News and Media

Published: Jun 10, 2009

HONG KONG–SCAD, the most comprehensive art and design university, presents “Silver & Ink,” a 2009 exhibition featuring work by renowned photographer and SCAD Chief Academic Officer Tom Fischer and the finest work by SCAD photography students, June 13-21, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in Shek Kip Mei. The exhibition will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

“Silver & Ink” is an annual exhibition produced by the SCAD photography department. Each year, accomplished photography faculty members select the best student work from among more than 500 photography students.

Fischer, who has taught at SCAD for 18 years, began his professional photography career studying and working with famous landscape/nature photographer Ansel Adams for four years, through the end of Adams’ life in 1984. He worked for Adams at his workshops in Yosemite and Carmel, where he assisted with classes and darkroom printing. Fischer’s work shows the influence of his years with Adams, from whom he learned important insights that led him to develop his own style.

Fischer is best known for his large-format black and white landscape images. His work is held in numerous public and private collections and has been shown in more than 60 exhibitions in galleries and museums in the U.S., Europe and Asia. His most recent achievement is the publication of his book, “Paradise/Paradox,” a project that includes landscape images and essays related to the complex and problematic relationship between humans and their environment.

“The idea of ‘Paradise/Paradox’ came to me after looking at hundreds of my pictures and laying them all out. I was looking for something fairly universal. In my search for this idea about beauty and land, it was very much like everybody’s search for perfection or paradise,” said Fischer. “There’s this universal human desire to find the perfect place to live in and enjoy—maybe it’s the afterlife, I don’t know. But in the contemporary world over the last 100 years, most of the great and exquisite places we would want to visit have been dramatically changed by the human presence. The search for paradise is unending, but our visiting paradise on earth often alters it so it’s no longer recognizable.”

Fischer will host a special media-only exhibition preview Friday, June 12, 4-6 p.m., at the Jockey Club Create Arts Centre. Fischer will provide a short introduction about “Silver & Ink,” sign copies of “Paradise/Paradox,” and answer questions regarding the exhibition and SCAD’s photography program. In addition, he will be joined by famed Hong Kong photographer Ducky Tse on Saturday for an exclusive workshop for Hong Kong photo enthusiast bloggers.

Earlier this year, SCAD was awarded the North Kowloon Magistracy Building from the Hong Kong Development Bureau and announced plans to establish SCAD-Hong Kong in the facility in Fall 2010. SCAD’s vision is to conserve and transform the landmark into the preeminent site for the study of digital media in Asia—a vision it hopes will play a valuable role in helping Hong Kong achieve its vision of becoming the leading center for creative industries in Asia.

SCAD’s digital media and photography graduates now work for such renowned companies as Pixar, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts, Digital Kitchen, Photo District News (PDN), Rhythm & Hues and Time Life.

For more information about “Silver & Ink” and to view a selection of images from the exhibition, visit scad.edu/silverinkhk.

About SCAD photography department

The SCAD photography department exists to prepare talented students for professional careers in the field. An emphasis on technical excellence provides students with the fluency required to communicate and express visually while developing all aspects of their personal vision. Students gain a comprehensive understanding of context and genre and are able to position innovative work in a cohesive, professional body tailored to their own interests and professional goals. The ecumenical nature of the program allows students to explore commercial, documentary, fine art, hybrid and new-media applications of the medium.