"Open hearts, Open Doors" Gallery Opens

All throughout China, stunning houses, beautiful agricultural views and scenes of traditional Chinese life are disappearing amongst the chaos of extensive construction projects and a growing population. Elizabeth Lui, experienced photographer and an Academy parent, aims to capture what’s left of these im- pressive sights as well as illustrate why their preservation is necessary through her exhibit Open Hearts and Open DoorsLui’s photographs, along with supporting text panels and a book on the project, will be displayed from January 17 to March 1 in the Lamont Gallery. In addition, an opening recep- tion will be held on Friday, January 24, as well as a gallery talk with Lui the following day.“The purpose of our field trips was to study and record the vernacular architecture and environments of rural villages throughout Southeastern China,” Lui said. “These vil- lages are often on the edge of contemporary developments that have begun to infringe on their survival, so in this aspect I would describe this body of work as a visual record of China’s threatenedhistorically-built environment.”“I suppose inspiration came in two ways, firstly by witnessing the beauty that ispreserved in these environments by people who value their way of life, and secondly by the many people who are seriously working on finding balanced ways to protect China’s cultural heritage,” Lui continued, outlining her motivation for the exhibit. “With respect for these two aspects, Open Hearts Open Doors is an appeal to raise awareness for the pressing need to find reasonable means to protect China’s rich architectural legacy.”As parent of an alumnus, Lui chose to present her work in The Lamont Gallery as she believes the school is an unrivaled academic institution. "The quality of the teaching here, the excellence of the students, faculty, staff, environment and the underlying belief in the unity of knowledge and goodness, all combine to make this fertile ground to present subject matter that I feel is vital and timely, and can benefit from critical examination,” she said.In addition, Lui hopes to promote "dynamic conversations and gain adherents amongst Exeter’s intellectually engaged audience."Lauren O’Neal, director of the Lamont Gallery, also commented on the importance of featuring the showpieces here at the Academy.“We organized the exhibition because it reflects key areas of PEA's emphasis on global initiatives and celebrates the accomplishments of PEA community members,” O’Neal said. “The themes of the exhibition are also relevant to PEA's curriculum, and speak to topics in history, economics and modern languages—in courses such as Contem-porary Chinese Language & Literature, Modern China and Photography.” Students believe that the exhibit will be very influential amongExonians.“I think that it is great to have the Open Hearts Open Doors art exhibitat Exeter. With a diverse student body that spans a multitude of cultures, such a project would resonate well at our school,” upper Philip Chang said. Lui’s projects in China are documented in the book, Open Hearts Open Doors, which ties the discussion with powerful images of Chineseand foreign architecture."Thematically the book is my attempt to bring together compellingphotography with a discussion concerning the complex issues faced when attempting to work for the preservation and conservation of China’s heritage,” Lui explained.Although Lui’s exhibit is filled with beautiful, fascinating images, her motif is part of a larger, more complex topic, which will challenge and stir Exonians to think critically when viewing her pieces.“The critical issue, when we talk about historic preservation, is to find ways where we can balance the historical with the progressive, and find a way for them to co-exist,” Lui said. “One should not be sacrificed for the sake of the other. To honor and preserve aspects of the past, while making room for what is new, seems to be the historical challenge now facing China.”