Exhibition
Now & Then was an exhibition of photographs by Courtney Platt in association with National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) curator Natalie Urquhart, the Steinmetz Archive, and the Cayman Islands National Archive (CINA).
In the fast-moving world of modern Cayman, it is difficult to imagine a time when life moved at a slower pace. Yet such a life existed only a few short decades ago. “The Islands That Time Forgot”, as the American photojournalist David Douglas Duncan called our three tiny Islands, did not have private telephones until 1965, or TVs until the 1970s. Today, these Islands are home to 65,000 people and have one of the most advanced banking economies in the world.
The images in Now & Then illustrated the gigantic leap that we had taken as a society. Working with archival photographs from CINA and the Cayman Free Press Steinmetz Collection, photographer Courtney Platt replicated and digitally merged images of the past with images of the present and together formed a fascinating tapestry of an evolving society and industry.
When seen side by side, these scenes of past and current landmarks, buildings, events, and generations of people created together a surreal, and at times, haunting mixture of imagery, which evoked a way of life that is rapidly becoming confined to memory. The exhibition was also a reminder of the importance to preserve our unique heritage before it is lost forever.
Now & Then was developed by NGCI in 2012 and was first exhibited at the National Gallery’s central facility in Grand Cayman. It has since returned to NGCI on multiple occasions and travelled to both sister Islands Little Cayman and Cayman Brac as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Little Cayman Museum, the Cayman Brac Reef Resort, and the National Gallery.
Returning and Travelling Exhibitions
Now & Then
Now & Then
Now & Then
Featured Artists
ever learning always pushing the envelope.
Natalie Urquhart (curator, archival materials (photographs documents) publications in various formats which document the history of the Cayman Islands its way of life. The collections featured in Now Then are:
, Florida in 1941, Courtney Platt (contemporary images artwork)
An eclectic photographer living in Grand Cayman since 1983 creating photos since 1976, Courtney “specializes in everything” from events weddings to fine art photography. During eight assignments for National Geographic Magazine since 1987, curation of the final exhibition.
The Steinmetz Collection (select archival images)
The pictures from the Steimetz Archive, who merges WWII-era photos with contemporary shots of identical locations in Berlin, other European cities, Florida in 1985. Steinmetz earned a degree in English from Princeton University. Following college, she knew she wanted to recreate the idea in a Caymanian context. Familiar with Courtney’s skill both behind the camera with Photoshop she reached out to him with the idea. The pair spent numerous hours researching archival images before narrowing it down to 24 ‘workable’ photographs. She then worked with Courtney to edit the final merged images was responsible for the editorial component, Courtney has learned a great deal about analyzing augmenting available light making his work come together precisely at “the Geographic Moment”.
Although photo finishing has evolved in the digital age to mean late nights at the computer, concept, Steinmetz travelled the world. In Egypt, editing)
When Natalie came across a similar exhibition by Russian photographer Sergey Larenchov, with Nikon’s latest, Leningrad, he purchased his first professional camera in 1928. A chance encounter at a society event with Pete Marin, owned by Pinnacle Media, Steinmetz’s work appeared in numerous nationally distributed magazines.
The Cayman Islands National Archive Collections (select archival images)
CINA plays an essential role in documenting the evolution of Caymanian society by preserving contributing to the individual collective memory. As keeper of the nation’s memory, he finds gratification in the level of refinement that it makes possible to achieve in the final image. It is remarkable to see the difference between the film he started with over 30 years ago what he produces now, a world-renowned commercial photographer whose work has been referred to as “an American social history”. He visited the Cayman Islands in 1950 took a series of photographs depicting life here.
Steinmetz was born in Philadelphia, an editor for The Saturday Evening Post, they provide three main services: public access to archival records, the acquisition preservation of archival records records management for Government records.
The historic holdings of the National Archive consist of records, Pennsylvania in 1905 died in Sarasota, led to Steinmetz’s first consistent work as a professional photographer. After moving to Sarasota, greatest professional digital cameras Photoshop. Courtney strives to remain on the leading edge of technology in both hardware software, and were taken in 1950 by Joseph Janney Steinmetz.