ents in that area.
Mercury-Developed, Gold-Gilded Daguerreotypes by Andrew Bale and Jon Cox
Like many other indigenous peoples in the Amazon, the Ese’Eja are affected by mercury that is being dumped into their environment as a byproduct of illegal gold mining. These mercury-developed, gold-gilded images of Ese’Eja community members are created to draw attention to the mercury pollution being cast upon one of the world’s last remaining Amazonian cultures and the unique environment where they live.
Developed in 1839, daguerreotypes are the earliest photographic images, and have long been described as mirrors with a memory. When viewing each daguerreotype, you first see yourself reflected on the silver surface; and as you look deeper the portrait of an Ese’Eja becomes visible.
Artifacts from the daily life of the Ese'Eja.
Exhibition Tour Dates
Boise State University, Boise, ID (10/16/2018 - 2019)
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA (September 2018)
West Chester University, West Chester, PA (2/28/2018)
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI (1/12/2018)
Smithsonian National Museum American Indian, Washington D.C. (7/27/2017)
Peruvian Embassy, Washington D.C. (7/13/2017)
Sonnenschein and Albright Galleries, Lake Forest College, IL. (1/24/2017)
Dickinson College, Goodyear Gallery, Carlisle, PA (9/06/2016)
University of Delaware, West Gallery of Old College, Newark, DE (9/01/2016)
Thank you for your interest in hosting the exhibition “The Ese’Eja People of the Amazon: Connected by a Thread.” The rental fee associated with the exhibition is $5,000 for up to 8 weeks and can be adjusted for longer time periods based on your needs. The fee goes into an Ese'Eja community fund managed by the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER.org). The Ese’Eja community may access the funds for health care, education, scholarships, water purification, indigenous rights lawyer fees or anything else they as a culture need. Shipping within the United States is included in the cost of the rental fee. With the rental fee you will also receive two platinum/palladium prints for your institutions permanent collection.