|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 18 January 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Kingsley Gunatilake: A silent crusade against pollution by LAKMAL WELABADA
The cool breeze and shady environment that soothed his soul were not there anymore. When he felt the polluted air mixed with molecules of dust and poisonous chemicals running through his respiratory system, artist Kingsley Gunatilake sighed in pain. The beauty of Kandy, the miracle of mother nature; which is his second love, is fading away before his very eyes. Felling trees, blasting granite mines, levelling down hills, mining river beds, and poisonous industrial waste have all been destroying the environment. There's no end to the mischief of man's deeds, Gunatilake mused. "We assume that there are saints, gods, goddesses, fairies and angels to protect us. And they are connected to so many significant things in our lives. But, is there anyone to protect the environment, any god or goddess?".....
In these drawings, Gunatilake had used charcoal as the medium. "Generally, an artist uses charcoal to do the basic outline sketching in a drawing/painting. And then he does the finishing touches with some other attractive medium. But, here I have used it in the reverse. I did the drawing first, and then made it 'ugly' with a few strokes of black lines of charcoal. I thought it would enhance the message of the hidden danger in environment pollution," he said. Born in Wadduwa, Gunatilake fell in love with environment when he started living in Ampitiya, Kandy after his marriage. "Kandy has got the name from the meaning of 'Kanda' (the mountain). Witnessing the destruction caused to 'her' by 'man' is heart rending. All these years I have been watching it. And now I have decided to use my talent to pass the message of the importance of protecting the environment to the people," said the artist who has launched a silent battle against the environment polluters.
It was a big blow that stirred his soul. The disturbance and the mental pain he had by seeing the destruction was depicted in the year planner he designed for the following year, and it opened the gates to a meritorious opportunity which an artist would rarely get. Gunatilake was assigned to restore the paintings and carvings of the destroyed parts of the Dalada Maligawa. "It was a challenge. But I accepted it happily. I trained fifteen A/L students for three months at my Child Art Studio, and did the restoration with them. While attending to this work I faced so many miracles, and we completed all the work sooner and better than we expected," he said with pride. Gunatilake is a graduate from the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya and works as a visiting lecturer there. His pursuit of environmental studies led him to follow, an environment course at the University of Strathchyde in Glasgow. His unique creativity has won him many awards. Winning the Noma Concurs for children's picture book illustration in the years of 1993 and 2003 and the 'Bunka' prize (all from Japan) are a few of the milestones. ###### Unseen beauty
A special characteristic of these paintings is the use of rapid brush strokes on large sheets of paper, says Ranjith. "These are my reminiscent of nature. They are all executed within three to fifteen minutes", he explains. The theme of the exhibit is "unseen beauty". It is an open invitation to viewers to experience the 'unseen beauty' in nature, says the artist. ###### Trinity College Kandy Dance Troupe in Taiwan A ten-member Dance Troupe from Trinity College Kandy left Sri Lanka for a eight-week tour of Taiwan.
They will, perform at the 'Ken-Ting Wind Bell Festival' and also at the Kaohsiung Flags and Drums Festival 2004.' The Trinity College Dance Troupe was accompanied by the dance instructor, Vipula Janashantha and Tilak Fernando. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
And it was a dawn of a novel conception. 'A Vacancy for a God of the
Environment' which he used as the title of his exhibition of drawings held
recently at the VAFA Gallery at Sarvodaya Centre, Etul Kotte.
The other fact that provoked him to launch this new idea is connected
with the bomb blast at the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy at the beginning of
this millennium.
An exhibition of water colour paintings by Ranjith Dharmatilake will
open to the public at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery on January 24 and will
continue till the 25th.
According to Tilak Fernando Director Sri Lanka-Taiwan Cultural
Programme, the Trinitians will perform at several venues in Ping-Tung and
Kaohsiung areas while also taking part in two International Folklore
Festivals.
