PSRI member, mentor and workshop instructor A. Cemal Ekin’s has a gallery showing of prints from Hagia Sophia and Panagia Isodion, both churches in Turkey having undergone extensive restoration. Hagia Sophia is a massive structure with a corresponding volume of space covered in elaborate mosaics. In contrast, Panagia Isodion is a compact church, and as such, the ornamentation seems more lavish, with every square inch seemingly covered in hammered silver and gold leaf. Cemal’s use of a rectangular fish-eye lens is impressive in that he corrected the images used so that some, and in one case all, the linear structures are restored in processing. His decision to leave the edges assume the line resulting from the linear correction inside the image leaves a three dimensional impression of the scene. The sixteen images are printed onto aluminum, and the results are spectacular; the gold and silver decorations sparkle.
More than 50 people attended the opening night reception of his gallery show at the Central Congregational Church at 296 Angell Street, Providence, RI. Cemal’s gallery talk highlighted his experience of touching history as he photographed each church, and he projected two short image shows to music; one of the interior of Hagia Sophia, and the other of the surrounding area taken from the rooftop ledge around the church.
The gallery is open for visitors 9 – 11 AM and 1 – 4 PM weekdays.
