week 4

Everest

In my journey of researching new materials and cases, I’ve been considering where to take the first step. As a brand owner, artist and curator myself, I thought raising awareness through exhibitions and art could be the easiestl first step to take. Fortunately, I’ve been given the opportunity to showcase our brand at the upcoming Kendal Mountain Festival in the UK, which is one of the world’s biggest mountain festivals, drawing in renowned outdoor brands, mountain-related film festivals, and exhibitions. During this event, I plan to bring Nerhi’s products and set up an installation featuring Everest Trash and a yeti in their ‘basecamp area’ to highlight the issue of highland waste. Additionally, I’ve been invited to participate as an artist in the ‘Another Everest’ exhibition, funded by the National Trust, commemorating the anniversary of the first British expedition to Tibet Everest. This exhibition is scheduled to open next June.

Throughout these exhibitions and festivals, my goal is to connect with like-minded individuals in the West who are working on eco-friendly materials and environmental solutions. Simultaneously, I aim to establish valuable connections for future business resources.

For the exhibition, we’ve gathered old prayer flags from Everest and conducted interviews with a monk from Rongbo Monastery, who has lived there for 30 years. He shares insights on climate change and his Buddhist perspective on mountains and recent human activities in the highlands.

Maximising the influence of the campaign, but also minimise our carbon footprint, we plan to transport a select amount of trash for the installation and consider duplicating a similar project in Tibet to raise local awareness. Luckily we got access to old footage from the UK Royal Geographic Department showcasing the towns around Everest from a century ago. This historical perspective will help us discuss how commercial mountaineering, human activities, and the region’s transformation geographically, economically, and culturally have evolved over the years. Obtaining permission to share these old images in Tibet could be a powerful material to educate locals about the rapid changes in their lands and the impacts of global warming. In the same time we have collected many old prayer flags from the Rongbo monastery by the permission of the Lama Sangye. We have also gathered the Everest trash the Tsering Cheynga mountain Museum collected over the years and brought some selective waste like broken tents, cans and bottles for the installation.

I aim to incorporate these experiences into my weekly reflective writings, exploring how they relate to business, entrepreneurship, and the broader campaign for environmental awareness. Please feel free to leave any comments!

In a piece of exciting news, Nirmal Purja, a member of Project Possible, successfully completed the daunting challenge of conquering all 14 peaks above 8000 meters within just six months. Recently, he visited Tibet to work on a documentary project, and there’s a compelling photograph of him at Camp 1, sporting Nerhi’s jacket during his expedition.