Himalayan Style

The architecture of Nepal is purely individual, and never has there been a more pressing need for its preservation. Authors of the authoritative survey of Himalayan design Himalayan Style, Claire Burkert and photographer Thomas Kelly, present a compelling case for the preservation of the country’s architecture in the face of earthquakes and bureaucratically mandated progress. Featuring incredibly rich photographs, the talk will demonstrate the tremendous vitality, range, and potential of Himalayan forms and designs.

Himalayan Style contains a treasury of images, and with Burkert’s eloquent prose, it engages readers both familiar and new to the Himalayas. The vibrant book celebrates creative ways of living and working in the Kathmandu Valley, where designers and craftsmen work together to create innovative homes and crafts using local materials and techniques. Renowned for his Himalayan photography, Thomas Kelly treats us to a personal collection of images ranging in focus from the small detail of a Tibetan tea table to a vast mountain landscape dotted with stupas. Himalayan Style offers a fresh look at the man-made beauty in the Himalayas, and so deepens our understanding and appreciation of this powerfully beautiful region.

A book signing for Himalayan Style will take place after the talk.

About the Speakers

Claire Burkert has lived in Asia for more than twenty-five years. In 1989 she founded the Janakpur Women’s Development Center, an NGO run by women artists in southern Nepal. She has worked with artisans in Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar, Tibet, and the Gaza Strip to preserve and promote indigenous crafts. Her publications have focused on the traditional art, crafts, and dress of Asia. Currently a crafts expert with the Poverty Alleviation Fund, she is based in Kathmandu with her husband Thomas Schrom, a designer and restorer of Himalayan buildings.

Thomas L. Kelly first came to Nepal in 1978 as a Peace Corps volunteer and has since worked as a photo-activist, documenting the struggles of marginalized people and disappearing cultural traditions all over the world. His editorial work has appeared in publications worldwide, including the New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic. He currently represents Hinduism Today and is based in Nepal. With his wife, the anthropologist and writer Carroll Dunham, he runs the travel company Wild Earth Journeys. www.thomaslkellyphotos.com

Image credit: Thomas Kelly