On May 13, an exhibition of photographs by Gerald Bitter – an engineer, designer and bridge photographer – was opened in the second academic building of Lviv Polytechnic.
Gerald Bitter’s Bridges to Unite exhibition features photographs of bridges in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles, allowing viewers to appreciate the richness of engineering ideas. In Bitter’s photographs, bridges are depicted from different points of view, which allows you to see them in a new way, revealing hitherto hidden aspects of the beauty and functionality of these majestic structures. This allows the audience to feel as if they are walking along the streets of Paris, admiring its bridges and listening to the stories of their creation.
Bridges, the photos of which are presented at the exhibition, not only serve as transport arteries, but also symbolize unity and connection between people. They connect riverbanks, separated spaces, and also unite people, enabling them to communicate and cooperate – this is the idea and philosophy of the Frenchman of Ukrainian origin Gerald Bitter.
«In my opinion, bridges as a symbol of unity are a human creation that unites neighborhoods, cities, and countries. What can be more eloquent than this metaphor of unity and brotherhood, where the voices of the people sound together? Such values are deeply rooted in both France and Ukraine. Also both nations have their great cultures reflected in their arts, literature and national cuisines, which increases the cultural diversity of Europe, strengthening relationships between peoples and nations», says Gerald Bitter.
In her speech, Iryna Kushnir, curator of the exhibition, Associate Professor at the Department of World Literature, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, also emphasized the importance of bridges not only as transport facilities, but also as symbols of the unification of people and a strong connection between them.
The organizers of the exhibition are the Alliance Française of the city of Lviv together with the Center for International Education; Department of Building Constructions and Bridges, CEBS, Lviv Polytechnic National University; and Faculty of Foreign Languages, Department of World Literature, Ivan Franko National University.
Also, Iryna Kushnir informed that on May 15 a concert of French music will be held at 15:00 at the Lviv Academy of Music as part of the French Spring in Lviv. The admission is free.
