On a rainy Amsterdam evening excited and curious crowd flows into a small pop up exposition space in the center of the city. The event that focuses to celebrate and mark a milestone 5 years of work and creativity which “is now here to be enjoyed and celebrated and yet is still a work in progress,'' says the author and photographer Maria Cavali.
When asked about the significance of the idea, she says “Heterochromia is not just a physical condition where the melatonin in each eye differs but, as I discovered on this journey, its roots lie deep within their characters and identities. Just like the duality of their eyes, these characters have spent their lifetimes either celebrated for their beauty or shunned as freaks, often both.” Visitors traveled not only from different parts of the Netherlands but even other countries and continents to attend the event - “I am very happy this project means the same to them as it does to me,'' smiles Cavali.
The walls of the room are decorated with the selected portraits of the project participants. Inquisitive eyes captured in the works of art create a mysterious atmosphere - you can’t look away. It's a very special moment for Maria to be surrounded by friends, family and of course the subjects of her book and inspiration. “I am always inspired by characters and personalities, interesting people always inspire me,'' she shares. Exposition and heterochromia get together was not only a lovely celebration that connected everyone into a community and a beautiful “tribe” as one of the attendees commented.
And yet this event wasn't just your usual exposition, it is also a presentation of the book which is also now available for purchase (
https://heterochromiaproject.com/purchase-heterochromia-book/). “I just knew I wanted to make a book one day and so I did. It’s the first photography book on this subject ever made. I think it's very special to see so many heterochromia in one place. “This book also contains stories that people shared with me over the years” - Maria shares. It is indeed a very interesting subject carrying out a lot of prejudice dating back hundreds of years. “I was shocked by the stories of people being stigmatized and mistreated for just being a little different,'' photographer reminisens. According to her, those stories also strengthened her interest in supporting the community and working towards celebration of being yourself, self acceptance.
Future seems bright for Maria - “I was approached by a few people and some amazing prospects for future partnerships and corporations sounds really amazing. And certainly, the project does not stop with the event - it's just a celebration of a milestone. In five years working with this project idea I have also collected a lot of heterochromia leads from all over the globe. I am going to be photographing more people from other continents and cultures and hopefully will also have a new book to share!”
PHOTOGRAPHY : MARA CAVALI @mariacavali
