, which runs until December 13, is the brainchild of Assistant Professor of Photography and Media Ronnie Close and features the works of students Menna Haroun, Nour El Malt, Nada Mawsouf, and Ingy Hafez.

Every artist is featured in a separate section of the gallery, where each project reflects a different theme. Mawsouf’s project, for example, uses objects left behind to reflect on the theme of abandonment.

Mawsouf has developed an obsession with exploring roofs. The inspiration behind her photographs comes from the abandoned objects found on rooftops, the origins of which largely remain a mystery.

For her part, Haroun takes photos of objects such as furniture and a bench to depict rooms as different phases of life.

“To see my work being displayed is a really weird feeling, as I have never ever imagined it, to be honest. I never thought of myself as a photographer so it was a shock for me when Professor Ronnie told me about the exhibition,” said Multimedia Journalism student Haroun.

Hafez, however, moves away from the man-made to the natural world; her project focuses on greenery and simple beauty, which is shown through her use of a tree.

IMC Student Nour El Malt – wanting the audience to feel the emotions in the photographs – uses neon lights.

“My collection is titled “Under the Influence”, [but] is not anything we take or do, it is our feeling. When our feeling is too strong that it controls us, our actions, and beliefs become under its possession, just because we are thinking under an influence,” El Malt told The Caravan.

The theme of Malt’s project was influenced by the Sandbox music festival in Gouna. She changed her theme 10 days before the submission date. She was inspired by the setting and its vibes, and the effect of the lights and music, which carries everyone off to their own world.

This was reflected in her captions:

“One drunk night, I sent you that I missed you. The next morning, I did not miss you. It is a painful experience to realize you can only love when lonely.”

Co-creator Frank Bartscheck worked with Close on the theme of the photographs these students submitted regarding time and its evolution.

Bartscheck stated that he likes all of the photographs for being interesting and creative.

Students who attended the opening of the exhibit said they appreciated the artwork which attempts to keep pace with the rapidly developing world.

“I really enjoyed the photographs, they were able to grab my attention by their creativity and showing things from different perspectives to make people stop and stare at their interesting pieces,” said Business student, Sophomore Yara Ahmed.

Close said that the next event at the Gallery will be an exhibition talk from Photojournalism Education Professor Soren Pagter visiting AUC from the Danish School of Media and Journalism on November 29.