World Press Exhibition

Peter Holgersson, Sweden

The female form has always been the subject of many photographers, artists and film-makers. Yet this exhibition, truly showed how it's no longer just about the bodily form, but about what women represent. In this exhibition, they shone through as representations of anything and everything.

Markus Schreiber, Germany

We had women as objects of sexual desire in the Legends Football League which shows women playing football in lingerie (which has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of). We had women as the victims of abuse in a series of photographs of a young girl, her child and her partner. We also had women as symbols of remarkable strength and willpower, particularly in the heptathlon photos of Nadja Casadei who was diagnosed with cancer yet still kept up her vigorous training programme whilst undergoing chemotherapy. And there was one image of a woman with such sadness in her eyes it brought tears to mine, as she'd waited and waited whilst access to see Nelson Mandela's casket was closed.

Fred Ramos, El Salvador

It wasn't just women though, it was great representation of humanity as a whole, bad and good. The photos leaked creativity and insight into stories from across the world, which obviously got my documentary blood pumping. There were some images that really stood out to me as I walked around the Royal Festival Hall.

One was this one, the clothes of victims of homicide showing us just how futile attempts to discover who those who once wore these clothes might be. It showed also just how unremarkable we are as humans as we disappear into the ground and leave nothing behind.

Taslima Akhter, Bangladesh

Another, was the image of the collapsed Rana Plaza building with two people, a male and a female, embracing one another as they are photographed dead amongst the rubble. No-one knows what the relationship between the two people was, but I think it shows a lot about human strength and hope, amidst a disaster that shows humanity's flaws simultaneously.

Danila Tkachenko, Russia

The next group of images really spoke to me as someone who enjoys her own company perhaps a little too much. There was a group of photos showing three men who have secluded themselves from the world and where they live. I'd be interested to know what people's reactions were to the images as to me, I felt a real sense of envy and appreciation for their freedom but I know others might have walked past and coined them 'weirdos' and that's that.

Robin Hammond, New Zealand

 The next image that stood out to me, were the images of men chained to posts and walls, forced to live outside or in the darkness of shacks with locks on, in various African countries. When I wandered nearer to read the description of why they were chained up, was met with the explanation that they were suffering from mental illness or disability and were treated this way in order to heal them. I was appalled and at the same time intrigued as to how very different cultures and understanding can be across the globe.

Peter Van Agtmael, USA

The final images that stuck out were those of Bobby Henline. As he walked down the street our photographer captured the very moment that those around him realized his disfigurement. I feel as though in this picture, each face tells a story. You can almost hear the thoughts in their heads. A frizzy haired mother looking on at him confused, a distracted father and daughter, an older brother oblivious to Bobby's presence who looks ahead to his next antic, a younger brother looking both in wonder and in fear at this bold man walking down the street. Bobby, knowing people will stare and trying to continue to walk boldly with his head held high. It really captures a story in just one second.

Carla Kogelman, The Netherlands

Goran Tomasevic, Serbia

There are so many more that really spoke to me. There were pictures of two blonde girls who had complete freedom and made me wanted to run faster than ever back to my home-town and back to my childhood. There was an image of a swimmer doing backstroke where I couldn't quite decide which part of the body was which and that strangely made it more beautiful. There were the blind albino boys in the school in West Benghal and the diver surrounded by a dark sea abyss of nothingness that was both beautiful and disconcerting simultaneously. There were pictures of the Boston marathon bombs, of wrestlers and their mothers, of organized murders in Mexico, of families taking cover on the ground of Nairobi's Westgate Mall during the massacre and incredible shots of Syrian rebel fighters taking cover from Syrian army amid debris. The images really were incredible and showed the full range of human experience. I could spend hours staring into the eyes of these timeless pictured moments.

The exhibition could really do with some video coverage, asking the viewers which photos stood out, which told a story, what they thought of certain photos. It could make a great video by engaging audience members with the photography and really making them think, just as the photographers intended.


There are so many images I couldn't include in this blog that completely broaden your perspective on life so explore them all for yourself. If you missed the exhibition at the Royal festival Hall, then visit: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/awards/2014

The Trench

A Monday night at the theatre after a busy weekend of filming was apparently just what the doctor ordered. Greenwich Theatre was host to hit Edinburgh Fringe Show 'The Trench' by Les Enfants Terribles. The audience walked into a smoky auditorium with the outline of a blackened trench showing the stage. It took a while for me to notice the members of the cast sitting in the darkness also.

http://lesenfantsterribles.co.uk/shows/the-trench/

My lack of awareness was probably because of the sense of dread I had at the amount of teenagers there on a school trip. I wouldn't normally have minded this but fifteen minutes into the production, having listened to a wealth of inappropriate comments by a single teenage boy, I, not far from teen-hood myself, had to turn around and tell him to be quiet for me to actually begin to start understanding and becoming part of the performance.

Back to the show.

