ARGUS Issue 1 2016

INSIDER

ISSUE 1 2016

OPERATION UNCHAINED Battling the stigma of mental illness in Cambodia

MUM

Bond beyond addiction

HERO RATS

Sniffing out land mines

GREAT PROMISE

An interview with Cory Wright

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ISSUE 1 2016 ABOUT: The Argus is a student-run, non-profit visual journalism magazine dedicated to showcasing students’ investigations and unique perspectives of local and international issues.

A digital landscape of visual storytelling

DECLARATION: All opinions and views expressed within are those of the authors and do not represent those of the editorial board or QCA, Griffith University.

CONTRIBUTORS: We will always welcome anyone who feels they can contribute to the exciting future of our magazine, be it through material or exper tise. Please pitch your ideas only (no attachmentsWW) to submissions@theargus.net.au COPYRIGHT: All content is copyright of the contributors and must not be copied or reproduced without permission of the creators.

FIND US: www.theargus.net.au www.facebook.com/THEARGUSQCA Twitter and Instagram: @theargus_qca Subscribe to our RSS feed for new issues and content.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

EDITORIAL TEAM

Dear Readers, Welcome to ‘Insider’ the first issue of the ARGUS for 2016.

This year ’s editorial collective present a fresh issue showcasing work from some of the most exciting emerging visual journalists around the globe.

In this issue we feature stories from Cambodia, a country that is fighting to recover and grow.

These stories, told during an in-field documentar y study trip by QCA and Griffith University students are meant to raise awareness locally and globally in order to promote change.

“Insider ” expresses the changing face of Cambodia. It is a country that is still recovering from the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime and genocide in the 1970’s.

We are present the story of APOPO, an NGO focused on training special rats to smell and identify deadly landmines and UXOs. Gem miners introduce the stories of those who dig through the red dir t of Ratanakiri to find precious stones. Lastly, a critical eye is cast on Australian tourists, as they raucously celebrate Australia Day in Siem Reap’s Pub Street and adjoining streets.

The E-zine includes multimedia stories as well. Filipino-Australian teenager Jem Gariando performs his story about gaining confidence to be himself through dance and art. Taila Campbell tells the personal story of her mother’s battle with addiction and tragic murder, confronting the mainstrem media’s dehumanising stigmatisation of women who live outside the norm. Also included are a group street photography project that casts a critical eye on the Gold Coast and single images from QCA’s emerging visual storytellers.

I would like to thank the editorial team for their creativity, teamwork and enthusiasm in making this publication possible. On behalf of the editorial staff I would also like to thank our executive editor, Heather Faulkner and assistant executive editor Isaac Brown, for their guidance, patience and exper tise. Your ongoing suppor t continuously encourages us to strive for the best.

HEATHER FAULKNER ISAAC BROWN SAMANTHA MANCHEE EMMY PETERSON MARTINE KOLSTAD RAQCHELA CORBU-MILES SARA GODTHELP VÅGSMYR VEBJØRN BOGE NILSSEN ZAKARIYYA PARUK VEGARD ORLANDO HANSEN ALIAH MURILLO OLIVER WYKEHAM SHAUN CARNEY ALEXANDRA GONZALES-MENDOZA SOFIE SKADAL KINGSTON SEINAFO FEALA JONAS MYRVANG OTTESEN LAUREN YOUNG SONJA VILENIUS

EXECUTIVE EDITOR EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ART DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR MULTIMEDIA EDITOR MULTIMEDIA EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER SUB EDITOR SUB EDITOR/LISTING EDITOR SUB EDITOR MARKETING MANAGER SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER ASSIGNMENT EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Samantha Manchee, Managing Editor Managing Editor

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IN THIS ISSUE

GLIMMER OF HOPE

page 8

BUILDING RURAL SCHOLARS

page 32

PROFILE: CORY WRIGHT

WE CAN BE HEROES

page 14

page 22

PROFILE: MASIMIO BRANCA

OPERATION UNCHAINED

page 38

page 42

A DAY IN THE LIFE page 26

ROYALTY EXPRESS

page 54

PROFILE: COLETTE SANSTEDT page 28

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE

page 56

BIOS PROFILE: YING ANG page 58

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MUM

page 64

STREET

page 66

SINGLES page 74

EDITORIAL BIOGRAPHIES page 82

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GLIMMER OF HOPE

By Miriam Deprez, Ruth Goodwin, Quinn Taylor, Tahlia Stehbens

Finding the nomadic gem miners in the wild eastern Cambodian province of Ratanakiri is a challenge. After talking to locals we were led to their current site, a small area of churned up red soil with 12 meter deep holes punctuating the landscape. Miners with a mix of soil and sweat caked on their skin surround the mines, some working and others resting with a cigarette after safely reemerging from deep within the earth.

