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Press Releases
 BROOKS INSTITUTE PRESENTS THE STUDENT DOCUMENTARY OF SOUTH INDIA,
“SVARA”
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – (February 18, 2009) – Brooks Institute announces the grand opening of “Svara,” the student South India documentary trip exhibition. On Thursday, April 2, 2009 at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, the multimedia presentation will showcase at 7 p.m. and immediately following will be an exhibit and artists’ reception displaying the students’ documentary prints at Gallery 27, located at 27 E. Cota Street in Santa Barbara. A book and DVD created by the students from this trip will be available for purchase with proceeds going to future documentary projects for the students. Each year, the Visual Journalism program of Brooks Institute offers an international documentary trip for interested visual journalism, professional photography, and film students. The class, which is staged in a different international location each year, is limited to the strongest applicants: those who demonstrate solid understanding of photographic story-telling, the ability to work independently, and who reflect sensitivity to their roles as ambassadors. In October and November 2008, the 21 selected students and instructor spent seven weeks in South India to chronicle its people, life and culture. Upon their return, the students created projects to showcase their experiences from this documented trip, including a multimedia presentation, a print exhibition, website, book, and a DVD. Students participating in this documentary project really branched out to capture a well-rounded image of this often misunderstood part of the world. Adam Herrera, a Visual Journalism student, spent eight days hiking through the jungles of Southern Kerala, documenting the wildlife conservation studies of a group of Indian students earning their master’s degrees. Of the documentary project, Herrera said, “Being on this trip was easily one of the greatest experiences of my life. As if the adventure of traveling to a foreign country wasn’t enough, the real-world experience I gained from shooting in the field and working with and managing a post-production group was invaluable. After only four months of work, I feel like I can now go out and compete with anyone in the industry.” Student, Mia Shimabuku, will share her documentation of India’s orphan crisis and the time she spent at the Home of Love school and hostel for orphaned girls in the village of Alamadhi, in Chennai. From this adventure, Shimabuku brings back the touching story of a girl searching for love, peace, and forgiveness in her new surroundings. “The South India Documentary Project has brought upon many firsts for me. Working on such a large-scale piece has amazed me and challenged my capability as a student, and as an individual,” said Shimabuku of the project. Following this grand opening event on April 2 will be a special screening and multimedia presentation at Brooks Institute’s Ventura Campus, located at 5301 N. Ventura Ave. on Saturday, April 4 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. A screening and print show will also be held at the Marriot Ventura Beach, located at 2055 E. Harbor Blvd. on Thursday, April 9, from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Each event will be unique as the students bring their South India experience to Southern California. The India documentary project website http://documentary.brooks.edu/india recounts the documentarians’ journeys through India. You may also visit the documentary class website http://documentary.brooks.edu to view the work of previous international documentary classes, which have included trips to: Mexico, Cuba, Czech Republic, Australia, Argentina, China and Ireland. The public is invited to visit Brooks Institute’s Gallery 27 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. For information about the gallery and exhibits, call Brooks Institute’s Gallery 27 directly at (805) 690-4928. About Brooks Institute  |
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