The members of the Kafr Qara local leadership group participated during
March in a social-political photography workshop. The goal was to train
them to use photographic language as a tool for “learning” a city from
an educational and social perspective. The premise of the workshop was
that photography enables individuals to connect with themselves and
discover their artistic side and their own inner beauty. The language of
photography offers a means of self-expression, analysis and criticism.
The
camera, like the eye, selects and records images, conveys the unique
perspective of the individual and reflects his or her emotional state.
The language of photography is familiar and accessible, enabling it to
sidestep defenses, spark non-verbal communication and generate feedback
that encourages creativity. Photography allows us to focus, reflect,
develop and reframe. Globalization has made the camera available to
most people, bringing with it the need to preserve this form of art not
only as a tool for documenting family or historical moments but as a
means of expressing the self.
The field trips during the course
involved a combination of movement, walking, and open space through
which the participants were able to release energy, discover new
viewpoints, and observe their surroundings from a different
angle - surroundings that we constantly refer to, but don’t normally
transform into a visual creation. At the end of the workshop, we mounted
an exhibition of the photographs taken by the participants during the
course.