The miners are searching for semi-precious stones including zircon, amethyst and onyx. The atmosphere has a ‘gold rush’ buzz, but the frantic search for the next big gem is evened out by the miners relaxed Cambodian nature. They welcome us with warm smiles and the occasional ner vous laugh. The women surround us with their husbands wares, cut or uncut. W ith a few minutes of haggling you can be the proud owner of two glistening aqua blue zircon stones for just $10 US dollars.

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Mining for gems is a three man operation. The men take it in turns descending into the ladder-less mine. They spend up to an hour below ground digging and filling buckets of earth to be sent to the surface. The second miner turns a makeshift rope mechanism that brings the soil above ground to be hand-sifted by the third team member.

Mining the loose loamy clay makes for dangerous work.

On the day we visited two men suffocated from a cave-in at another mine site nearby. The miners dig two holes alongside each other to provide life giving airflow for those who venture underground. This adds to instability of the mine site and increases the risk of a cave in. It is rare that the miners who fall victim to a collapse can be pulled out in time. Even with the significant risks involved, these men choose a life of mining rather than working the rice fields because of the glimmer of hope of a higher income, taking a gamble on what the next bucket might hold.

A miner descending into the abyss. Ratanakiri, Cambodia January 2016. Photo: Quinn Taylor/ARGUS Above: Gem miners digiging for onyx, amethyst and zircon in regional Ratanakiri province. Photo: Miriam Deprez/ARGUS Previous page: Two miners taking a break beside the gemfields. Quinn Taylor/ARGUS 11

Three miners take a break from their work, mining for semi/precious stones, in the Ratanikiri province, Cambodia, January 2016. Photo: Ruth Goodwin/ARGUS

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Above: Wives of the miners selling the cut gems found in regional Ratanikiri province.

Under: Miner pulling up the dirt from 12 meter deep holes searching for gems.

Photos: Miriam Deprez/ARGUS

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CORY WRIGHT Interview by Raqchela Corbu-Miles

...A Boy of Great Promise a photo series about the transition period of life after prison. Canadian born photojournalist Cory Wright met Owen, after his release from maximum security in 2013.

Wright sought to challenge the notion of “paying your debt to society” through considered imager y and an intimate approach.

“That’s a common term that his or hers debt to society has been paid and the more I read and learnt about it, I realised that Owen’s ‘debt’ is ongoing,” tells Wright.

“It’s evident in the limited employment oppor tunities, social stigma and so on. The effects are ongoing, and a it’s a form of punishment that’s residual— it doesn’t stop when you finish parole or walk out of prison.”

T h i s i s t h e b a s i s o f Wr i g h t ’s i n t r i g u e re g a rd i n g t h e transition period after prison.

He was for tunate enough to have met Owen who had been incarcerated over in the United Kingdom, which meant Australian laws were irrelevant in photographing someone on probation.

“I was really fortunate to meet Owen, we met at a Uniting Care prison conference, and we just kept meeting 2-3 times a week,” says Wright. “ W h e n h e g o t o u t h e h a d l i te ra l l y j u s t c o m e o u t o f maximum security and the psychiatric ward, I would ask him repeatedly if he was comfortable with me taking pictures.”

Owen was outspoken about prisoner’s rights and wrote articles whilst incarcerated. He was enthusiastic on the idea of Wright’s series. But what Cory witnessed was contradictory to the ‘Owen’ in transition.

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“Prison made him really docile and disconnected. It stripped him of his identity. “ O w e n l o v e d c a m p i n g w h e n w e s t a r te d to f o rg e a friendship, he had an apar tment in Brisbane but he preferred to camp, I guess he felt to confined amongst walls.

“We became close, we camped together, and I even slept at his mother’s house in Victoria. Relationships are a huge factor when documenting, but at times I would get frustrated when it was just he and I because we were the subjects of each other’s actions.

