By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter
A series of 12 images titled ‘Healthy Living from the Start’, portraying local athletes with newborn babies and young children, have been unveiled at the Women’s Hospital by Qatar Museum Authority (QMA) chairperson HE Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani.
The pictures were created by the renowned photographer Anne Geddes with the aim of raising awareness about healthy living.
The images, now adorning the main hallway of the Women’s Hospital, are part of an initiative by HE Sheikha al-Mayassa, in partnership with the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), which is to raise awareness on type 2 diabetes and the importance of engaging in sports activities at an early age.
Featuring past and current athletes and children of various ages, the ‘Healthy Living from the Start’ project aims to demonstrate that a healthy lifestyle, beginning in childhood by taking part in sports and general exercise, can effectively reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes within the Qatar population.
The series of photographs were produced by Geddes during her visit to Doha earlier in March.
The participating athletes were: Nasser al-Attiya, Nada Arakji, Ali al-Mass, Hamad al-Hammadi, Hannah al-Bader, Shaden Wahdan, Sheikha Reem al-Thani, Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani, Bahia al-Hamad, Yassin Mahmoud, Bahiya al-Hamad, Miriam Farid, Moutaz Majed and Nada Mohamed Wafa.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of Public Health Abdullah bin Khalid al-Qahtani, HMC managing director Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, QMA Public Art director Jean Paul Engelen and other senior HMC and QMA officials.
Born in Australia in 1956, the photographer, clothing designer and businesswoman is one of the world’s most respected photographers.
She creates images that are iconic, award-winning, internationally acclaimed, and beloved.
Her imagery singularly captures the beauty, purity, vulnerability, and preciousness of children, embodying her deeply held belief that each and every child must be protected, nurtured, and loved.
The artist, who revealed that “her creativity has been enriched by stepping out of her comfort zone while creating the images for the first time in Qatar and the region”, said that: “This is the first project that I had done in the region, it was really different for me. It’s really nice as an artist to be able to take on a project that is different and creative.”
“And to have Sheikha al-Mayassa not putting a boundary to the work as she allowed me to interpret it the way I wanted in order to get the message through, which is healthy lifestyle for young children while growing up, participating in sports and team sport, that is very important. I had a wonderful time doing it and the athletes were also very inspiring, particularly the women, who for the first time competed at the London Olympics, that was pretty amazing,” she explained.
She shared her experience working on the project for around 18 months stressing: “To see those images on the wall in the Hamad Hospital is a combination of 18 months’ work and there is a lot that goes on behind the scene and the major work was how to portray those athletes, making sure there is a cohesive story in the images.”
Geddes also noted that the QMA was very instrumental in helping to get in touch with the parents of the babies and helping to put everything together.
She also acknowledged Women’s Hospital staff, who helped in finding the babies.
“People in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were just amazing because there were up to 80-85 tiny little premature babies in there at that time. It was a great honour which was the first time in my career, to photograph babies in that sort of environment, it’s really special.”
However, she recalled that some of the female athletes were concerned of how much to expose during the photography.
“For me it was a great experience to see, within the six women, someone who will leave her hair out and look like a mermaid. But one of them particularly said she can only show her face and I wondered how would I do a posture like that? And it turned out incredibly nice and as an artiste, my creativity has been enriched by stepping out of my comfort zone and doing this,” she claimed.
Speaking about her source of inspiration, she said: “When we were coming into the hospital this morning, I saw three newborn babies being taken home to their brand new lives and to me photographing babies, it has been over 30 years now, is still always new because every new baby represent hope and possibilities and such goodness with all of the things that have been happening in the world.”
Geddes expressed willingness to return to the country and elsewhere in the region, for a similar or different concept saying: “I’ll love to do more such works for Qatar because it is really nice as an artiste to come into another culture and embrace that and also look at it as an outsider because sometimes when you are involved in it you don’t seem to see things in a new way. It was really a fresh way. It was lovely to photograph the whole series and meet the families of these athletes, talk to them about their children and their backgrounds.”
In one of the photographs, which seems to be the favourite, the Qatari rally driver and shooter Al-Attiya, wrapped in a traditional shawl turbaning his head and covering his torso, was seen cuddling 14-day-old baby Aedhan.
Aedhan was born to Harry Sealy from Ireland and Paulette from France, who were present at the unveiling event alongside now the seven-month-old hero and his elder sister.
Anne Geddes’ photographs on the topic ‘Healthy Living from the Start’ on display at the Women’s Hospital.
