The Mancheski seminar room came to life as Quinnipiac welcomed Bolivian author Marie France Perrin on March 16. Her three photographic books, “Bolivian Housing,” “Bolivian Popular Art” and “Bolivia Dressed to Celebrate,” illustrate the history of Bolivia through architecture, art and traditional costumes.
“I wanted these books to encourage people to look into the culture of countries unknown to them,” Perrin said.
The event, hosted by Students Helping Advocate Diversity Education (SHADES), drew in students, professors and members of the Hamden community. Perrin spoke with the audience before her speech while setting up with her daughter, President of SHADES and junior psychology major, Paloma Pero.
“I have been in SHADES for two years now, and I’ve wanted to show my friends and other students my culture, the Bolivian culture,” Pero said.
Born in Paris, Perrin moved to South America and was raised in Bolivia. Her father was an architect. She acquired an appreciation of architecture and art at an early age, part of her inspiration to write her first book, “Bolivian Housing.”
Other inspiration comes from her background in journalism. After working with newspapers for several years, Perrin became editor of a journal of Bolivian architecture.
She spoke about the evolution of Bolivian architecture throughout history. She said Bolivian homes have transformed from one-room buildings to intricately detailed structures and then shifted to a modernistic, geometric style.
Perrin decided to continue publishing photography books and published “Bolivian Popular Art.” She showed photos of traditional art pieces in the places they were made.
“To better understand art you must see it in its traditional area of its making,” Perrin said.
Miniatures are a tradition in Bolivian artwork. Artists create miniature houses, cars and other objects to sell at a “miniature fair.” There, people can come and buy miniature pieces from that year.
After researching Bolivia’s cultural progression, Perrin was inspired by Bolivia’s diversity which led to her newest book, “Bolivia Dressed to Celebrate.”
“[Bolivia] is home to many ethnic groups that have kept their identities through their dress,” she said.
Perrin also talked about the Diablada, the most famous of Bolivian costumes. Like most traditional costumes, it has war-like characteristics meant to scare and make fun of conquerors.
Some students said they were surprised what they learned from Perrin’s discussion.
“I never knew that something as simple as architecture can differ between cultures,” said Nailah Abdul-Rahman , a sophomore psychology major.
Other students said they felt Perrin left the Quinnipiac community with a taste of what Bolivian culture is really like.
“With her speech, the audience can understand the Bolivian culture: how they live, eat, dress, their values,” said Sriram Ramanan, a sophomore bio-medical science major and treasurer of SHADES. “The audience can then be able to make comparisons between their culture and Latin culture.”
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