“When we went camping with S, his girlfriend at the time, that was different and interesting and I could just sit and photograph.”

Wright states that he was able to sit and photograph after he had developed the bond prior to reaching that level of comfor t to just be the photographer.

“Darcy did The Julie Project it was a phenomenal effort and Isadora - both very immersive artists and at the start of my career I was naïve in thinking I could just step in and take pictures.”

The series also shows pictures of Owen’s ar tefacts through life including the redacted booking image, his Grade Three report card and a card he gave to his mother whom he hadn’t prior to prison.

“People always ask what he did and [it] doesn’t matter, it’s not why I did this, I don’t want people’s preconceived ideas influenced before they see the images of Owen.”

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WE CAN BE HEROES

By Heather Faulkner

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APOPO Hero Rats bomb detection training early morning at cleared field Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: Miriam Deprez/ARGUS

I s a a c r u n s d o w n a n a r ro w l i n e , t e t h e re d t o a rope on a harness. Behind him, the sun is a big red ball against the 6am haze. The heat hasn’t kicked in yet. He scampers across the 200 square metre area of stubble in neat lines, searching for TNT. He stops suddenly and scratches the ground, indicating he’s picked up a scent of the explosive. His handler, So Malen, greets him at the end of the rope, and offers him a nibble at a banana. And then he’s back down the line again.

Ron is having a more difficult time.His trainers are trying to coax him across the stretch of training ground. “Don’t pull, go slow,” whispers Shirima Vendeline, APOPO’s MDR (Mine Detection Rat) International Training Officer from Tanzania. Vendeline is a 16-year veteran of APOPO, and one of the first to train the rats. He will stay until May 2016, to oversee the MDR training in Cambodia.

Meanwhile, Ron has his own plans. He moves s l u g g i s h l y d o w n t h e l i n e . “ O k a y, f i n i s h ,” s a y s Ve n d e l i n e g e n t l y, “ H e ’s n o t h u n g r y.” R o n r e t i r e s i n to h i s p e r s o n a l p o r t a b l e p l ex i g l a s s c a g e , w h e re h e q u i c k l y n o d s o f f . I t ’s j u s t n o t R o n ’s d a y.

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Rat on tether in land mine clearing field. Photo: Ruth Goodwin/ARGUS

Meet the modern-day bomb-sniffing superheroes o f C a m b o d i a : A f r i c a n G i a n t Po u c h e d R a t s . T h e y go by eclectic names such as Isaac, Ron, Beatrice and the exotic Esperhence. They are the new l i n e o f d e t e c t o r s i n C a m b o d i a ’s w a r a g a i n s t t h e deadly legacy of unexploded ordinance (UXOs).

T h e A P O P O t ra i n i n g c e n t re w h e re I s a a c , R o n a n d twelve other rodents UXO fighters reside is located around a half-hour ’s car drive from Siem Reap. There, s i x h u m a n h a n d l e r s l i v e a n d t a ke c a re o f f o u r te e n African Giant Pouched Rats. The rats are cared for m u c h l i ke p e t s , w i t h c u d d l e s f ro m h a n d l e r s a n d a good dose of sunscreen on their sun-sensitive noses, ears and tails before a gruelling morning of training.

When we arrived, the rats were being trained – a n d s o w e re t h e i r h a n d l e r s . T h e te a m w o u l d l a te r go on to pass a rigorous live minefield-testing s c e n a r i o b e f o re b e i n g d e p l o y e d to h e l p t h e m a n y communities that desperately require their ser vices.

Why rats? Paul McCarthy, Program Manager for Cambodia, smiles as he lists the small heroes’ assets. A typical

Decomissioned land mines. Photo: Miriam Deprez/ARGUS 23

200 square zone would take a technician with a metal detector up to four days to check, depending on how much scrap metal, or shrapnel, is lying around. A rat – or Hero RAT, as APOPO has dubbed them – can cover the same area in 20 minutes. And they’re cheap labour: African Great Pouched Rats devour about 15 peanuts, or 1 banana, per day. They literally work for peanuts.

“And they’re ver y cute and friendly,” says McCar thy.

The use of animals in land mine and UXO detection have been a great asset to organisations that scour the warzones of the world to clear both rural and urban areas of war’s deadly legacies. Compared to humans, four-legged friends are great detection agents: UXOs detonate under the weight of a human, but not a dog, and cer tainly not a 1 kg giant rat. In fact, APOPO has never lost a rat in the field. These rats can detect TNTcontaining materials up to at least 13 cm underground.

