January 14, 2003
Contact: George Yatchisin
(805) 893-3494
e-mail: yatchisin-g@ sa.ucsb.edu
The Live...from National Geographic series presents renowned anthropologist Wade Davis delivering the illustrated lecture Vanishing Cultures, Enduring Lives
Summary Facts:
- Wade Davis
- Best-selling author of The Serpent and the Rainbow
- Davis is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
- Vanishing Cultures, Enduring Lives, an illustrated lecture
- Part of the series of Live...from National Geographic
- Co-presented by Brooks Institute of Photography and UCSB Arts & Lectures, in association with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
- Thursday, February 13
- 8 pm / UCSB Campbell Hall
- General public $12, UCSB & Brooks Institute students and SBMNH members $10
- Tickets/Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535
Wade Davis, anthropologist, botanical explorer and author of eight books, will present the illustrated lecture Vanishing Cultures, Enduring Lives—a passionate defense of cultural diversity—on Thursday, February 13 at 8 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. Currently Davis is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. During a wide-ranging career, Davis has conducted ethnographic fieldwork among several indigenous societies of northern Canada, published scientific and popular articles on subjects ranging from Haitian voodoo to Amazonian myth and religion, examined the traditional use of psychotropic drugs and studied the ethnobotany of South American Indians. As acclaimed for his camerawork as his writing, his photographs have been published widely, including in his stunning latest book Light at the Edge of the World. Recently Davis’s work has taken him to Peru, Borneo, Tibet, the high Arctic, the Orinoco Delta of Venezuela and northern Kenya. In this lecture Davis will share his experiences and explain the importance of preserving traditional folkways: “We know so much about the loss of biodiversity,” says Davis, “but people are less aware of the loss of cultural diversity. Reinventing the poetry of diversity is the most important challenge of our times.”
Wade Davis’s first book The Serpent and the Rainbow (1985) was an international bestseller and rather loosely adapted into a 1988 film directed by Wes Craven, starring Bill Pullman as a highly fictionalized Davis. His book One River: Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rainforest (1996) was a finalist for the Governor’s General Award, Canada’s foremost literary prize. Davis’s television credits include Earthguide, a 13-part television series on the environment that aired on the Discovery Channel, which he hosted and co-wrote. He also wrote for the documentaries Spirit of the Mask, Cry of the Forgotten People, and Forests Forever.
For Wade Davis, the term “ethnosphere” encompasses the wealth of human diversity and all that traditional cultures have to teach about different ways of living and thinking. In Light at the Edge of the World, his latest work, Davis presents an intimate survey of the ethnosphere in 80 striking photographs taken over the course of his wide exploration and in eloquent accompanying text that takes readers deep into worlds few Westerners will ever experience. Booklist praised Light at the Edge of the World, saying, “Aesthetically powerful in both word and image, this essential volume opens readers’ eyes and imaginations to the wonders of the earth and humanity’s varied ‘insights into the very nature of existence,’ a bounty and legacy we simply cannot do without.”UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Brooks Institute of Photography have collaborated to present the acclaimed lecture series Live...from National Geographic in Santa Barbara. Featuring some of the most celebrated photographers, explorers, authors and scientists in the world, this enthralling illustrated program features remarkable people who explore the world while on assignment for National Geographic. Educators please note: Online lesson plans are offered in conjunction with this speaker series at www.nationalgeographic.com/lectures/.
The Live...from National Geographic series continues this spring with an illustrated lecture by one of the world’s leading underwater photographers David Doubilet on Tuesday, April 22 at 8 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall.
Courtesy of the UCSB Bookstore, books by Wade Davis will be available for purchase and signing. This program is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and Brooks Institute of Photography in association with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and with Live...from National Geographic, a mission program of speakers and events that brings the National Geographic experience to communities nationwide. This lecture is sponsored by KEYT 1250 Radio and the Santa Barbara News-Press.
Tickets for an evening with Wade Davis are $12 for the general public and $10 for UCSB & Brooks Institute students and SBMNH members.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
George Yatchisin at (805) 893-3494.