National Geographic, in partnership with Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Singapore Zoo, is bringing back epic tales of adventure and photography on 27 January. The series will take place at Mastercard Grand Theatre at Marina Bay Sands on “Building the Photo Ark” with National Geographic Fellow, international award-winning photographer, conservationist and author, Joel Sartore.
The National Geographic photographer is on a mission to capture portraits of the world’s species before they disappear. Joel has created the National Geographic Photo Ark, the largest archive of its kind with over 6,000 images and counting. During the LIVE! show, Joel will share stories of comical mishaps photographing the world’s animals, along with personal stories from over two decades of his contribution to National Geographic.
Captain of The Photo Ark
Joel is the founder of The Photo Ark, a multi-year project to document every species living in captivity. In the first 11 years of the project, he travelled the world to photograph more than 6,000 animals, many of which are critically endangered or have since become extinct. He is also the author of a National Geographic book, “THE PHOTO ARK: One Man’s Quest to Document the World’s Animals”, and his first series on PBS, “Rare: Creatures of the Photo Ark,” premiered earlier this year in July.
In addition to The Photo Ark, Joel is a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine and has written several books. Joel and his work regularly appear on National Geographic Channel’s “Explorer,” NBC Nightly News and NPR’s Weekend Edition. He is also a contributor on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.
Making an impact on conservation from the classroom
NTU students with keen interest in photography will get to learn from Joel, who will share photography techniques and tips on how to tell a story through pictures.
In addition to meeting Joel, NTU students will have the chance to get up close and personal with Arthur Huang, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, engineer, architect and global leader in post- consumer recycling technology. Arthur will share innovative ways to turn waste into high performing materials and architectural buildings and give his views on the students’ environment-related projects.
The public will be able to attend a talk by Arthur on the impact of overconsumption on the planet, and how he is trying to change this by designing from trash new materials that can be used to make furniture, buildings, and even airplanes. This public session, which is also open to NTU students and alumni, will take place at 6pm on 19 January at the Nanyang Auditorium.
By hearing the real-life stories of Joel Sartore and Arthur Huang, NTU students may be inspired to reduce waste and protect the environment and to encourage others to do the same.
A global leader in sustainability research and education, NTU Singapore has been the series partner since National Geographic LIVE! began in Singapore in 2014. In addition to bringing in National Geographic Explorers, NTU has also hosted National Geographic’s Young Explorers as part of its efforts to educate students about environmental stewardship and civic responsibility to care for the planet.
Championing conservation efforts within the Singapore wildlife community
Singapore Zoo will host exclusive activities for its partners with Joel Sartore, to share about his work and inspire other passionate wildlife lovers to make a difference. Between 18 January to 31 March, other zoo guests will get to enjoy a selection of Joel’s photographs in a specially curated exhibition featuring some of Singapore Zoo’s residents. This complements the zoo’s conservation efforts to protect wildlife in their native habitats by supporting and funding local and regional conservation and research projects, and inspiring zoo guests to love and respect nature.
This partnership is in addition to previous and ongoing collaborations between Joel and Wildlife Reserves Singapore (operator of Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari, and Singapore Zoo) where he had photographed various threatened and rescued species housed in the four wildlife parks, for the National Geographic Photo Ark project. A noteworthy addition to this photo collection was the photo of a proboscis monkey from Singapore Zoo, which became the 6,000th species featured in the project.
National Geographic LIVE!, in partnership with Singapore Zoo, will also produce exclusively a series of postcards featuring Joel’s images from National Geographic Photo Ark.
Take part in the ongoing Wildlife Snapshots photography competition before 31 December, for a chance to be part of Joel Sartore’s exclusive activities at Singapore Zoo. Details can be found here