APOPO is a Belgian NGO that “researches, develops and implements detection rats technology for humanitarian p u r p o s e s s u c h a s M i n e A c t i o n a n d Tu b e r c u l o s i s detection.” Its headquar ters are in Tanzania, and it operates in Mozambique, Thailand, Angola, and now, Ca m b o d i a . I n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h C M AC ( Ca m b o d i a n M i n e A c t i o n C e n t r e ) , A P O P O h a s b e e n o p e ra t i n g rat training in Cambodia since mid-2015. According to Vendeline, the rats were “disoriented when they arrived,” but they have become accustomed to the Cambodian terrain, and they are ready to be deployed.

Meanwhile, back on the training field, as the Hero RATs finish a cordoned off area, they are retired to t h e i r c a g e s a n d a n o t h e r H e r o R AT i s i n t r o d u c e d to the field. Depending on weather conditions, rats c a n w o r k i n ro t a t i o n f o r u p to te n - h o u r s h i f t s , b u t b y n o o n t h e h e a t i s o v e r 3 4 d e g re e s C e l s i u s . T h e rats are pooped. The trainers are sweating beneath t h e i r s u n - p ro te c t i v e u n i f o r m s . I t ’s t i m e to c a l l i t a day. Each trainer cradles two rat cages under their arms and they march back to the rat’s temperaturecontrolled enclosure. There, the latest heroes in UXO detection cool off, and wait for another day of training.

Find out more about APOPO in Cambodia and how you can adopt a Hero RAT at: https://www.apopo.org

Left: Handlers Sean Seyla (above) and So Malen(under) hold specially trained bomb sniffing rats, Esperhence and Isaac, used to find unexploded ordinances left in Cambodia.

Photos: Kingston Seinafo Feala/ARGUS Right: Cletus the rat during his daily training with the Apopo team. Cletus is an African giant pouch rat being train to find land minds all around Cambodia.

Photo: Sofie Skadal/ARGUS 24

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A DAY IN THE LIFE

By Mar tine Kolstad

“I am very grateful for the lifestyle I live here, I thank the ocean and the universe everyday�

Drew McPherson, tells the story of how he began surfing professionally at a young age. Growing up he stepped away from the commercial side of the sport and continued to surf as a free spirit while living in Byron Bay, Australia.

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COLETTE SANDSTEDT Interview by Shaun Carney

Rocketman You have worked on Mythbusters, Under Water Universe, the History Channel, Discovery Network, National Geographic, Red Bull Media, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a bunch of other impressive films, what work are you proudest of?

Well I loved working on Mythbusters it was my first job out of grad school, it was such a fun show to work on and it was such a good science show, so I really liked that. I really liked Under water Universe because that was a one hour doc-umentary on the ocean, which was totally great. I got to write, direct and produce it, so it was like doing my own show so that was really fun. I really loved working with Woodshole Oceanographic Institution because I spent the summer on a Russian research ship filming submarines going to the bottom of the ocean, so I was on board for two months with that in the mid Atlantic. We filmed whales from the fuji blimp and we filmed rocket launches from Cape Canaveral.

How did you make the progression to move away from ‘corporates or companies’ so to speak to try and fund your own documentary?

I knew I always wanted to do my own feature documentary.

I still write, direct and produce for TV and I met Ky Michaelson when I was out doing a TV shoot, so it’s good because sometimes your work can find you cool subjects. After I met Ky I thought this was an amazing story with an amazing character and that is when I started pursuing it as a feature documentar y. I kind of found the perfect character with a perfect story for me. It was something that hit all my interests.

How long had the project been developing before making the decision to go ahead with funding?

Well, it has been a long process which is kind of normal in documentaries. I had originally taken the idea to a company I was working for at the time and we were going to tr y and do it, but the person who owned all the footage of Ky’s rocket launches wasn’t willing to let us use the footage because he said it was a cost issue 28

for him. Then years later I kept on it and stayed in touch with Ky, then Gary Benz who is an old friend of Ky’s from back in their stunt days purchased all the footage to preserve it for Ky. So with that change I went to Gary and started working with him. Even though it didn’t work the first time back in 2007, I knew it was such a good story so I never let it go and just stuck on it.

