3 minute read
Biggemann, adds to his trophy cabinet
Award winning photographer, Carlos Biggemann, adds to his trophy cabinet
I am thirty years old and I live on the Otago Peninsula – it is quite magical. I live with my parents and my sister lives in Auckland. The four of us are from Bolivia. I did primary in Sydney and high school in Dunedin. I did one year of Digital Photography at Aoraki Polytechnic. I had lots of fun, met new faces from lots of backgrounds. Photography was something I really wanted so I fought for it. I also like swimming, for 15 years I’ve been swimming in Moana Pool – the waters of Danyon Loader! Light and contrast are what first interested me in photography. I used to be the paparazzi, the camera man, of the family. Somehow I was obsessed with it – that started my career as a photographer. I have now done five exhibitions – three in Bolivia, two in Aotearoa. I have an Instagram account and I also have a website of my work.
For more than ten years I’ve been taking photographs of the skies here in Dunedin, and of course in different places. From there I have managed to choose the best ones, it took me two years. It all started with my photograph called ‘Colours of Fire’ of a sunset over Uluru Rock. From that moment I was hooked by it. I have fallen in love with the rich colours, the contrast, the shapes, the texture, the drama of skies – from there I wanted poetry to go with my skies. How? I was encouraged to meet a lady, Kirsty. She saw my skies, she was moved by it, she almost cried. From there, I have managed to acquire 24 poems to go with my photos in a book called Cumulus. Over the years I have managed to fall in love with the sky. I wanted to combine poetry because it is only poetic words that can express what the sky is telling us. Thanks to Cumulus, I won the Creative Attitude Award. I didn’t know that I was chosen to receive the trophy and certificate. Because it was a hell of a surprise, I felt just overwhelmed. I felt happy, I felt that one of my dreams was now a reality - to make a book of skies for family and friends back in Bolivia and here as well. When I watched it, I felt valid. I had tears of happiness. The Attitude Awards are important as they make us realise that people who have Down syndrome can do extraordinary stuff. That people who suffer from an accident – they can do stuff that they didn’t realise they’d be able to do. To make our voices to be heard. That we feel pain, that we cry, that we can experience ourselves, that we can do things that a normal person can do.
It doesn’t matter if it is photography or baking or paragliding or these adrenalin sports, or non-sportive things, making stuff with the hands or learning languages. We can be religious, we can be warriors, we can climb every mountain and swim every ocean. That’s what Attitude Awards mean to me. But the most important of all, to have good attitude in everything. Doesn’t matter what. We put our dedication, hours of practice, we can be more than what is understood of us. I really hope that this programme will continue. Because I really want to see it more and more and more. I hope from this I can touch one or two hearts.
Left: Carlos in front of a sample of work from Cumulus
Right: Carlos with his parents and the Attitude Creative Award
