Retired KSEB staffer spending life savings to immortalise French photography pioneer
However, Saji Ennakkad, an artist from Mavelikkara, feels the French inventor never got the credit he deserved. This is why the retired KSEB senior superintendent hailing from Vathikulam has made it his mission to construct a memorial for Niepce using his savings from the past 30 years.
A few years ago, Saji, along with some others, formed the Joseph Nicephore Niepce Foundation in Mavelikkara. The Foundation is now helming the construction of the memorial, the first in India. Former chief secretary K Jayakumar laid the foundation stone for the memorial.
Saji says the memorial is more than a tribute to photography's origins, it is a personal mission. 'Niepce never received the recognition he truly deserved in his lifetime. This memorial is our way of honouring his legacy and telling the world about the man who captured light for the first time,' he says.
The project, having an estimated cost of `50 lakh, will recreate the French scientist's historic residence where he conducted his groundbreaking photographic experiments. The most iconic feature, the window through which Niepce captured the world's first successful photograph, will be replicated, Saji says.
A 34kg bronze bust of Niepce, crafted three years ago, will be installed next to the memorial. The structure, set on a five-and-a-half cent plot, is designed as a modern cultural complex, housing a photography museum, art gallery, workshop space for photo and painting enthusiasts, and an open stage for cultural programmes.
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