St. Simons Island photographer documents 'international' voyage in new exhibit

Imagine taking a trip around the world without ever leaving the country, and without going online to do it. Harlan Hambright did it, without leaving the state of Georgia.

Plains, Geogia

Hambright's "international" journey is documented in a new photo exhibit at the Historic Ritz Theatre in downtown Brunswick. Entitled, "The Idiat and the Odd-yssey: The Adventures of Odyfferus through International Georgia," the exhibit features selected images from Hambright's recently published book of the same name.*

Inspired by Homer's The Odyssey, Hambright's book follows his alter ego, Odyfferus, on a photographic journey through towns in Georgia that are named for or have names similar to places around the globe. His "discoveries" include "pyramids" in Cairo, "temples" in Athens, a "shroud" in Turin, a library in Ephesus and the barber of Seville, among many others.

Many of the places documented in Hambright's book are shadows of their former glory. "As we proceed headlong into the twenty-first century," he writes in the book's introduction, "evidence of previous generations–primarily railroad- and agriculture-oriented communities–are being treated as so many leaves lying on the ground. Bypassed and ignored, once-thriving towns are literally crumbling apart. This project is not a criticism of that process, just an acknowledgment and record of it."

Jamaica, Georgia

Covering more than 60 places through Georgia, Hambright's images are at times ironic, often wistful. Throughout is a deep appreciation for place and architectural detail, honed by more than 30 years of experience as an architect, photographer and artist.

"Georgia obviously has a rich history and heritage," he writes in the afterword. "An admittedly limited, but significant segment of its present condition is documented here and its future is up for grabs. What a shame it would be for an entire state's remaining historically and architecturally significant resources (buildings and whole towns) be allowed to fall into an irreparable state based solely on temporal economic factors."

A shame indeed.

A farmer's roadside stand at Corinth, Georgia

In closing, Hambright suggests that readers (and viewers) consider "allowing an extra hour or two and take the 'blue highways' instead of the Interstate and experience the real Georgia, its real people, and its real history. Slow down a little. Stop at a family-owned BBQ joint instead of a fast food franchise. Get a snack at a farmer's roadside stand instead of a convenient store. (They tend to have good boiled p-nuts.)  Meet and experience the real, if disappearing, Georgia and help keep it alive."

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"The Idiat and the Odd-yssey: The Adventures of Odyfferus through International Georgia" runs Jan. 7-29 in the gallery space of the Historic Ritz Theatre, 1530 Newcastle Street in downtown Brunswick. The exhibit opens with a free public reception during First Friday, Jan. 7, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Copies of Hambright's book will be available at The Ritz on opening night and throughout the run of the show.

In addition to the opening night reception, the exhibit is available for viewing during regular Ritz hours, Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, or by appointment. For more information call Golden Isles Arts and Humanities (GIAHA) at 912-262-6934 or visit them online.

* The Idiat and the Odd-yssey: The adventures of Odyfferus through International Georgia. Published 2010 by Crawdad Studio and Gallery, St. Simons Island, Georgia. ISBN 9-780974-406312


Images © 2010 by Harlan Hambright