You mentioned that Ky learnt to build things through watching other peo-ple and using his mechanical photographic mind, but there must be more to how Ky has managed to be so successful and accomplish all that he has whilst being dyslexic?

I do think Ky is a genius. I don’t think just anybody could go out and do what he did. He would credit his dyslexia for being very very stubborn and he will tell you himself he has a chip on his shoulder because he always felt like he wasn’t good enough or smar t enough. It gave him this Johnny Rebel attitude where if you tell Ky he can’t do something he is going to go and do it. He credits the women in his life for helping things run and I asked him “Some of the stuff you are working with is really dangerous Ky, you can’t just try it and see how it go-es,” and he replied “I would just have a friend read me the instructions.”

As the Director/Producer of Rocketman, you are $20,000 short of the $68,537 you were aiming for when crowd funding, what are the process’s you go through now to make this work?

We wanted to be really transparent about what it would cost to shoot all the in-terviews so the $68,537 was the full amount, but as anyone who has made a documentary will tell you it’s an on going process. You get a chunk of money and you shoot as much as you can, you get a chunk of money and do as much post production as you can. It is not like feature films where you only star t shoot-ing when you have the full budget. We will do as many inter views as we can. I see the crowd funding as one step because we grew our audience, g o t a s i g n i f - i c a n t a m o u n t o f m o n e y, b u t n o w a l o t 29

more people know about us so there are a lot more opportunities that are going to open up because of this.

From Deadly Women and Dark minds to Underwater Universe it seems as though Rocketman is quite different your previous work, does much change in your thinking, researching or filming to work on a project like this?

It is different to the true crime stuff I have done, but it is one of those things. Most documentarians take work to support themselves while they are making the movies, but my main focus with Woodshole, Mythbuster, Underwater Universe and with the Redbull stuff has always been science and adventure so its been keeping within that trajectory. I have a screen writing background; I went to school for screen writing, so with structuring stories there might be some style differences between Television and Film, but I know what those are so it is just a matter of which tool you pick out of your bag. I’m really lucky I have a back-ground in screen writing, because it has helped me with everything that I have done, because you are always having to think in terms of structuring a story. So you do have to know what you are doing, I wouldn’t want to produce Rocket-man like I would a TV show, I would want to do it like a Theatrical Film because it is going to give it a different quality.

Do you have any influences or motivators that keep your passion going?

I do, Toni Myers directs all the IMAX movies about space and they are so beau-tiful it makes me realise why I wanted to make movies that move people. She is a big hero of mine, she did this beautiful film on the Hubble Telescope that she directed and produced.

When people become aware of Ky’s feat on May 17 2004 to be first entity to officially launch an amateur rocket into space, and watch this docu-mentary.

Do you think it will empower dyslexic people and encourage people to overcome adversity and how are you planning on conveying that?

I know it will, just from what we have seen from visiting a dyslexic school during the campaign and we have plans to visit another one this year. The reaction of the kids when they saw Ky and heard his story was unbelievable, it just brought us all to tears. It was really moving because these are all people that don’t learn the conventional way, or were told they were stupid and when they realised Ky was just like them it was really beautiful. It doesn’t hurt that Ky is doing his rock-ets, cool cars and stunts, so this isn’t one of those sad documentaries on dys-lexia because there is going to be explosions and race cars and stuff like that. The thing that I want to do is keep it fun, so it is a movie that you would want to see anyway and not super heavy because the heart is already there, we don’t need to do anything to bring the hear t out.

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When Stephanie Palti was fourteen years old, she applied to volunteer in rural Cambodia with her school, but was tur ned down because she put in her application too late. Her family, unperturbed, flew the entire six-person clan out to Cambodia to spend two weeks volunteering.

T h i s v o l u n te e r i n g c o n t i n u e d i n te r m i t te n t l y f o r t w o years with various NGOs and while they found some organisations had the best intentions, it became clear that some did not. Motivated to make a difference, Cambodia Rural School Trust (CRST) was founded.

