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2008 Banff Mountain Photography Competition
Special Mention

Tom Loughlin: All That Dies

“I’ve noticed that light and darkness play a special role in mountain communities. As summer gives way to fall, days shorten, and the light comes in slantwise over the ridge tops. Even the angles of the shadows tell us that winter’s darkness is inexorably approaching. At just that time of year, Crested Butte, Colorado, erupts into Vinotok, a homegrown festival that draws on primeval traditions of storytelling, bonfires, and celebration of the harvest. Costumed participants dance through the streets, singing songs that promise ’all that dies shall be reborn.’ This photograph captures a Vinotok moment. The mountains are reflecting the first glow of sunset throughout town. Maidens dance in the street with the Green Man, reminding us of the inevitable rhythms of fertility and mortality. Light gives way to darkness, but darkness too will yield, and spring will emerge from winter’s freeze — even though we may not.”

Tom Loughlin lives in Crested Butte, Colorado, but doesn’t have the sense to base his work there. His current project, Pictures of You: Images from Iran, is a travelling outdoor multimedia installation featuring portraits of Iranian citizens printed on translucent silk. It will have its world premier in Crested Butte before being shown at nontraditional venues such as the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

www.manjushriproject.org :: www.Picturesofyouiran.com

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