André Alexander
23/01/12 07:46 Filed in: Members' News | Ladakh News
With great sorrow we have to report that our friend and colleague André Alexander died of a heart attack in Berlin on 21 January. He had celebrated his 47th birthday only four days earlier.
André was the co- founder of the Tibet Heritage Fund (THF), and a pioneer of the restoration of historic buildings all over Tibet and the wider Himalayan region. His early work was in Lhasa where, together with Andrew Brennan and Pimpim de Azevedo, he launched the Lhasa Archive Project in 1993 with the aim of documenting Lhasa's vernacular architecture. In 1996 he launched the THF and over the next four years worked with traditional craftsmen in Lhasa to restore and upgrade some 20 historic buildings and to train a new generation of artisans. In the 2000s he extended his range as far as Amdo, and the old city of Beijing. In 2010 he was exploring the possibility of beginning new projects in Sikkim and Bhutan.
The seeds of THF’s work in Ladakh were sown in 1995 when André met IALS founder Henry Osmaston at a conference in Graz (Austria). Henry pointed to the need to record old Leh’s historic buildings as soon as possible, as Leh was changing fast, and old buildings were disappearing all too quickly. In 2003 and 2004 a small THF team conducted a survey of Old Leh, reviewing both the state of its buildings and the social and economic conditions of the people who inhabited them. In 2006 THF and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to preserve historic Leh. In the same period THF worked with local people to set up the Leh Old Town Initiative (LOTI), which is registered as an NGO under the India Society Act. Since then, André and his colleagues have worked on a series of restoration projects in Leh and Tsatsapuri (Alchi). Information about their work can be found at www.tibetheritagefund.org
André took part in the IALS conference in Ladakh this summer and then presided over the launch of the Central Asian Museum in the Tsa Soma garden to the west of Leh palace. The museum is an enormously impressive new building constructed with traditional techniques, and designed to celebrate Ladakh’s historic links with Central Asia. Among André’s many achievements in Ladakh, this was perhaps the crowning one.
It is particularly poignant to have to record the early death of someone who was so full of energy and had so much more to contribute. Among many people who worked with him, André was a source of both inspiration and expertise. His work will – and must – continue.
André was the co- founder of the Tibet Heritage Fund (THF), and a pioneer of the restoration of historic buildings all over Tibet and the wider Himalayan region. His early work was in Lhasa where, together with Andrew Brennan and Pimpim de Azevedo, he launched the Lhasa Archive Project in 1993 with the aim of documenting Lhasa's vernacular architecture. In 1996 he launched the THF and over the next four years worked with traditional craftsmen in Lhasa to restore and upgrade some 20 historic buildings and to train a new generation of artisans. In the 2000s he extended his range as far as Amdo, and the old city of Beijing. In 2010 he was exploring the possibility of beginning new projects in Sikkim and Bhutan.
The seeds of THF’s work in Ladakh were sown in 1995 when André met IALS founder Henry Osmaston at a conference in Graz (Austria). Henry pointed to the need to record old Leh’s historic buildings as soon as possible, as Leh was changing fast, and old buildings were disappearing all too quickly. In 2003 and 2004 a small THF team conducted a survey of Old Leh, reviewing both the state of its buildings and the social and economic conditions of the people who inhabited them. In 2006 THF and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to preserve historic Leh. In the same period THF worked with local people to set up the Leh Old Town Initiative (LOTI), which is registered as an NGO under the India Society Act. Since then, André and his colleagues have worked on a series of restoration projects in Leh and Tsatsapuri (Alchi). Information about their work can be found at www.tibetheritagefund.org
André took part in the IALS conference in Ladakh this summer and then presided over the launch of the Central Asian Museum in the Tsa Soma garden to the west of Leh palace. The museum is an enormously impressive new building constructed with traditional techniques, and designed to celebrate Ladakh’s historic links with Central Asia. Among André’s many achievements in Ladakh, this was perhaps the crowning one.
It is particularly poignant to have to record the early death of someone who was so full of energy and had so much more to contribute. Among many people who worked with him, André was a source of both inspiration and expertise. His work will – and must – continue.
National Museum Institute to organise Exhibition and International Conference in Leh
14/12/11 20:43 Filed in: Ladakh Noticeboard
Reported on visitladakh.com the National Museum Institute New Delhi have proposed several cultural preservation initiatives for Ladakh. Click here for the full story.
Photographic Exhibition: Returning Photographs to Ladakh
23/11/11 16:55 Filed in: Members' News | Ladakh Noticeboard
Bristol University Expedition 1977
03/11/11 16:44 Filed in: Members' News | Ladakh Noticeboard
Martin Salter of the Himalayan Documentary Foundation has posted online a clip of the film documenting Bristol University's 1977 Expedition to Zangskar.
Martin writes:
"Following the passing of John Crook I just wanted to share this clip of his expedition film to Zanskar in 1977. He will be sadly missed."
"The Himalayan Documentary Foundation which hosts this film is currently sleeping due to my family life taking over but will slowly revive in time !!!"
Click here to view the film. It's 20 minutes in duration so well worth sitting down with a cup of tea!
Martin writes:
"Following the passing of John Crook I just wanted to share this clip of his expedition film to Zanskar in 1977. He will be sadly missed."
"The Himalayan Documentary Foundation which hosts this film is currently sleeping due to my family life taking over but will slowly revive in time !!!"
Click here to view the film. It's 20 minutes in duration so well worth sitting down with a cup of tea!