The Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics held a photography competition for students who had been on their Year Abroad during the 2021-22 academic year.
Students who study four-year Modern and Medieval Languages (MML) or History and Modern Languages (HML) courses spend their third year abroad - studying, working or teaching. It’s an exciting and challenging experience and an excellent way to immerse yourself in a culture and language.
The winning photos have now been selected and are presented below, with a short description from the photographers. The Faculty would like to thank all those who entered the competition.
Overall winner
Alexander Pennington, Kilometre 24.7
Bariloche, Argentina
"This photograph was taken from a viewpoint just off the famous Circuito Chico circular road. The viewpoint is part of a well-known Argentine brewery, set in a wooded area heavily populated by small birds of prey, one of which can be seen here. In the mid-ground is Lago Moreno Oeste, a smaller lake separated from its much larger neighbour Nahuel Huapi by a narrow stretch of land also seen here. In the distance, beyond Nahuel Huapi, the Andes can be seen."
Category Winners
1st Place (tied), The Unexpected
Max Glowacki, Funkafüar
Lochau, Vorarlberg, Austria
"In Vorarlberg, as well as other, mostly Alemannic regions, the beginning of spring is celebrated with a colossal bonfire, a "Funkenfeuer" ("Funkafüar" in Vorarlbergisch). As part of a symbolic banishing of winter and death, demons and Krampuses dance around the fire brandishing torches and ringing cow bells, while a gunpowder-filled witch effigy is placed on top which explodes when the flames reach it. This fascinating tradition is a remarkable spectacle and a strong part of the local culture which has survived since pagan times."
1st Place (tied), The Unexpected
Georgie Archer, Mundane
Tbilisi, Georgia
"This photo was taken in Tbilisi, Georgia, in November 2021. My friends and I were studying together in Moscow and decided to take a trip to see the beautiful city. I was so happy to see sunshine and colourful architecture, as well as non-frozen water: the moment seemed perfect to capture. There were people and dogs wandering round, a wedding photo shoot was happening on the bridge up ahead, and everything seemed so peaceful. We had just gone to the baths in the blue building on the right, which was quite an experience."
2nd Place, The Unexpected
Emma Bringer, Man Through Church Window
Madrid, Spain
"This photograph was taken in a brutalist style church in Madrid called Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Filipinas that I visited for my year abroad project on Spanish architecture in Francoist Spain. The entrance door had small cross shaped windows, and as I peeped through, I saw a man and a group of children playing football outside. I found the contrast between the relative darkness and silence inside the church and the hustle and bustle of the outside world, that materialised itself in the cross of light in the church door, particularly striking."
1st Place, Places of Interest
Alexander Pennington, Kilometre 24.7
Bariloche, Argentina
2nd Place, Places of Interest
Elia Plagne-Ismail, Slave Statues on the Hillside
Martinique
"On the southern coast of Martinique stands this slave memorial built in 1998. In 1830, a slave ship sunk during a storm, killing 46 people, 42 of them being African slaves. The triangular shape represents the Triangular Slave Trade, the white stone marks the mourning (white is often the colour of mourning in the Caribbean) and the leaning position of the statues symbolises the weight of these tragic events for those who suffered from them. This monument was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Martinique as I had always wanted to visit it."
1st Place. People
Emma Bringer, Woman Walking
Sant Antoni, Barcelona
"This photograph was taken next to where I lived in Sant Antoni, Barcelona, under a roof structure that shelters the stalls of the Sunday outdoor market. At night, the linear rows of lights illuminate the street in a beautiful greenish hue. One evening, as I was behind a woman who was walking right in the middle of the street, I found the symmetrical composition it created and her distinctive figure that suddenly revealed the space around her quite remarkable."
2nd Place, People
Elia Plagne-Ismael, A local Martinican fisherman chopping a coconut
Martinique
"As I was exploring the town of Case Pilote in Martinique, I met this lovely fisherman on the beach. He explained his day-to-day errands and then offered some coconut water directly from the fruit. This photograph pictures moments before I tried coconut water for the first time!"
