Press Office
Experience Chinese engine-uity ... from the comfort of your own home!
Following the success of its recent To China for Steam photography exhibition, the National Railway Museum (NRM) is introducing its first solely web-based exhibition, Railway on the Roof of the World by award-winning photographer, Charlie Stewart.
The striking exhibition documents a journey on the Lhasa Railway, an astounding stretch of railway running between ‘mainland’ China and the Autonomous Region of Tibet. The images of the railway, which has had an undisputed effect on the people of both communities, will be hosted on a mini site which can be accessed from the NRM website (www.nrm.org.uk) from 1st August to December 2008.
The Lhasa Railway represents a truly magnificent feat of engineering boasting the highest railway, the longest plateau railway, the highest station, the highest tunnel….the list goes on. Although famous for its engineering prowess, it is the socioeconomic effects of the railway that the exhibition focuses on. This allows viewers to gain a fascinating insight into the lives of the people whose day-to-day lives are affected by the railways existence whether they work, travel on or even simply live by it.
The exhibition consists of 24 images including Charlie Stewart’s favourite photograph of Beijing West Railway Station. He says,
“The shot of Beijing West Train Station has given me great pleasure from the moment I processed it. The station was heavily guarded by soldiers so I set up my tripod in a rush and with a certain amount of stealth. The success of a photograph is always partially dependent on chance, but I was very reliant on it with this long-exposure shot. The ‘freezing’ of the central character gives the image focus amongst all the fury, and the colours are remarkable considering the drab decoration of the structure.”
The Lhasa Railway is considered to be the greatest engineering achievement of the 21st century, yet it is the effect of the railway upon the region of Tibet that most fascinated Stewart. He said, “I had never encountered such a unique region and immediately I wondered what impact this ultra-modern link would have on Tibet’s fragile status. Whilst the engineering aspects of the train line are fascinating, it is the juxtaposition of the modern construction with Tibet’s almost lunar landscape that I was most keen to explore.”
Following the launch of the online exhibition, Charlie Stewart will also be making a special appearance at the National Railway Museum at 1pm on 7th August to give a free talk accounting his experience photographing the landscape and people along the Lhasa Railway.
Stephen Richards, Head of Creative Development at the NRM said,
“We are really excited at the NRM to be hosting our first solely web-based exhibition. It represents a real step forward in the NRM’s mission to bring a range of railway stories to the public in a way that is new and exciting. We have also translated the exhibition’s text into Mandarin so that Railway on the Roof of the World can be as well received by York’s Chinese communities as the rest of the China 08 activities have been.”
The exhibition forms part of the NRM’s China 08 Festival which will be running throughout 2008. Over the coming months a range of China 08 Summer Holiday activities will take place at the Museum including the following:
- Magnet Mania (28 July – 1 August and 25-29 August) - Explore the amazing world of magnetic levitation trains by experimenting with magnets.
- Chinese Calligraphy (4-8 August and 18-22 August) - Come and express your creativity with art inspired Chinese Calligraphy.
- Kite Flying (11-15 August) - Discover the science of kite flying and create a Chinese Kite.
20 June 2008