Tag: Photojournalism

22nd April 2024, 7 pm
Riverside Studios
101 Queen Caroline Street
London W6 9BN

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Photojournalism Hub and Riverside Studios are delighted to announce Sascha Klamp and Valeria Luongo as the featured photographers for ‘In Focus,’ a captivating series of photography events. This series present photographers whose work engage with social documentary photo storytelling, using the lens as a powerful tool for engagement, exploration and raising awareness. The event includes presentations, live interactive Q&As and a social.
Our guests of this edition have a background or work with an anthropological approach, using documentary photography to present stories that capture and explore community and individual memory, archives and rituals.

Valeria Luongo is an Italian documentary photographer, filmmaker, and anthropologist who’s based between Mexico and the UK. Her photographic approach is characterised by working on long term projects. Her work explores stories regarding gender, spirituality and rituals and has been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian, BBC, GEO Magazine and exhibited internationally.

“When Women Fly” is a  project about a group of indigenous women from Cuetzalan del Progreso, Mexico, challenging gender roles by participating in a traditionally male ritual called Danza de los Voladores.
The ritual begins with a ceremonial dance. Five participants then ascend a 30-metre pole and jump off the top, head first, tied to ropes as they revolve around the pole towards the ground.
Historically, only men were allowed to partake in the ritual. However, a few women in Cuetzalan have recently joined the practice. The flying women defy traditional gender roles, symbolising transformation within their social context. Since 2022 I’ve been working alongside several women and girls who fly, documenting their everyday lives among their community.

Sascha Klamp is a British/German multi-award winning Documentary Filmmaker, Photo-documentary Journalist and Producer based in London, UK. He spent the majority of his career as an investor and entrepreneur which enabled him to travel across frontier and emerging markets. His photography practice centres on highlighting social impact and social justice affairs which is deeply rooted in his curiosity to learn more of the world around him. He tells frontline human and community stories based on empathy for the situation and the people involved. His thinking is informed by his interest in ethnology and social anthropology. Sascha exhibited a small selection of his The Art of Seeing, The Art of Remembering project in London in November 2022. His work was highly commended by the TPF Social Documentary Awards (Professional Category, Series) for his The Art of Seeing, The Art of Remembering work. Sascha completed his MA Photojournalism & Documentary Photography studies at the University of the Arts (Distinction), London. He also holds an MBA (Bayes Business School, London) and a Masters in Law, LLM (King’s College, London), and a BSc International Securities, Investment & Banking from Henley Business School (ICMA Centre). Filmography: “The Art of Seeing, The Art of Remembering” (2022), “The Blockade” (2023).

In a remote village in Kosovo, the past casts a long shadow. A single family of 2500 souls, now in its 13th generation, struggles to find its place in a changing world. Based on the Directors engagement with the community and renowned Community Archival work, KINSHIP tells the story of one family’s search for belonging.
We meet Rabit, the community’s Doctor, who recounts his heart-breaking tale of being ‘gifted’ to his uncle as a young boy. An all too common practice rooted in ancient customs. He grapples with the trauma of his stolen innocence. Meanwhile, Couple Mumin and Qamile Dermaku tell their moving story of how they met, the challenge he went through gifting a brother to a neighbour and his wife’s struggle to join the ‘jungle’ of a remote community. Expecting mother Florentina faces her own struggle. Pregnant with her first child, she dreams of a better future. But is that future possible here? Or must she also make the painful choice to leave everything she has ever known behind? The village Elders tell their stories aided by black-and-white photographs sourced from their family photo albums. They recount stories of happier times but also times of conflict and change. These memories contradict with the experience of the younger generations who cannot imagine a rural life with its limited resources and opportunities. Joining the diaspora is a potential way out to seek a fortune and future elsewhere. The cleric focuses on holding the community together. But his own story contradicts the ambitions of his community. The state looks away from the Kanun law/ tradition (Kanun of Lek Dukagjini). The honour code (vendetta in Italy) contradicts with the country’s ambition to become a full EU member. We engage with Child Psychologists who explain the harm done to children being gifted to family members and how that trauma informs their choices. Running away from it all sounds like a sound choice for many.

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