Since its foundation in 2011, the organisation has made major accomplishments with both student scholarships and community impact. The Palti family remain heavily involved with the organisation offering suppor t and leadership from Australia and regularly visiting Cambodia. However the NGO is now managed entirely by a team of university students working with CRST. They study either business administration or international relations at Paññāsāstra University and ro t a te ro l e s t h ro u g h t h e o rg a n i s a t i o n to g ro w t h e i r skill set. The current manager Nak Shen was one of the first students to receive suppor t from CRST and n o w o v e r s e e s a l l o p e ra t i o n s o f t h e N G O i n c l u d i n g local financial management. Sreng Sokh is another member of the management team and is currently the General Manager of CRST’s latest enterprise, Project Y.

BUILDING RURAL SCHOLARS

By Holly Knight, Zara Tansley and Victoria Reid

Rady, Sopheak and Reurn nail the tin roof onto the house, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 24th January 2016.

Photo: Holly Knight/ARGUS

Project Y is a self-serve frozen yoghur t bar located in the Night Market Street of Siem Reap. It has a vibrant modern design that allows customers to relax upstairs and a wall displays information about Project Y’s cause.

The intelligent design of the business allows for minimal food handling and the products are impor ted directly from Australia, producing a reliable clean place to eat.

This is recognised by the great reviews and 5-star rating re-ceived on tourist social media pages such as Trip Advisor. Project Y is run entirely by the students of CRST and they each rotate roles such as human resources, sales management and stock control. All profits from Project Y go directly back into the organisation and are used to fund the students and community projects.

Community projects are managed by Pheak Phoun and Pech Put of the management team. Each month they plan for the Cambodia Rural School Trust students to attend community service where they give back to the ru-ral communities that they came from. Students par take in building houses, repairing roads, painting schools and providing food supplies for the spon-sored families. The students are able to efficiently build one house in a day through their teamwork and dedication to the project.

On the 23rd of January 2016, students went to Prasat Village on the outskir ts of Siem Reap to build a h o u s e f o r t h e S a ro f a m i l y. K re y S a ro i s a s i n g l e mother who has recently given bir th to her sixth child.

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Prior to the construction of their new home, the family was living in small inadequate houswing. Ms Saro has recently separated from her husband due to domestic violence, leaving her to care for six children, two of which suffer from tuberculosis.

CRST will continue to suppor t this family, providing them with a monthly food supply which will ease financial burdens and allow the children’s education to continue. The NGO currently suppor t five families each month which would other wise receive little income. The average cost to suppor t a family for one month varies from $40 - $70 USD depending on the number of children in the family. There are a number of families in the surrounding communities who receive extra aid as donations from sponsors or volunteers.

CRST’s main continuous project is the student scholarship program. They currently provide scholarships to 48 students, aiding students from grade four to university level in higher education. Apart from their schooling, the students must attend a daily education class provided by the organisation as well as participate in the community projects. Project Y is also a space during the day for older students to attend computer class to practice their Microsoft Office skills and email communications. Twenty of the students are studying full time at Pannasastra University of Cambodia, balancing work and study to provide an income for their families. All students receive a monthly allowance for living expenses. Older students also volunteer their time to provide primar y and high school students with extra English classes.

W ith the suppor t of their sponsors and profits from Project Y, CRST aims to add five to ten students to t h e i r s c h o l a r s h i p p ro g ra m e v e r y a c a d e m i c y e a r. I f you would like to follow their progress or volunteer please visit w w w.cambodiaruralschooltrust.org

Previous page: Wooden structure home is built in a day in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photos: Holly Knight/ARGUS Left: Ms Saro sits and waits for her house to be built by the students and volunteers of CRST. January 24th 2016, Prasat Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Krey Saro is a victim of domestic violence, she recently separated from her husband and now looks after her six children by herself.

Photo: Zara Tansley/ARGUS 36

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MASSIOMO BRANCA Interview by Vebjørn Boge Nilssen

Why did you and Igor Marchesan choose to cooperate on the project Inside Outside Under?

Igor asked me to join him for a journey in Romania, and he agreed when I suggested to stay for at least a couple of months. When we left, we had no plans about what we were going to do, but we were guided by curiosity and passion. During a shor t break in Bucharest, we accidentally bumped into the community of Gara de Nord, and we decided to deepen our knowledge about that issue. We were already travel mates, but our mutual trust grew even stronger during the following months: we shared very hard times and we suppor ted each other when in rather dramatic moments of instability. Even more than working together as photographers, we cooperated as human beings in the odyssey of life, and Igor is a great person, humble and compassionate.

What drove you to document the underground life in Gara de Nord?

