The tour guide was the affable and particularly well-travelled Vancouver photographer William Jans, who presented his Solo in South America photographic show at the University of Ottawa.
If the purpose of art is to educate as well as to entertain, then the multimedia shows presented by Jans are definitely art. He enlivens his interactive shows with video clips, anecdotes, giveaways, and fun costumes. Of course you can also buy affordable reproductions of his photographs before and after the show in the form of posters, prints, and fridge magnets.
After the decadent opulence of Carnaval, we were shown images from the largest shanty town in South America. The scene then shifted to Bolivia where we saw women vendors wearing odd bowler hats, and pictures taken of a massive silver mine. The intrepid Jans gamely travelled deep into the bowels of the mine.
There were many unexpected stops along the way, such as the Bolivian salt flats populated by brilliant pink flamingos and 12-metre high cacti. The tour eventually wound its way to a trek to legendary Macchu Picchu, Peru, which was the highlight of the show. This UNESCO heritage site is often referred to as the Lost City of the Incas and is located 2.43 km above sea level.
Also of note were the spectacular exotic birds and animals Jans documented along the Amazon River and in the Galapagos Islands.
Whether you want to plan a trip to some of the locations in his pictures or just wish you could, his shows are well worth checking out. Find out for yourself why Jans has a cult following and has been dubbed a “westcoast phenomenon.”
Jans, who has had 15 sold out shows with up to 800 audience members per show, will present another fun night of pictures called Tales from Tanzania in Gibsons, B.C. on Oct. 29, Vancouver on November 5, and Courtney, B.C. on November 14.
For more information, visit his website at www.wrjphoto.com.
Joyce MacPhee is an Ottawa writer and editor.
