Phil Bebbington

Crete: remains and memories

Alessandro Grassani

                                  

Through Iran

I began this photographic project in 2005, after the election victory of

the conservative president Ahmadinejad and I went back to Iran recently

in 2009, the 30^th anniversary of the Khomeini Revolution. I have narrated

the daily life of this both varied and complex society; traveling for miles

and miles across the remotest areas of Iran, where the ethnic minorities

live. I looked at everyday life trying not to have a negative or stereotype

view which is usually given of this country. Iran is not only about

fundamentalism and propaganda. It is also a hospitable and complex

country, inhabited by a multitude of ethnic groups and minorities,

which are against the regime and which are trying to achieve their rights.

They love their country but recognize the limits of their society,like the

young people who look to the west as an example to follow.

Matt Lutton

Everybody knows this is nowhere, Chapter I

The resettlement of Roma from camps under Gazela Bridge in Belgrade,

Serbia, 2009. On August 31 the city stepped in to sweep the land they were

living to prepare it for the renovation of the bridge above, under stipulations

from the EU and IMF who are underwriting the project. While this work on

one level concerns the plight of impoverished people in a struggling nation,

the project focused on the idea of community in this group and how it will

evolve as over two hundred families are relocated to all corners of the country.

                              

I  See A Darkness

"I See A Darkness" is a project started in 2005 continuing through present
day by Matt Lutton on the streets and byways of New York City.
It is one man's reaction to a city of profound contradictions, established
foremost in love and fear. Inspired by the music of the American musician
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Mikhail Bulgakov's masterpiece 'The Master and
Margarita' this work stares at the heart of the modern city and its inhabitants,
and the shadows that engulf it all. This project was exhibited in Seattle
in Spring 2008 and is a forthcoming book.

Homeless in Seattle

This project started in the summer of 2006 as a small commission from Jewish Family
Service in Seattle, and then expanded into a long-term personal project made possible
by the generosity of the people in the pictures and the organizations that serve them.
I have tried to show a faithful and accurate portrait of what homelessness in Seattle is
today and to expand our perception of who these individuals are. Some of the images
are portraits of people who have become my friends, others are quick photographs of
people I have met briefly, and all have confounded my view of what being homeless
means and looks like. I hope to challenge your expectations and to encourage a more
humanistic view. I feel strongly that the issues in these photographs require critical and
moral attention from all citizens: these are our neighbors, real people, suffering and
succeeding – living lives, with the same ups and downs as the rest of us on the streets
and in overcrowded shelters. I hope you take from these images an expanded, more
nuanced view of what being homeless means in Seattle today, and that this moves you
to give more support to this community in need.

Despina Spyrou

Folegandros, the minimum scale
Folegandros is the minimum scale of life. The transformation of this scale to a
touristic industry is the abuse of a delicate balance. To many Greek islands this
balance is irreversibly disturbed. Now it is the Folegandros’ turn to walk through
this threshold. This photographic project is part of the “Isolario” project for the
preservation of physiognomy and cultural diversity of the small insular worlds in
Greece. The photos are published in the book ”Stories in History: Folegandros,
the minimum scale”, ed. Media dell’ Arte.

M.Scott Brauer

The Furry Project

Furries, as a rule, defy categorization. They're a group of people who identify, to
varying degrees, as anthropomorphic animals instead of humans, but similarities
between furries often end there. Mainstream coverage of their culture has characterized
the community poorly, and as such, the Furry Fandom, as it's called, has been reticent
to go on the record in recent years. Whereas television, magazine, and internet pieces
about furries have focused exclusively on fursuiting as a sexual fetish, and for many
furries, this is true. For most, however, being a furry is much more than sexual expression.
Indeed, many find outlet for their identity by working as mascots or children's entertainers
or collecting animation memorabilia or making fur suit costumes. Furriness is as much about
performance as it is about the self. To be a furry is to transform one's life to embrace the
interest in becoming a walking, talking animal. This obsession, as many furries call their
involvement in the community, still carries much stigma in the mainstream world.

Ezequiel Scagnetti

The Arab World Project

Since 2003, photographer Ezequiel Scagnetti is working on the various cultural and social aspects
of the Arab world countries. This gallery illustrates the evolution of the project which aim is to show
a less known reality of this side of the world, the complexity of this society and its historical, religious
and cultural heritage.

George Voulgaropoulos

Children of Auburn

Children of Auburn is George's photographic portrayal of a side of Sydney that most people will never see.
This series provides a glimpse into the life of the next generation of Australians living in Auburn, peering
behind the veil of this little -known side of society. Auburn is a small suburb located in Sydney's western
suburbs, a landing point for many migrants and refugees when they first arrive in Australia. Recent events
have spurred an increase in displaced Afghan, Iraqi and Sudanese refugees seeking a new place to call home,
a haven from a troubled past. He plans to continue documenting this important and overlooked aspect of
Australian culture. Will this next generation of Australian hold onto their cultural heritage? Or will they be
overwhelmed by the pressure to assimilate? The body of work parallels his journey as a photographer, as an
observer of a culture, mirroring his own experiences as a 2nd generation Australian.