James Nachtwey and The Other

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James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer. He has been awarded the Overseas Press Club’s Robert Capa Gold Medal five times. In 2003, he was injured by a grenade in an attack on his convoy while serving as a Time contributing correspondent in Baghdad, from which he has made a full recovery. He is by all accounts one of the greatest war photojournalists of our time, a member of The Bang Bang Club and Magnum, he has bodies of work ranging from Sudan, Kosovo and Northern Ireland to the Middle East and 9/11.

His words are always haunting, he has seen and photographed horror in its deepest and darkest form. It is miraculous he has survived both physically and mentally so far. He remembers;

“The most incomprehensible situation I’ve ever witnessed was Rwanda where we don’t really know how many people died; the estimate of half a million to a million. They were killed with very primitive weapons; clubs and rocks and machetes, face to face. And I saw some massacre sites and I just do not understand how people can do that to each other. What can inspire such fear and such hatred? This is beyond my understanding really. It’s very difficult to get over that.

…And I realised that many of the people I was photographing might have been the very ones who had committed the massacres that I had witnessed just a few weeks before. And it was like taking the express elevator to hell.”

A lot of photojournalism is knowledge, absorbing information and coming to an innate understanding of the events. This should never be achieved on the road to the event. You must think first as a journalist and second as a photographer. Journalism will always provide you with the context in what to shoot, rather than choosing the most attractive position. James is a connoisseur in this field, but was thrown when the attacks of 9/11 happened, almost dying while shooting under the WTC 2, when it fell.

Filed under: 9/11, afghanistan, america, camera, conflict photojournalist, documentary, George Bush, horror, humanitarian photojournalist, Iraq, journalism, ngo humanitarian photographer, offices, photojornalism, photojournalism, Photojournalist, politics, religion, War, warrior ethos

Council Chambers – A Hive of Bad Design

Having a conversation with a local Council worker in the Morecambe area last night & the owner of www.print2group.com a bespoke wallpaper and digital design company, we fell onto the subject of Council offices. Slow moving Councils for change throw various reasons and factors to why they cannot go through with proposals. Yet with many proposals for the area walking through the door with pre-sponsored and grant money, still being turned down it may fall back on the ladies and gentleman of the Council.

As the Council worker told me, websites and Google have just been discovered within the offices, most buildings are old town halls, grand buildings, tatty 80′s grey shells and that lingering of very old tobacco smoke and biscuits. Who exactly is in charge of design, decor, wallpaper and such? As for the money aspect of this it would work wonders if given time and a movement of premises. I remember Swansea City Council moved to a brand new building next door. The previous grey hub faced the prison, and as Dostoevsky put it brilliantly “A society is judged, by observing it’s prisoners”. Looking at a prison wall from your window, of prisoners and guards staring back through bars, you can imagine the creative influences would be rock bottom. Thus when moved it was if a new soul had been rejuvenated, regardless of age. More people wanted to work in the building, things were getting done, events designed and implemented and new buildings given the go ahead.

It can be argued whether it directly contributed to that – but that’s all to see when you visit British Council Offices. Its grey, meticulously timed, rather rude, a stale smell seems to follow you around, everyone hunched, everyone’s white shirts or jumpers have faded colour with repeated washing, and now look strangely like the drab wallpaper hanging from the walls.

Looking at the Midland Hotel, for its Art-Deco turn around, Council Offices can do the same if financially possible because it needs a swift kick into a modern era. It needs colour, creative design, IKEA sofas and stimulating magazines to spur other areas of the brain that are covered with files and dust. Twitter should be used by each Council to improve communication between Councillors and the Public. Blogs even in regards to replies in newspapers when the disgruntled citizen Mr Jones complains about parking on Smith Street.

This is a very materialistic view of it, regardless of political control or certain Councillors choices, or even voted on. It would stimulate change if their immediate environment changes first.

stephensidlo.com

Filed under: Art-Deco, British, council, Dostoevsky, Google, grants, IKEA, Midland Hotel, morecambe, office, offices, print2group, printed space, prison, Swansea, town halls