In the ‘Visual Storytelling’ series, we investigate the expanding universe of visual storytelling. During the fourth meeting we will dive into the volatile world of War Reporting. How to tell your story under the most harsh circumstances? Which sides and which stories should we believe? And how has the profession changed in the digital realm? Moderator Lars Boering will discuss this with researcher and trainer Foeke Postma (Bell¿ngcat), visual artist Maxim Dondyuk (Ukraine) and photojournalist Joris van Gennip.
Visual Storytelling
Today’s image maker doesn’t feel restricted by the limits of her/his/their medium. The maker is a /maker: the photographer who films, the filmmaker with a podcast or the writer who vlogs. While most makers were recently “trapped” in their disciplines, the new generations know no better than to tell their stories in different ways and they are masters of many techniques. What unites them: their work often has a social impact and they engage in visual storytelling. The story determines the medium. In the Visual Storytelling series, we investigate the expanding universe of visual storytelling. The /makers tell their most beautiful, impactful stories and show how they work.
Foeke Postma
Foeke Postma works as a researcher and trainer at Bell¿ngcat. He has a background in conflict analysis and resolution, and is particularly interested in military, environmental, and LGBTQI+ issues. Twitter: @foekepostma.
Caption picture above
Aerial picture from Bell¿ngcat’s investigation into the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin, Palestinian city in the West Bank. The picture reveals the following “Positions of Abu Akleh, Israele Defence Force (IDF) and Palestinian militant positions, as well as a range arc showing 177-184 meters (Source: Bing Maps)”
Maxim Dondyuk
Maxim Dondyuk (b. 1983) is a Ukrainian visual artist working in the field of documentary photography. His practice integrates multiple mediums including photography, video, text, and archival material. Maxim’s works often explore issues relating to history, memory, conflict, and their consequences.
Picture from the war in Ukraine, 2022 by Maxim Dondyuk
Maxim Dondyuk on the War in Ukraine 2022: “Currently I continue my chronicle of a long-lasting battle of the Ukrainian people for freedom, independence and their national identity. On Feb 24, Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I didn’t plan to participate in wars again after seeing its real face, but with the events unfolding in my country, I feel that I can’t stand aside at this historical moment.”
Selected past projects include ‘TB epidemic in Ukraine’, a two-year work which investigated the problem of tuberculosis in Ukraine; ‘Crimea Sich’, is both a series of photographs and a documentary, which tell about a military upbringing of children in the secret camp in the Crimea Mountains and its pitfalls; ‘Between Life and Death’, is a personal reflection on the aftermath of wars through the ruins and devastated landscapes, previously been battlefields; ‘Culture of Confrontation’, which in 2019 resulted in the book of the same name, and became a turning point in author’s artistic work. In his ongoing project ‘Untitled Project from Chernobyl’ Maxim works with vernacular and found photographs in the restricted areas, combining them with landscape photographs of the territories that were burned by nuclear energy.
Joris van Gennip
Joris van Gennip (1987) is a Dutch independent photojournalist based in Amsterdam, covering (breaking) news and producing photo stories related to social issues and aftermaths of conflicts.
Przemysl, Poland, 24 Feb. 2022 | Emergency shelter for refugees from Ukraine at Przemysl train station in eastern Poland. The station was transformed into a sanctuary on February 25, 2022, a day after Russia launched a military attack on neighboring Ukraine. Photo: Joris van Gennip
His coverage on the Yellow Jacket Protests in France, wildfires in Greece, the 2018 Turkey Elections, floods in The Netherlands and the 2015 refugee crisis amongst others got nominated for the Zilveren Camera Awards, the most important award for photojournalism of The Netherlands.
The Ukraine war however was the first time Joris worked within a country at war. On assignment for Dutch daily De Volkskrant, he documented the exodus of Ukrainian refugees during the first days and weeks of the war.
