[enviro-vlc] Mirror? If the river could speak

[Vern Weitzel]

Subject: 	Mirror? If the river could speak
Date: 	Mon, 26 May 2008 11:29:31 +0700
From: 	Giang Dang <giang.dothi at gmail.com>


*Press Release, Ethnology Museum *

Contact: /Dang Huong Giang (0912 751 303)/

On 1 June 2008, /Mirror? If the river could speak/, a photography
exhibition will open at 4:30pm at the outdoor exhibition area of the
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. This exhibition is the result of a project
that brings together community, environment, youth, and creativity. 19
young photographers from the Youth Union of Thinh Quang ward in Hanoi
worked under the guidance of Paul Zetter, director of Ensemble Creative
Training and Development, and Action for the City, a local NGO with a
passion for the city. The project was funded by the SIDA Environmental Fund.

/Mirror? /uses the technique of photovoice, a community-building
methodology that aims to deepen and enrich a person's engagement with
their community at different levels, both personal and social. The end
product of mainstream photography projects—the photographs—becomes
secondary in photovoice where a renewed sense of engagement in the
community, the making of new relationships and personal growth are the
primary goals.

The project focused on building the participant's confidence, self
esteem and self expression so they feel confident to use basic cameras
as a tool of enquiry—a mirror for their new awareness and interest to
rediscover their community.  The cameras were basic and the photography
training rudimentary to minimize pressure to take 'beautiful'
photographs at the expense of full engagement with the community.

60 photographs will be displayed at the exhibition. The main subject of
/Mirror? /is the To Lich River, famous for its past beauty and present
pollution. Some pictures in this exhibition expose the raw and filthy
aspects of the river while others depict hope and humor. The questions
asked by all of them are, "If the river could speak, what would it say?
Is the river a reflection of our lives?" The exhibition invites the
viewers to reflect on issues that face the city.

Before this exhibition, /Mirror? /was displayed at the Thinh Quang
Primary School and Thai Thinh Junior Secondary School. The current
exhibition has been redesigned and reprinted for display at the Vietnam
Museum of Ethnology. The exhibition will be open from 1 June through 31
August 2008.

-- 

Dang Huong Giang
Director
Action for the City
1 Pham Ngu Lao, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: 844-2700 184
Email: giang.dothi at gmail.com <mailto:giang.dothi at gmail.com>
Website: www.vidothi.org <http://www.vidothi.org>