VIS Exhibition Projects Fall 2010

The VIS Program I am leading in Northern India is starting to wrap up as the VISpas are off doing their Exhibition projects.

A major aspect of the VIS Program for gap students is Exhibition, an independent project. Long-established VIS connections with people and organizations around Ladakh benefit internships that allow students to delve deeper into local communities, and contribute to the work of organizations and local society. Research is often undertaken jointly with SECMOL students. Final exhibition projects include written as well as audio/visual components, and are presented to students, teachers and mentors at SECMOL, and to various communities back at home. Students currently in Ladakh have chosen their exhibition topics, and this month will be devoted to research and internships to culminate in presentations at the SECMOL campus mid-November. This fall’s group of VISpas have taken some outstanding initiatives in their projects!

Exhibition Projects Fall 2010

Hannah Kay: Flood Relief Efforts. Hannah aims to seek how the flood disaster that occurred in Ladakh in early August has affected the victims of the flood. For her project, she will stay with a family in a flood relief camp and work with children of these camps using art as a way to gain a better understanding of their coping methods.

Hayden Chichester: Changes in Buddhist Practice. Hayden will study Buddhism and aims to uncover the effect Buddhism has on the perspective. He wishes to understand the true meaning of being a Buddhist seen by monastic leaders and village people of Ladakh. For his project, Hayden will stay in a Monastery to follow monks in their everyday lives and rituals and speak with them in order to discover the perspective of change in regards to modernization in Ladakh.

Keegan Glennon: Tibetan Refugees. Keegan aims to explore perspectives on cultural identity from second and third generation refugees. She will collect stories by living with a Tibetan family within the major Tibetan Refugee Colony and speak to members of the Tibetan Children’s Village.

Ruth McGovern: Geology, Natural History, and mapping of Himalayan Mountains. Ruth plans to study the geology and topology of SECMOL mountain and its surrounding areas and aims to seek how the natural landscape can be a source of inspiration for art and poetry. By leading a hike, she plans to teach current SECMOL students about the mountain and its various flora and fawna, specifically their medicinal or culinary uses. She will also build a scale model of the SECMOL Mountain that includes the trails she has mapped out and named herself.

Conor Dinan: Housing and Urban Development. Conor intends to research the effect of urbanization on the individual and communities of Ladakh. He will contact people and organizations such as the Tibet Heritage Fund to gain a greater understanding of why people choose to leave their villages and move to the city. For his project he will stay in Leh’s major Housing Colony and plans to create a blueprint of an optimal design for future development colonies in Ladakh.

Ellie Healy: Amchi Medicine. Ellie plans to focus on Amchi medicine, specifically on the healing techniques practiced and the changes development has had on traditional medicine. She will be observing these practices by living with an Amchi and will contact organizations such as the Ladakh Society for Traditional Medicine to better understand these changes.

Emily Goldthwait: Islam v. Buddhism. Emily plans to investigate the conflicts that arise among Buddhists and Muslims living in Ladakh. She will interview leaders of both religions for a comparison in perspectives and will create a visual documentary of her experience life in both Buddhist and Muslim households.