As the play began I found it a little difficult to get used to the main character's third person narration. Once I'd settled into it though, it got easier to follow and the physical theatre was not only supportive of this narration, but simply brilliant. The incorporation of minimal props, of shadows, of projection, of movement, of puppetry and of song was what made a fairly ordinary written piece, into a stunning one.

The still images I've included show you just how imaginative Les Enfants Terribles have been with their production although it doesn't not show you the carefully choreographed movement that accompanied each episode. The breathing in of the monster during the 'gas attack', the moving of the set across the stage during the projections to give the illusion of time and movement, the beautiful embodiment of the beast and of our soldier's wife. 

The set was more than just a prop, it was a part of the production, cleverly designed to seamlessly interact with the cast. The props are passed through it, the lights are shone through it, the cast are seen within it and above it, it folds down to show the bedroom of our soldiers pregnant wife, it moves and collapses to become part of our soldier's journey and to show the disorientation of being buried alive - but to name a few.

The props and puppets were beautifully made and we as an audience appreciate them all the more as they are so tenderly manoeuvred. A particular favourite moment was when the wife reaches out her hand for the rain and snow and smooths over the snow beneath her.

There was symbolism everywhere too. The story follows our entrenched soldier as he faces three challenges from the beasts of his prison, challenges to prove his good and strong heart. The first, is to walk the path of the dead and not falter. Overcome his fear and walk on towards the exit - The fear that comes with war. The second, to tell another beast what you could possibly give those in charge of war to stop them, as smoke rises and blisters his skin, he answers nothing - a gas attack and battling hallucination and pain to stay true to the cause of war. The third, to put his inner child aside and others first as he rescues his comrade buried alongside him - the loss of childhood innocence and camaraderie that came with war, lost brothers in arms. All symbols within the symbol of walking the path towards death. Pain, loss of hope then one last push before denial and death.

The walk towards the light could have been him facing death, it could have been the end of the war, it could have been his escaping the tunnel. The truth may be death but the production leaves it so we make up our minds, create our own story, our own endings... as they who fought could not.

Overall a wonderful piece with a voice that transcended our subconscious into seeking every metaphor, asking every question. A tremendous voice that I am eternally grateful exists outside of the theatre circuit. He stills your soul with his falsetto and makes our journey with 'The Trench' complete. You can buy his music here: http://alexanderwolfe.bandcamp.com/

Enough of the poetry, a truly stunning show that was not to be ruined by the ignorant teenage boy at the start, who failed to appreciate the emotive performance we all became a part of.

http://lesenfantsterribles.co.uk/shows/the-trench/

A Burning Dream

Are you an escapist? A socialist? All for freedom of expression? Then 'A Burning Dream' is a film worth watching - although perhaps not if you are a long term sufferer of acute wanderlust, as I am.

It's not the first documentary that's explored the Burning Man Festival but it was almost enough for me to book my tickets to Nevada and never look back. It follows the experiences of Massimiliano Davoli, who on the death of his best friend , discovered £10,000 in an envelope on the street. The debate over whether it was moral or not to keep it is almost irrelevant as he embarks upon a journey that transforms his way of thinking and ours alike. 

In a journey from Rome to London (where people turn their back on answering what it means to be Londoner) on to San Francisco, Massimiliano finally rests in Nevada at The Burning Man Festival. Here, a wonder we all wish to behold is presented as a haven for all of us free-thinking hippies. Black Rock City is hive of creativity and togetherness against a backdrop of a desert that seems to stretch for miles.

abcnews.go.com

At first I wasn't entirely sure what to make of the film, unsure of what our presenter set out to find, but soon enough, it unfolded into a beautiful journey of self-discovery for both contributors and audience. As he drives blind through the stormy sand dunes of the desert and as dust settles on the sunrise, we are bombarded with a huge 60,000 people celebrating in costumes, face paint, dancing, singing, meditating and wholly embracing togetherness.

It's fresh because we aren't diving in to the festival, it's not a film about that. It's a film about finding yourself, about seeing things that aren't normal for you and about asking questions and meeting people you perhaps would never talk to on the street. This is what makes it relevant to any audience. Massimiliano is a little awed at the festival and finds it more difficult to embrace its culture than the 'regulars'. His own personal discovery and the process of just letting go, is what makes this film so charming.

There isn't a lot I can say about the camerawork, I mean the camera goes through so many sandstorms I don't know how they actually filmed anything at all. But the story, whether it was ever intended to be a documentary or just a personal film, turned out to be one that resonated with me and I feel that it would with many others. The height of the film, when Massimiliano writes a note to his deceased friend, the film feels to have come full circle.

I want to watch it again and again. The credits rolled and left me feeling fulfilled, at peace and ready to take on the world with a new perspective. The voiceover and narration would normally seem too much, a little indulgent but it's the burning Man Festival, it's what it's all about. It help that it comes in a French accent though, I don't think a Londoner would get away with the same script.

If the film is released into the public realm, you should certainly devote an hour to watching it. Even if it's just to listen to the French poetry and to watch some free-willed people dance naked through the fire. Here's a sample of what you'd be getting:


And here's the Trailer: