Photo Humanis International

(English) The pictures taken by Marilyn Silverstone in schools are always at children hight allowing us to reenter their universe. This way the spectator feels as if being their. The stare of the two girls conduct our to the book they are reading and their face tell us about how serious and important education is. Marilyn Silverstone uses black and white to make sure we focus on the essence of her pictures. She does not ask her subjects to act but instead try to understand their truth and allow us to enter their reality, their day to day life. 

(English) This picture was taken under Magnum assignment and is a part of a much larger series made into books and exhibitions. The people pictured here are people from Yumthand and Sikkin looking at pictures of themselves. It gives us a good idea of Marilyn Silverstone photos, always close from the person she photographed, leveling herself to the people she shot. There is a certain curveball looking at people looking at pictures of themselves which allows the spectators to feel closer to them. No one is looking at the camera, it is a stolen moment where we get to see the natural face of these people, not influenced by the knowledge of the camera being present. The only purpose of these pictures seems to be to share a moment of truth, a unique and true moment she was able to experiment herself. 

(English) This picture was taken in a refugee camp near Calcutta. This hospital has been built in a large storage house, the sick go their for health issue and in order to try to find some food. This mother and her daughter are refugees from Bangladesh. The picture is quite moving, the situation of the girl in underlined by the white drape in the background. While this situation is hard to look at, the gaze of the spectator is caught almost right away by the stare of the mother and her facial expression which shows both sadness and anger. The girl is paralyzed by her hunger and her face is full of pain, making it hard to look at her for a long time. Marilyn Silverstone is not easy on her spectator, she makes us look at the situation in which the women are, shooting them as naturally as can be and still keeping their dignity which is strongly present in the gaze of the mother. The photo is here to send a clear message, these people are in a situation which no humain should have to live. 

Marilyn Silverstone

(English) Here’s one of the few pictures Marilyne Silverstone took form afar. It allows the photographer to see the broader picture. The woman is moving forward with a jar on her head in the morning dusk. She is going back to her refugee camp in Rwanda, going back to her people that have both lost their cattle and their house. The only thing they have left is the nature surrounding them, the vast wilderness, with nothing to do but wait and try to survive or flee. This people are refugees from the Bahutu uprising, helped by Belgium. The framing of the picture, the lady walking away from her future, with the blurred and foggy line of horizon translate the situation in which this people are living. 

Marilyn Silverston, unknown photographer

Née en 1929 à Londres, Marilyn Silverstone grandit à Scarsdale dans l’Etat de New York aux Etats-Unis. Son père fut directeur général de United Artists et président de 20th-Century Fox, deux sociétés de production cinématographique américaines. Après des études à l’université de Wellesley, elle devient éditrice associée de plusieurs magazines d’Art, pour ensuite emménager en Italie afin de réaliser des films documentaires. Elle est poussée par des amis à faire de la photographie afin d’illustrer les articles qu’elle écrit dans la presse. 

C’est en 1955 qu’elle devient photojournaliste, voyageant en Europe, en Afrique et au Moyen-Orient. C’est l’Inde qui accrochera son cœur, puisque ce qui devait être un court voyage deviendra une fascination pour le reste de sa vie. Envoyé pour un reportage de trois mois elle y restera finalement jusqu’en 1973. Elle photographiera la misère et la famine.

Avec Frank Moraes, grand journaliste militant de son époque, avec qui elle vit une idylle amoureuse, elle se socialise avec une élite de politiciens, journalistes et intellectuels à New Delhi.

En 1959, ses photographies de l’arrivée du Dalai Lama en Inde fuyant le Tibet feront la couverture du magazine Life, c’est ainsi qu’elle fut reconnue en tant que photographe.  Elle est la seule femme journaliste photographe à suivre son exil en Inde. Elle rejoint Magnum en 1967, ce qui fait d’elle l’une des cinq femmes membre de la coopérative, son travail recouvrira des sujets variés tel que le portrait d’Albert Schweitzer au couronnement du Chah d’Iran.

Durant sa vie en Inde, elle éditera plusieurs livres dont le but est d’emmener le lecteur au cœur du Bouddhisme, une culture complexe basée sur la compassion. Un film sera produit avec ses photographies, nommé « Kashmir in Winter » le film remportera un prix au London Film Festival en 1971.

