Siddhartha Art Gallery presents
'The Nepal Diaries - Observation on a Journey'

by KIAF Artist Gary Wornell from 6th May to 9th May 2013 at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited
And then Installed outdoors in Basantapur Durbar Square, next to the museum gate from 10.05.2013 to 12.05.2013

Gary Wornell - The Nepal Diaries
Siddhartha Art Gallery - Babar Mahal Revisited and Basantapur Durbar Square In November 2012 I took part in the Earth, Body, Mind themed Kathmandu International Art Festival with a work entitled ‘Endangered Species’. It was my first visit to Nepal and within a few weeks I had become completely immersed in the culture, the landscape and the people.

A long time friend of mine was involved in another aspect of environment - the Seam Nepal project - Strengthening the Environmental Management at a Local Level with an office in Kathmandu. We met for an evening during my stay, and I was offered the opportunity to work as a consultant during the
final phase of the project.

In February 2013 I began my consultancy, and at the same time began a Facebook Album called The Nepal Diaries. I wanted them to be different from a blog, and still incorporate a picture and text, but I wanted each diary page to be a photograph - immediate and small enough in size to be uploaded with even the weakest Internet connection.

The other choice I made was to use only my iPhone camera, and the 645 Pro app developed by Mike Hardaker. The professional quality of the image is amazing, and the prints are excellent. All the processing is done on the iPhone.

As a child, I had a small Kodak Brownie camera, and the ‘snapshot’ has a strong appeal. An image does not have to be pin sharp or shot with an expensive DSLR to get a message across, and I really like the instant response that my iPhone affords. It is unobtrusive, lightweight, extremely versatile and always ready. On my days off I do carry a couple of spare Suntrica Solar battery packs with me and I can easily require 3 full
charges in a day.

And so, the Nepal Diaries began during my flight from Helsinki to Kathmandu, and as the first half of my consultancy ended in early March, I was able to make prints at home in Finland and return with them a few weeks later. The Nepal Diaries have continued during the second half of my consultancy here, but the work load has naturally increased and other photography related projects are running simultaneously. They will be updated as time allows, and the entire period of my stay in this amazing country during the spring of 2013 will be finally put together as an ebook
for download.

Gary Wornell
May 2013
Kathmandu, Nepal