Posted on 22 June 2012
Thursday 14 June saw the inauguration of a photography exhibition in memoriam of a former EUI researcher, which brought together family, friends and colleagues of James Kaye at the Badia Fiesolana.
The ‘Rhythmic Time’ series follows Kaye’s travels across Italy, Colombia and his native US, with a strong focus on landscapes. The character of each country becomes visible through the colours captured; the burnt orange of a Colombian interior, coupled with the thick rainbow paint of Bogotá’s buildings. The US appears in one image as a barren land, with abandoned houses and a train track to nowhere, and another as a bustling city street.
In Italy, Kaye also captures domestic and streets scenes, but it his shots of Venetian gondolas that leave a lasting impression - in February last year, he drowned while rowing in the River Arno.
The difficulty of choosing a small selection of representative works became clear during the inauguration, as Kaye was described as a person who lived an active life both within the EUI and Florence. He defended his PhD thesis at the Institute in 2003, and went on to work as a research assistant with his supervisor Professor Bo Stråth.
The exhibition’s title was taken from Kaye’s notes, highlighting his desire to combine his historical learning with the photographic form. Continuing this theme, the James Kaye Memorial Prize in History and Visuality was awarded to Achilleas Hadjikryriacou on Friday, who in 2010 defend his thesis, entitled ‘Men in Crisis: Representations of Masculinity and Gender Relations in Greek Cinema, 1950-1967’.
Text by Rosie Scammell