Sa vie est marquée par sa conversion au Bouddhisme tibétain. Frank Moraes meurt en 1974, trois ans après elle décide de présenter ses vœux et ce fait ordonner nonne. Elle a eu besoin d’un changement afin d’être plus proche de ses convictions, une vie moins en décalage entre la misère qu’elle a pu voir et l’élite qu’elle côtoyait dans son entourage. Elle vit alors au Népal à Katmandou où elle fait des recherches sur les coutumes disparues des royaumes du Rajasthan et de l’Himalaya. Elle apprendra à trouver la paix : « le secret est de continuer d’avancer dans la vie sans trop analyser ou trop s’accrocher, juste marcher. »

Son livre « Ocean of Life » raconte son voyage personnel, à travers ses photographies, elle raconte son expérience de changement de vie entre New York et le Népal et son expérience en tant que nonne bouddhiste. Elle considère sa pratique photographique liée à sa vie personnelle, dans son travail « plus vous êtes proche des gens, mieux vous êtes. » Si elle s’exprime par la photographie, dans ses livres les légendes ont aussi leur importance, elle situe la photo dans son contexte et permet au spectateur ou au lecteur de comprendre les personnes photographiées, afin de s’en approcher. 

Elle meurt d’un cancer en 1999 dans le monastère de Schechen Tennyi Dargyeling au Népal dont elle a participé à la création.

Sources : Magnum Photos, Photo poche, Actes sud, 2007

La photographie sociale, Photo poche, Actes sud, 2010

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Silverstone 

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL535FI3#/CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL535FI3&POPUPIID=2S5RYDZRFDEU&POPUPPN=69

Born in London in 1929, Marilyn Silverstone grew up in Scarsdale (NY, USA). Her father was the CEO of United Artists and president of 20th Century Fox. After her years in college in Wellesley, she became editor for a few art magazines before moving to Italy where she started to shoot documentary films. She also writes press articles and her friends convince him to start shooting photos in order to illustrate her writings. 

In 1955 she became photojournalist and started travelling throughout Europe, Africa and West Asia. She then fell in love with India, a country where she spent many years. While she was supposed to stay there for a three months’ work, she only left the country in 1973. There, she photographed misery and famine.

She falls in love in Frank Moraes, a politicized journalist whom introduces her to the New Delhi’s politicians and intellectuals of her times.  

In 1959, she takes the pictures of the Dalai Lama fleeing from Tibet which will be published by Life magazine. It is a consecration of a work as a photographer. She is the only woman photographer falling the event. Latter on she joins Magnum and becomes one of the five women to be a member of the agency. Her work will consist in covering various important event such as the crowning of the Shah of Iran. She also shoots portraits for Albert Schweitzer.

While she lives in India, she edits various books taking her reader to the heart of Buddhism, a complex culture she is passionate with. A film as been made based on her photographic work. Untitled “Kashmir in Winter” the film receives a price when presented to the London Film Festival in 1971.

Her life is marked by the fact she becomes a Tibetan Buddhist. Three years after Frank Moras death (1974) she becomes a Buddhist nun. She needs this change in order to be closer from her convictions, and to live a life less out of step with the poverty surrounding her. She moves to Katmandu (Nepal) where she starts to research on forgotten dresses from the kingdom of Rajasthan and Himalaya. There she learn to find her inner peace : “the secret is to move forward in life without analyzing to much and without clinging on to much things, just to keep on walking.”

Her book « Ocean of Life » tells us the story of her personal travel. Through her photos, she presents her own experience of life, moving from New York to Nepal and her life as a Buddhist nun. She thought her practice of photography as liking to her personnel life. In her line of work “the closer you are from the people, the better.” If photography is a way of expressing herself, her writings are of utter importance, giving a context to her pictures, allowing the spectators to understand the true meaning of her work.

Salut à toutes et à tous, et merci de nous suivre :) 

Nous cherchons de nouveaux photographes sociaux à vous présenter qui soient des femmes et/ou des photographes non occidentaux afin d’élargir un peu notre horizon. C’est l’occasion pour vous de nous proposer les noms de vos photographes préférés. Vous pouvez également participer en nous envoyant vos propres articles que nous nous ferons un plaisir de relayer :)

Hi ! We would like to thank all of you for following us. 

