By Fionna Ferguson
Our May 8th Meeting was a visual treat from a phenomenal photographer Mark Zelinski.
He showed us so many stunning views mostly in our own remarkable Ontario region.
The pictures were not just views however: they told a story, and we were left pondering his quote: “We need to marry our knowledge with indigenous peoples “because his work illustrates the human connection with our environment and specifically, Mr. Zelinski’s relationship with Indigenous peoples worldwide.
Graduating from OCAD in 1989 as the top student, winning the governor Generals medal, he worked for Sports illustrated before becoming the Queen’s Park official photographer and settling in Hamilton and working for Hatch industries. His career pathway led him to photograph Indigenous clients around the globe, artifacts from Mexico for PBS, the Hamilton Bulldogs and led to publishing books of fantastic photographs without words of explanation. The pictures speak for themselves.
Mr. Zelinski was fascinated and impressed by the work of Kurt Hahn who started the Outward-Bound movement, a unique blend of experiential, adventurous outdoor learning that aims to foster the personal growth and social skills of participants by using challenging and authentic adventure in the outdoors. This led to his connection with United World Colleges promoting world Peace and the idea of “One Small Flame “. The United World Colleges is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of “making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”
The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in Ontario, Canada. The reserve stretches 725 kilometres along the Niagara Escarpment from Lake Ontario to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. Zelinski is on the board and created a PBS video and publishes many remarkable pictures from it in his books. He has also helped preserve Indigenous culture with photographs of artifacts and setting up exhibitions such as “Misko-Aki, Confluence of Cultures” in Gravenhurst. He is also involved with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Hamilton and promotes Orange Shirt Day.
His work has allowed him to meet and photograph many famous people like Justin Trudeau which has allowed his career to thrive, but this quote illustrates the guiding beliefs of this remarkable man:
Zelinski writes: “The Escarpment provides. For millennia, plants, birds, animals, and human enterprise have coexisted in its bounty. Its ancient limestone naturally purifies the water that runs through it. Its health offers us a reflection of our own health. The Niagara Escarpment is a living symbol of the immense scope of planetary time, and majesty, a gift to enjoy with respect and gratitude during our brief visit here on Turtle Island.”