New exhibition at the Peltz Gallery opened by Chilean ambassador
'Dwellings' by Carlos Reyes-Manzo runs until 20 March
On Wednesday 25 February, the new exhibition ‘Dwellings’ by acclaimed Chilean photographer Carlos Reyes-Manzo was opened in the Peltz Gallery at Birkbeck by the Chilean Ambassador, Rolando Drago.
‘Dwellings’ brings together 60 of Reyes-Manzo’s photographs which explore the human condition in relation to dwellings: places and spaces where people try to find shelter, protection, comfort and belonging.
Opening the exhibition, Ambassador Drago (pictured, centre) said: “In all of these photographs there is a story, a human story, beautifully told by the lens. It gives us glimpses into different realities. Carlos has taken us through a visual narrative that stretches the idea of what a dwelling is.”
“Dwellings” forms part of a series of events organised by Birkbeck's Department of Politics on the London housing crisis and the images, which have been taken over a period of twenty years, illustrate the different conceptions and realities of domesticity, housing, homes and homelands across the world. Their juxtaposition with some of Reyes-Manzo's London photographs underlines the interconnections between dwellings, shelter, displacement and settlement at home and abroad. The exhibition invites us to reflect philosophically on dwelling as a form of being in the world, as well as politically in terms of how buildings foster inequality, poverty, alienation but also collective identity and a sense of belonging in a physical space.
Carlos Reyes-Manzo (pictured, right), who is an alumnus of Birkbeck and the Ben Pimlott writer-in-residence for 2014 said: “I know what it is to live in a place where you can see poverty and suffering all around. But what happened in Britain with housing happened all around the world so only to show the contrast between rich and poor wouldn’t make sense to me. In reality, these images are showing the same issue from different angles.”
Dr Alex Colas (pictured left), senior lecturer in international relations in Birkbeck’s Department of Politics, who has organised the series on London’s housing crisis, said: “We’re delighted to host an exhibition of Carlos Reyes-Manzo’s photographs over the last few decades. They reflect a set of experiences of dwelling – of living in the world in different contexts, but also they tell a story that we’re trying to bring to Birkbeck this term – the story of the housing crisis in London itself. The photographs talk about displacement, living together, making the most of different kinds of spaces and hopefully it will stimulate students and others alike to come and think about housing in London.”
Future events in the London’s Housing Crisis series:
'Dwellings': A Roundtable discussion with Carlos Reyes-Manzo, Diana Coole, David Styan, Esther Leslie and Alex Colás
Tuesday 17 March, 18:00-20:00
Peltz Gallery, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD
Beyond the Skyline: Addressing London's Housing Crisis
Friday 22 May, 10:00-17:00
Clore B01, Birkbeck College, Torrington Square WC1E 7HX
A colloquium sponsored by the Birkbeck Institute of Social Research with Anna Minton, Owen Hatherley, Doreen Massey, Janet Sutherland, Paul Watt, Tim Waterman, John Biggs, Darren Johnson, Dawn Foster, Stuart Hodkinson and representatives from the Focus E15 Mothers.