Wanna take a field trip? Let's go see Fazal

Tom *made* this

Thursday night was the lecture by the photographer

Fazal--my current Bob the Builder. We hit it before

we headed off to the theater (insert yuppie Val image here)

to see "Momma Mia." I had two stowaways ride along

to the art museum with me--one Girl and one Tom.

For those keeping score, Tom is looking better than

he has since he was diagnosed almost three years ago

with his terminal cancer. Nothing terminal looking

about this fella currently. :)

Yep, those are huge shuttlecocks. Yep, they are random.

We thought this was some display that they had not

finished putting up. Nope. Just some more

random art work.

Here is the only image I could find of THE star of the evening, Fazal.

He outshone the theater and was the best speaker I have ever heard.

My two companions opted out of the lecture. That was a loss for them.

He was incredible. So articulate. So knowledgable.

So compassionate. So nice to look at (did I say that out loud? :) )

All kidding aside, he said some things that I will never forget. And I quote:

"Why must one have a genetic link to a place to tell the people's story?"

He offers a "visual response to unravel what the place has to offer."

He "makes" or "shoots" an image. He doesn't "take" it because it reminds him of taking something from someone without permission. He is trying to share who they are by their offering (by their allowing him to make the image). To let the person come forward in the image.

"Someone being reduced to a tragic moment in their life is wrong. The rest of their story is being forgotten."

"We need to be more responsible for the way we insert ourselves in other's lives."

He closed by reading a quoted letter/writing by an Afgan woman. This seems to be pivitol as to why he has become an advocate of women's issues. "Our prized posessions are pens and books. That is our treasure. We have been ignored by our men and abandoned by our outside sisters. The time has come for us to do it ourselves."

He is helping women do just that. Kudos to you Fazal. Sorry I couldn't have you to dinner.