Shangri-La: Himalaya in the Geographical Imagination
Thursday, May 17, 7:30 p.m.
Max Bell Auditorium, The Banff Centre
$10 at the door or in advance at the Box Office
Mountain Culture members and Arts Lover Passholders free
Banff Centre Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 403-762-6301
In 2005, The Banff Centre awarded Kentucky-based geographer, writer, and photographer David Zurick with a Banff Mountain Grant to complete an ambitious work of nonfiction called the Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya. An engaging visual narrative through the history, topography, and cultural soul of the remote, mountainous region, the book won a 2006 National Outdoor Book Award. On May 17, Zurick brings a multi-media presentation on the Himalayas to The Banff Centre as part of the Banff Mountain Speakers’ Series.
Since 1975, Zurick has been travelling throughout the Himalayan region, studying its geography and culture, taking photographs, and writing about his experiences. The region has had a profound influence on him, as a writer and as a scientist. His Banff presentation will take the audience on a journey across the mountain range from Zanzkar in Ladakh to Tibet, and from its early settlement by mystic pilgrims, through the modern age of mountaineering and cultural and adventure tourism. Along the way, he’ll touch on the massive changes brought to the region’s landscape and people by global politics, mass movement, and environmental threats.
David Zurick
A professor of geography at Eastern Kentucky University, and adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky, Zurick has been travelling and working in the Himalayan region since 1975. During 15 trips to the region, he has documented with words and photographs the changing nature of the mountains’ spirit, and the traditional culture that can still be found there. He is the author of several books, and his writing has appeared in publications including The Explorer’s Journal, Sierra, Focus, and The Climbing Art. He is currently working on a book of photography called Sacred Geography: Himalayan Photographs.
The Mountain Culture Speakers Series continues June 14 with Jerry Kobalenko: The Iceman Returns.
