Photographers:
Boreal on Raw File
We contributed to an article on Wired’s Raw File photography blog called: Forging New Paths? 7 Budding Photo Collectives Speak.
TONIGHT: “A Co-existence…” Opening at Pikto Gallery
A Co-existence: Lost in the Wake of Zionism
Opening May 3, 2012
6-10pm, with artist talk at 8pm
Pikto Gallery
55 Mill Street Building 59-103, Toronto, ON (map)
Come down tonight to Aaron’s opening at the Pikto Gallery. The exhibit will be on from May 1-31, but this is the only night to hear Aaron will be speak about this work and his experiences. This is a featured exhibition in the 2012 CONTACT Photography Festival.
“The Jewish people arrived in the land now known as Morocco over 2000 years ago. Protected since the 7th century by the Islamic principle of tolerance they flourished, holding high positions in trade and government. The Star of David was a symbol all Moroccans shared in common, appearing on the currency and even the national flag. During the Holocaust when asked for a list of Jews, King Mohammed V declared, “We have no Jews in Morocco, only Moroccan citizens.”
In 1940 Morocco had 300,000 Jewish people, the largest population in the Arab World. Following World War II, Israel’s expansion marked the beginning of an exodus. Today, fewer than 5000 Jews remain.
This photographic project is a journey into the remnants of a culture. Documenting an epoch of Judaism existing in peace with Islam, Aaron Vincent Elkaim seeks to honour an important historical truth. Reviving memories of a past forgotten in the wake of Zionism, he tells a story at odds with current perceptions of both Jews and Arabs. Elkaim was drawn to this subject through his own family’s history. His father was born in the Jewish Quarter of Marrakech and immigrated to Canada with his family in the 1960s.”
CONTACT Photography Festival Vincent ElkaimBOREAL Spotlight: Brent Lewin for Report on Business
Brent Lewin is an award-winning documentary and fine art photographer who splits his time between Toronto and Bangkok. His work mainly focuses on the plight of the Asian elephant in Thailand, and issues about how societies manage their waste.
Brent’s photos have been awarded from Pictures of the Year International, Photo District News, the International Photo Awards and Prix de la Photographie Paris. His work has also been featured in publications such as National Geographic, The New York Times, Applied Arts, and American Photo.
Brent recently shot a fascinating series of photos for The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine, profiling companies using innovative approaches to recycling. Brent has gratefully answered a few questions about this series for Boreal via email (he’s currently in Thailand).
Boreal Collective: How did you approach this assignment? What were your goals?
Brent Lewin: For this assignment, I had a pretty straightforward goal which was to present the subject of waste and it’s recycled counterpart as art. The approach was very similar to a past series I did, Want Not Waste Not. All the companies being profiled repurpose garbage/recycled material in innovative ways that involve some novel technology or process. The idea was to capture and contrast the before and after, and I went in with the vision of focusing on either the scale or textures.
BC: What was your shooting process like?
BL: All of the shoots took place on location at the facilities. Most were shot on a medium format film and digital. When I arrived at the facilities, I would get a quick tour to scope the place out and then pick a few spots to do set-up shots using lights. Once that was done, I would leave the heavy equipment behind and just take my camera around and shoot the place with a more reportage style as a backup, in case the editor didn’t go with the diptychs.
For Biox, a company turning animal fats and discarded cooking oil into bio-diesel, their plant had security measures in place so that I couldn’t actually see the process. The pictures were really boring exteriors, so I asked if I could get some samples to take home. I ended up buying some props from a science store and converted my best friend’s basement into a makeshift studio. The samples smelled downright foul; I don’t think he used his basement for a week!
BC: What were some of the challenges you faced?
BL: The Enviroshake shoot was a bit tricky. To shoot the roof tiles involved me going up on a ladder along with hoisting a giant softbox up there. The wind and drizzle of rain didn’t help.
Another big challenge was just being in the same room as the animal fat/oil samples from Biox; seriously, that stuff stank! Also, the night before I was supposed to fly from Vancouver to Prince George the company pulled out of the feature because of an untimely exposé by Greenpeace. Luckily, the writer was able to scramble last minute and find a good replacement.
BC: This assignment is very different from your recent work in Bangkok. What drew you to it?
BL: Consumption and waste, our attitude towards it, what we produce, how we deal with it and where it ends up has always fascinated me. These themes run through some of the projects and assignments I’ve taken on. I’ve shot a few personal projects on waste in Ontario as well as Asia. A lot of it can be disheartening: the sheer scale of what we throw away, the effect it’s having on our planet’s resources, the attitude people have toward the labourers who deal with waste in Asia, as well as the conditions they are forced to work. So, it’s nice to work on a story with a positive and inspiring angle.
***
Click here to view this feature online, and you can also see the photos as they appeared in the print magazine over at Brent’s newly launched blog.
BOREAL Round-up - 04.20.2012
Boreal’s kicking it into high gear as we head into Spring and Summer 2012.
Aaron’s exhibition opening is in less than two weeks, on May 3rd at the Pikto Gallery. “A Co-existence: Lost in the Wake of Zionism” is a Featured Exhibition at the 2012 CONTACT Photography Festival. The opening is from 6-10pm, but be sure to be there for the 8pm artist talk.
Aaron will also be speaking about his work at the next Flightpath Artist Talk, presented by Knock Twice. This is a free event, April 24th at 7pm in Toronto. Full details can be found here.
Brett has signed on with Wonderful Machine.
His three-week workshop with Johan Hallberg-Campbell, the Next Level Documentary Workshop, starts May 13th. There’s still time to register – this is an invaluable opportunity to learn from two great instructors.
Check out Ian’s latest work from Warsaw for The New York Times.
What’s Ian doing in Warsaw? Read this post at Gallery 44 to find out. You can also follow along with his travels at his blog.
Less than a week until Jonathan’s tele-talk with the First Nations & Inuit Health Board - register here by April 24th to tune in.
Jonathan will be teaching a course at Emily Carr University this summer, “Documentary Process & Practice.” Registration is now open.
Looking for some Nikon film gear? Jonathan’s selling a Nikon F5 with a couple lenses - click here if you’re interested.
We’re rooting for Rafal, who has been nominated for a National Newspaper Award for the above photo of a former soldier diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Winners will be announced next Friday, April 27th.
Rafal is also gearing up for an upcoming project on protected forests of the BC interior that are in danger of being logged.
•••
Boreal recommends:
Johan Hallberg-Campbell’s CONTACT exhibition, “Coastal”, opens tonight, April 20th, at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre. Full details here – don’t miss it.
Alexi Hobbs has a new print for sale, going towards a great cause as part of the collect.give initiative.
CONTACT Photography Festival Emily Carr University Gundlock New York Times Taggart Vincent Elkaim Willms Wonderful Machine GerszakGUNDLOCK - Wonderful Machine
Brett is excited to announce that he has signed on with Wonderful Machine.
From their website: “Wonderful Machine provides art buyers with the most comprehensive source of high quality photographers doing all kinds of work, all over the world.”
Brett Gundlock Wonderful Machine