Jul
I am honoured to be a FINALIST in the eleventh edition of the World Report Award 2021 | Documenting Humanity in the SINGLE SHOT category. My entry of “A Boy from the Crowd” photographed in Liberia for International Alert was shortlisted from over 13,000 photographs taken by photographers around the world. An international jury composed of Lauren Steel, Svetlana Bachevanova, Gary Knight, Alberto Prina and Aldo Mendichi selected the work which will be exhibited during the annual edition of the Festival of Ethical Photography in Lodi, Italy.
The World.Report Award aims at a new form of social commitment through photography. The award gives attention to work focusing on people and their social or cultural stories; public or private, minor or crucial, major human tragedies or smaller daily life stories, changes and immutability.
Every year the contest creates a fresco that tells the stories of our planet, its great changes and its intimate and personal relationships connecting human beings.
The World Report Award|Documenting Humanity isn’t simply a contest that through its prizes economically supports those who are actively engaged in this difficult sector of photography, but it also represents a way for all participants to enter into a supportive community that they have built over the past 10 years and composed of professionals who are already collaborating with the organization.
The winners in every category will be announced on August 30th.
Jul
I am proud to announce that I am part of the Venice International Art Fair: “Fragmented Identities”, exhibiting at The Room Contemporary Art Space in Venice, from July 12 to August 01, 2021. Venice International Art Fair is a contemporary art exhibition that presents collective and solo projects by leading and emerging international artists. The 13th edition will represent a forum for direct exchange of ideas and contacts between collectors, artists, photographers, designers, and art professionals. The art fair features paintings, sculptures, photography art, installations, video art and live performance.
Borders Art Fair is divided into three appointments (Bodies + Cities Skin, Fragmented Identities and Future Landscapes). I was invited to exhibit three works as part of the Fragmented Identities collection.
Fragmented Identities analyses human beings as living mosaics composed of many different pieces, that form who we are. The challenge is to recognise that there is not just one perspective of knowing someone. In understanding our fragmented identities, we will be able to break down all the barriers and boundaries that divide us.
I am exhibiting three photographs from my series of “Portraits of Survivors of Torture” produced in collaboration with TASSC International. The portraits feature survivors of Torture from around the world who fled their home countries seeking safety, recovery, and political asylum. Most were tortured by repressive governments for “reasons” as varied as joining opposition political organisations, criticising their governments publicly, refusing to join the ruling party, being related to a political dissident or because of their religion or sexual orientation. These men and women were persecuted for standing up for freedom of speech or assembly or for exposing government corruption, fighting against gender-based violence or forced early marriage for girls.
Survivors are the strongest and most effective voice in the campaign to abolish torture.
Not all survivors want to be recognised for fear of repercussions to their friends and family. Each survivor selected a photograph that was significant to them. The photograph was then projected over the individual, sometimes obscuring their identity as per their request.
The portraits invite viewers to see the survivors in the fullest measure of their humanity— to look beyond whatever pre-conceived notions they might have about refugees and asylum seekers and see them as individuals with very human connections to place and home.
Venice International Art Fair, organized by ITSLIQUID Group in collaboration with Venice Events and ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association.
Jun
Travel is one of the industries that has suffered the most during the global pandemic. The consequential ripples of placing restrictions on international movement has been far and wide. I photograph for a stable of corporate clients, editorial magazines, and charitable organisations around the world. I supply photography for various architects, designers, and hotel resorts.
Among those industries reacting to the restrictions on travel is the hotel sector. Hotel designers and architects are reworking existing projects and approaching new ones from a different perspective.
It is essential to understand and adapt to consumers’ changing behaviours for the future. Innovation in uncertain times comes down to flexibility and technology. Organisations need to supply environments that can evolve with the changes of our health concerns and that suit the users’ requirements.
Early indications are that business travel will decline and hotels will have to facilitate a wider range of guest that require different amenities. Hotels will need to appeal to everyone with a safe and secure environment which is welcoming. Lobbies are increasingly being transformed from designer furniture showrooms to the “home from home” spaces that attract overnight guests and local people alike. “Hybrid hotels” already offer hospitality services and facilities such as day spars and in-house cinemas in conjunction with their restaurants adapting to daytime coffee to evening meals for local guests.
Interior spaces will evolve to be designed where social distancing is not directed by Perspex screens and floor markings! Architects will need to consider their choice of materials and its viral surface retention qualities. Biophilic design will also have an important place, to purify the air and to create a sense of wellness.
Hotels will have to do more with less which is where Smart technology will reshape the way in which we use hotels. Contactless hospitality will mean the mobile check in and keyless entry to the rooms, as well as remote ordering at the restaurant. Technology amounts to a touchless interface, which is part of social distancing.
Other benefits offered by new technology are density and opt-in temperature monitoring, self-cleaning surfaces, and high-caliber air filtration systems. Hotels are even collaborating with medical organisations to offer hygiene excellence standards.
Maximising hotel roof designs can provide additional space for terraces or sky lounges, while also satisfying functional needs, such as thermal mass and biodiversity.
The hotel industry has always adapted to behavioural changes and embraced new technology. The pandemic has challenged the industry to react and reinvent itself where the resulting benefits will extend beyond hotel guests to local communities and the wider built environment.
When photographing hotels, there are several factors to consider, from capturing the architecture within its location, to the design of the interior space, and the ambience created by the lighting and design features. As with all architecture, interior, and lifestyle photography it is important to work with the design and marketing team to achieve the required photography.
May
The 16th Pollux Awards have been announced and I am pleased to share that my three entries into the singles categories of Fine Art, Culture and Children have all received honourable mentions.
The Pollux Awards is one of the most important annual photography competitions which attracts talent from around the world. Hosted by Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, the 16th Pollux Awards was juried by Stephen Perloff, photographer, writer, founder and editor of The Photo Review and The Photography Collector. The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards recognises artists’ talent through competitions juried by industry leaders, exposing their work in the media, publishing their work, hosting collective exhibitions, and by exhibiting their work online and in the Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography.
Selected works of the Winners and Honourable mentions will exhibited at the FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona in late 2021.
