Portraits of generals from the Battle of Gettysburg line the walls while scattered images of soldiers from the Seven Days Battle are positioned throughout the lobby of the Schauerman Library.
Providing a glimpse of the American Civil War through portraits, Bejan Amini, photographer, shares his perspective of history through re-enacted still life photos.
“The photos are documenting classical portraiture of people through role-playing,” Amini said. “They are playing the roles of soldiers and others (involved in) the Civil War who mimic the lifestyle of the people they imitate.”
Amini’s photographs will be featured in a solo exhibit throughout November.
Amini said he first became involved with the college about four years ago when he and a group of photographers from the South Bay Camera Crew were invited as guests to an exhibit in the Schauerman Library. After the exhibit, he said he became interested in showcasing his art work in the same way.
“Two and a half years ago the process of creating my exhibit began,” Amini said. “It’s exciting as well as a heck of a lot of work.”
Rather than randomly choosing just any genre for the exhibit, Amini said he chose historical re-enactments because the photographs offer more of an opportunity for students to learn about history and about the models who role play these characters.
“I think it is really nice to have something that provokes or starts up a conversation about historical time periods beyond Google and books,” Albert Romero, library technician and curator, said.
From experimenting with black-and-white filmed cameras as a child, Amini said he became a photographer to share his own perspective of the world through various genres of history.
“I found a hidden talent in myself,”Amini said. “I was extremely interested in photography and began to see the world as well as people in a different perspective.”
With portraits that display historical re-enactments, Amini said it gives students an opportunity to connect with American history; from the soldier who fought in the American Civil Wars to the nurses and generals, a connection is made, he said.
“I see drama,” Amini said. “And through photography, I am able to show the world how I see things in my perspective.”
Amini’s photography can also be seen in cinematic productions as well as through various images including landscapes.
“He is a very talented photographer and we are very happy to have his exhibit in the library,” Romero said.
“A majority of my photos are taken by coincidence,” Amini said. “In the end, it eventually comes down to the magic between the model and myself.”
Also featured in the Schauerman Library are woodwork displays by construction technology students and various recycled art work and paraphernalia coinciding with National Recycling Week. The Schauerman Library is 8 open a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
