Eagle and its owner in Mongolia. | Photo by Brendan O’Leary

Photographer Brendan O’Leary’s upcoming exhibition Golden Eagle Bayan Ulgii will be at the Leigh Square Community Arts Village in Port Coquitlam and will feature 20 digital prints on canvas. The exhibition will also showcase other highlights of Bayan-Ulgii such as the celebration of Kazakh traditions. The show runs from Sept. 29–Oct. 31. 

An excerpt from Brendan O’Leary’s photography book Bayan Ulgii Eagle Festival captures the eagle’s historical significance:

Superior in ability to fly to the highest height, the eagle has always been considered the chief of all birds. The eagle has been the companion of some of the greatest figures in mythology including Zeus, the ruler of Mount Olympus, the god of the sky and thunder. Teutonic mythology tells of an eagle who lives in the top branches of the Yggdrasil, a giant rowan or ash tree, and who watches the going-ons of the world below.

Feeding his soul in Mongolia

During his stints in Mongolia from 2004–2009, O’Leary ended up going to the Golden Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ulgii (pronounced all-GEE) in 2006.

“I was lucky enough to be working in Mongolia and I knew I needed something to feed my soul while I was there,” says O’Leary who was also doing international development work in Mongolia as well as photography at the time.

O’Leary has been working on the project over the past 10 years, creating the book in Canada and developing photos in Mongolia. “I’ve been able to pull it together in different shapes and forms. I figured I’d just take the photos and that would be it but in the process, I’ve had the photos printed on poly-cotton in Mongolia and shipped here. I knew it was a life-changing experience to be there,” says O’Leary who loves photographing birds.

An ability to connect with all

O’Leary says to him the eagle is the king of all birds. He explains the eagle has always been a powerful mythological figure and to actually be in the presence of eagles is inspiring.

“It rides in the clouds and flies in the blue sky in Mongolia – and here too. Out there in Bayan-Ulgii, the community is related to the eagle, there’s a relationship there and you can feel it when you see it. It’s similar here too. You see eagles, you see the terrain and the landscape – it’s in many cultures,” says O’Leary.

The Bayan Ulgii Festival is an annual festival that occurs in October and O’Leary says the locals are active participants who observe the festival both visually and by simply being present.

“I understood the connection on a deep, deep level. I was going, ‘wow, I can actually be here and take pictures of this,’” O’Leary says.

For a period of four days the photographer was part of the event and was welcomed.

“Over time people got to see me, got to know me,” he says.

The Mongolians were also happy to be in his photos and would usually ask to view the photographs and request a copy sent to their email.

For O’Leary, it’s ultimately about the eagle.

“The view of the eagle lets you get beyond the mundane to see things the way they really are. I can relate to that on a professional basis and take the higher ground. It’s that perspective that the eagle symbolizes for me,” he says.

Capturing photographs from the Golden Eagle Festival is his way to give back to the community.

“I’m trying to capture essence and spirit, the experience I had that I want to share with people. There’s no point of me having it if I can’t share it,” he says.

For more information:  www.portcoquitlam.ca/Recreation_and_Culture/Leigh_Square_Community_Arts_Village or www.discover-bayanolgii.com/golden-eagle-festival