Pirates Log

Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Kyle Hampton [Click to enlarge]

It's cold, so cold in fact that most everything is ice. Land is undistinguishable from icebergs and hundreds of little creatures waddle around squawking and chirping, part of every day life.
This is Antarctica.
In what can only be described as a "photographic exploration," as so titled, artist and explorer J.J. L'Heureux takes viewers to a place far away from the East Campus Art Gallery where her work is currently on display.
L'Heureux, raised in Grosse Ponte, Michigan, may be used to the cold but Antarctica has more than ice.
In a smooth display which implements beautiful landscape photography and a mix of portrait and close up shots, one begins to wonder if they are watching a National Geographic program or visiting an art gallery. Landscapes of great rifts in the ice, or an iceberg cutting through the scenery, or a flock of Emperor penguins migrating over slippery terrain, flow to create a visual experience that will leave you yearning for a cruise to the Antarctic.
Growing up in a suburb of Detroit wouldn't seem like a very stimulating place for a landscape and nature photographer.
There are Tigers in Detroit, but they don't growl and show their teeth except to those from St. Louis who wear spikes on their feet and can hurl fastballs over 90. So where does someone like L'Heureux get inspiration for art and photography?
From Detroit, L'Heureux went to live with a famous artist and painter in New York, where she gained valuable knowledge and kindled her inspiration for various types of art. She originally started as an abstract painter, but began photography as well as other things such as artistic collages made from thread and eventually was inspired by her trips around the world. L'Heureux once traveled aboard a Russian ship; she even worked for San Francisco Zoo at one point.
One can now piece together her thoughts and experiences in the "Antarctica" exhibit, now on display.
What may seem like mere pictures of penguins can be taken a different way by viewers and is left open for various forms of approval. With vivid colors and spectacular light, the Antarctic provides for a miraculous photographic experience. As a combined display, photos from several trips to the Antarctic provide an extraordinary visual tour through the land.
Showing five different kinds of penguins at first seemed a little redundant but further thought and the fact that viewers are captured by each photo proves the penguins photo-worthy. From Emperor penguins, to Chinstrap penguins, L'Heureux shows the emotions of penguins while they seem to hold hands, cuddle their young and even kiss.
In all, 40 color prints are on display in the East Campus gallery. They go to show that landscapes can have more connotations than once thought. A rift in the ice shows the dangers of Antarctic living, and the warmth of a mother penguin cuddling her young shows that despite the frigidness, love is still in the air for these penguins. In essence, L'Heureux provides a quick adventure for those who don't want to get mud on their boots and frost on their noses.

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