Dimbola Museum and Galleries is unveiling 2 new exhibitions celebrating the black-and-white photography of David Tunnicliffe, whose career as a diplomat and academic took him to the far corners of the world.
In a career spanning over 40 years, David’s work as a diplomat and an academic took him to the far corners of the earth, giving him access to unique photographic opportunities denied to many.
The road to Palmyra shows images of Palmyra and were taken during a visit to Syria in 1993, making them a crucial document in preserving the history of one of the “seven wonders of the Middle East”. They show the magnificence and beauty of this grand city in the desert.
In the 1st century BC, the oasis city of Palmyra, in the centre of modern Syria, was on the main trade route between the Levant and Mesopotamia. Palmyra was incorporated into the Roman Empire during the reign of Tiberius, eventually becoming a luxurious stop and trading station on the Silk Road.
In the 20th century, the ruins of ancient Palmyra were carefully preserved and restored, becoming a favoured destination, but in 2015 the city became the target of ISIS, who decimated the ancient towers, museums and theatres and killed the proud custodians of the city.
In ‘Travels With A Tangerine’, David takes his inspiration from Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century traveller, who began a 30-year spiritual journey in 1325, covering over 75,000 miles, and recording his experience. Today Ibn Battuta’s memory is still honoured in the name of modern-day Tangier’s international airport.
Although David began his worldwide travels in India in 1967 he took his camera to Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, capturing his own photographic record of the places he visited and the people he met.
This powerful exhibition represents a mere fraction of the tens, if not hundreds of images taken by David during his travels with the title of the exhibition playfully referring to Ibn Battuta who was born in Tangiers.