We are currently looking for more women social photographers as well as for social photographer from non-occidental countries. So if you want us to do a presentation of your favorite photographers, let us know. You can also participate by sending your own presentations of any social photographer, and will be more than happy to repost it :)

Lee Friedlander Icontent | Douglas Sloan

Voilà ! The video we chose for this week, a great presentation by Douglas Sloan :)

Lee Friedlander, Ray Charles: What'd I Say, Label: Atlantic 8029, 12" LP 1959

(English) Today will look at a big part of Lee Friedlander earliest work, when he became famous through the picture he took of Jazzmen. His pictures, used on vinyl records by the Label Atlantic, allowed Friedlander’s pictures to travel the world. The picture we here see if of Ray Charles and gives us a perfect representation of the attitude of one of the most famous pianist of his century while playing.  The mic takes a large part of the picture and is parallel to Ray’s face, giving balance to the picture. The clear bottons shirt he is wearing gives contrast to the picture and reminds us of the piano keys we can see on the glasses reflections. 

 Lee Friedlander, Jimmy Giuffre

(English) This picture allows us to focus on the work done by Lee Friedlander on Jazz. We can see Jimmy Giuffre during a jam session. The picture is framed by the bass which stop the picture on the right side. The picture is blurry on the background and the picture is the sharpest on the saxophone. This is done in order to point out that the real subject of the picture is the music, the instrument around which all gathered their. The attitude of the musician is quite interesting. Friedlander shoes to show us the saxophonist in the way he enjoys music, carried away by the nots, in a trans, a state of mind inaccessible to non musician, a mysthical experience. 

Lee Friedlander, 1970

(English) This picture illustrate the humour with which Friedlander is able to take picture. If this picture could be considered as bland at first gaze it is quite exceptional in many ways and the framing is cloth to perfect. The road sign forms an upside down triangle as opposed to the triangles formed by the roof top and the surrounding trees. The clouds on to of the sign gives a really satisfying feeling of balance. The shadow of the sign on the flat pavement next to the road stretched on the horizon adds stability to the picture. 

Lee Friedlander, The Little Screens

(English) Friedlander’s work has been marked by the apparition of TV in every home in the United States. He made many photos picturing TVs, probably in his hotel rooms while he was traveling. These are intimate pictures, showing is day to day life as a wondering photographer.  With this picture the artist plays with the reflection of the door mirror, showing us the view he has from his hotel room window. The door opens on his bathroom showing his bath-cloths drying on top of the toilet. The picture is framed using the rule of thirds, the mirror in the middle introducing light into the picture. The faces of the characters playing on the TV screen are looking at us and giving a burlesque dimension to the picture. 

(English) Two elements are ofter present in Lee Friedlander’s pictures during his roadtrips. On the one hand, elements of the car are often used to create the frame, without necessity for him to get out of the car which illustrate a certain american way of life. On the other hand, he uses the mirrors in order to show us is on stare and illustrate his position as a spectator, influencing us in our way to look at the picture. Here Friedlander take a picture of a chruch on which we can read “god bless America”, a strong symbole in the Federal country where religions and patriotism constitute funding pillars of the culture. Friedlander shows us the curious look he has on this expression of religious belief and pride put on a building for everyone to see.  

Letters From the People © Lee Friedlander

(English) On this picture Frieldander only plays lightly with his reflection and we can only guess that he is the man wearing the white shirt with a dark vest in the background. The window is used differently for its transaparency and because of the number 8 written on it.  The 8 is composed of two hallow circles. In the middle of one circle a man is standing, probably in charge of the plane’s maintenance and in the middle of the second one is the nose of the plane, with a round dote in the middle, as if the aircraft were wearing the costume of a clown. This picture illustrate the humor with which Friedlander played. Here, the union of the man standing with open arms and the nose of the plane makes us smile while the situation in itself is common. 

Lee Friedlander, 1960

(English) The meaning of this picture is revealed by the reflexion on the window. Indeed, the reflexion allows us to see what the subject of the picture are looking at, and giving a meaning to their posture. The grown man and the kid, standing on a chair, are looking at a parade through the window. The american flag in the hands of the kid and the commercial signs are indicators of the location. Friedlander himself is a subject of the picture as he is present as the shadow of the kid. He took this picture  standing, in a fraction of second and taking us in his universe. He is this child and this child is the souvenir we have of similar past events. The child put himself at the man’s level in order to watch a parade which he might not entirely understand with a worried face.