Thought-provoking photograph wins student top prize
Photograph: (Left) The award-winning image (Right) Photography Lecturer Irvine Meyer and Photography student Robyn Rickers
Monday, 30 November 2009
A third year student’s passion for photography recently helped her clinch a top prize at the Sanlam Private Investments Innovation Awards.
Photography student Robyn Rickers is one of 10 tertiary students who recently walked away with R10 000 in prize money.
The awards, which were launched this year to mark the 10th anniversary of Sanlam Private Investments, celebrate students who in their field produce unique ideas and concepts which are practical and add value.
The awards, which took place on 30 October 2009, were exclusive and only institutions that were identified as being among the top in their respective fields, were invited to participate.
The Photography Department at CPUT and all its third year students were invited to showcase their skills and participate in the awards. Several other tertiary institutions were invited to participate in the catergories of fashion design, wine-making, interior design, architecture, culinary arts, jewellery design, music and fine art.
The CPUT students were tasked with creating an entry that displayed one or a combination of the criteria, which included creativity, beauty, luxury and quality.
Rickers, who hails from Wellington, produced an emotive portrait that featured a man and woman embracing. She said although well dressed, their faces tell a story of individuals who have struggled with poverty and other hardships.
Rickers, who comes from a family of photographers, said she was inspired by the conditions in her community to capture the image.
Although she hopes the photograph will raise awareness of what is happening in communities, Rickers said: “Everyone creates their own story when they see a picture.”
One of the judges, celebrity photographer Gerda Genis, who was moved by the photograph, said Rickers is a “great photographer.”
Genis described the photograph as “visually captivating and communicating instant and alarming honesty.”
She said the photograph highlights the social issues of those less fortunate and offers insight into the couple’s platonic love and their lost aspirations.
By Candes Keating
Written by CPUT News
Email: news@cput.ac.za
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