torsdag, november 22, 2007

An undended journey - En oavslutad resa


Sometimes some pictures are so amazing. Just by being.

Today the Scan Pix Award was announced. Marc Femenia Nobell is a Swedish photographer - born in Mexico and raised in Mallorca - who came to Sweden as an exchange student from Barcelona. Wich is quite fascinating as such.

The five minutes long exposé of his pictures - with beautiful music from Métro Boheme - is a MUST. I just love those pictures. So simple. Arranged yet genuine.

The introduction in Swedish reads:
After seven years of angst - Mimoza Selmonaj got a residence permit.
The hard times were over - now it was only to adjust to a new city, a new profession and a new society.

The photos mainly expose the situation of refugees and immigrants in Sweden after the permit. Waiting for a permit for up to seven years. Seven years without longstaying plans for the future. The mental pressure of not knowing. Thinking of the past. Longing.

After all these years they are supposed to be strong enough to coop with society work family life happiness. Be integrated as Swedes. Fighting prejudice. Keeping faith. Somehow I do get a strong - for me very rare - feeling of impossibility.

This reminds me so much of my kids in Lund. Being a coordinator for kids between six and nine - immigrants from all over the world growing up in a neighborhood quite forgotten by the rest of the society. The lack of respect from the outside creating a sense of hopelessness and alienation. Together with a strong sense of we. Devastating.

4 kommentarer:

Helena sa...

Tack Elina!
För ditt engagemang o entusiasm. Du är en konstant inspirations källa o när jag tycker att jag har mycket på mina axlar så tittar jag in på din sida o känner mig genast lättare. Hur hinner du med allt?!
Stor kram, keep going, forza!
Helena

Elina Jonsson sa...

tack så himla mycket..!

hinner inte med allt. prioriterar. och skrivandet är det jag trivs bäst med så annat får vara. iaf just nu.

hoppas firenze är lika vackert som alltid. stor kram..!

Anonym sa...

Hej Elina!

I answer in English because it is the blogg's language. Thank you for your warm words about my project "An unfinished journey". It feels great that it finally reaches behind my walls and creates debate. That's why I have been working with it all this time. And I still continue doing it.

I just reacted to one thing you wrote. At one point, you describe my pictures as "Arranged yet genuine.". I just want to make clear that when I am working with a documentary project like that, I NEVER arrange any pictures.

I am just there and try to take the best pictures I can. Very often I miss pictures because I am not fast enough, but I never ask someone to repeat somthing he/she just did in order to get a picture. At best, I can just wait and wish for him/her to do it again.... sometimes it happens, sometimes doesn't...

Thank you very much,

Marc Femenia

http://www.marcfemenia.com

Elina Jonsson sa...

marc..!

i have totally missed your comment. my bad im sorry. dont always love the blogger-system.

thank you so much for letting me show your pictures. i really appreciate them and do want all my readers to see them as well.

from all the material i read about you i realised how you work - as you also wrote above- taking the pictures just out of reality. my line - arranged yet genuine - is my perception of your photos. some of them so brilliant in composition (like the sofa above) they seem arranged - yet so alive they just have to be genuine.

this very mixed feeling - and not really knowing - is what captures me and keeps me and makes me fall in love with every single pic.

so i really congratulate you to the award. and wish you good luck for your forthcoming work..!