In Bucharest we met a bizarre guy: he was dressed with leather jacket, chains on his wrists and ankles, and he walked without shoes, followed by a pack of a dozen dogs. We found out he was the respected leader of a street community that lived in front of the train station. We went for a visit and they welcomed us for a couple of our in their house underground. It was so surreal, tragic and fascinating, that we decided to know more about it.

This is how our project star ted.

How would you describe the underground life?

It would take too long to answer properly to this question, but we’re going to write as much we can in the text of the upcoming book about our experience… there are so many observations and feelings involved, it’s rather impossible for me to say everything in a few lines. If I had to choose just a few adjectives, maybe they would be: uncer tain, moving, extreme.

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How did you manage to blend in with the population of the underground, getting so close that you could get your personal por traits? Did you encounter any problems by doing so?

We simply star ted spending most of our time with them, tr ying to socialize. We introduced ourselves and let them know us. We had patience, without forcing our way into their existence, and they eventually recognized our sincere curiosity. Over time our relationship grow closer, and we star ted to feel real affection. Par ticipating observation is the well-known method of anthropological research, but we probably ended up doing “observing par ticipation”. I admit we sometimes felt quite confused, as if we were really melting with the community.

What did the experience give you, in reference to what it told you about the people living underground in Gara de Nord, and how their living conditions were?

After spending so much time with them I had to reconsider my own condition and my own values. I was impressed by the way many of them chased their dreams of having their own house and family, something I never really considered to be my priority. They lived in a tunnel, but they did great effor t to clean and make it comfor table.

I wondered if it was the time for me to do the same, and try to find some stability after many years spent like a tramp... But I haven’t reached any conclusion yet.

Was the subjects shown the finished work, if so how was their response to your work?

I don’t think the work can be considered finished. Maybe the book will be the most conclusive expression of our work. Unfortunately most of our subjects are no more available at the moment: many of them died and many others are now in prison. But during our stay there, they kept watching the pictures we took, requested portraits and made fun of each other. Many of our printed photos were used as painting inside the tunnel, gifts for friends in jail, or memories during a funeral. They were definitely aware of our intentions, and some of them explicitly asked us to ‘let the world know their stories’.

Do you have any plans of revisiting this project on any level later on?

I have no real plans about what I will do. I’m going to follow the stories of the people I met, but most of them are in prison right now. As I said, we’re going to make a book that will contain a great part of the experiences, observations and photographs of the last 3 years. In any case, as a very important part of our photographic career and our personal lives, I’m quite sure the project will come again in our thoughts, even if probably it will appear in new and different shapes. www.massimobranca.com

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OPERATION UNCHAINED

By Victoria Reid and Adam Rober t Young

Battambang – a city in the nor th-western corner of Cambodia – swelters under an unrelenting sun.

The dr y season air tastes of dust and there seems to be no escape from the heat. Behind one of the suburban homes, a solitary figure sits on a bare bamboo bed in a shelter that consists of four wooden posts suppor ting a corrugated iron roof. The metal crackles as it expands in the high temperature. The low, monotone sound of a man’s muttering is heard in the distance. The chanting echoes like that of a Buddhist monk in one of the nearby pagodas.

There is an uneasy tension that is only intensified by the strange laughter that punctuates the droning of the man’s voice intermittently. Approaching the shelter, a heavy, rusted chain comes into view – one end locked to one of the posts, and the other end attached securely to an anklet around the man’s right leg. This is how Yoeut Sorya, 32, has lived for the last ten years – locked up by his parents behind their family home just ten minutes’ drive from the city centre. The sad fact is that there are many more Cambodians just like Yoeut, chained or tied up by desperate family members who simply don’t know what to do with their loved ones suffering from severe mental illness, a situation that Cambodian organisation Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation (TPO) is doing the utmost to change.

Left: Yoeut Sorya, 32, sits on his bed beside the pole he has been chained to for nearly 10 years in Samroung Otrea village, Battambang province, 28 January 2016.

Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS Next page: Sam Nakry, 54, kneels on the floor, each hand tied by a rope attached to the walls of her home. Bour village, Battambang province, Cambodia, 27 January 2016.

Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS 42

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Cambodian Mental Health Services Cambodia is a nation with a severe lack of mental health ser vices. Out of 1000-odd practicing physicians in Cambodia in 1975, only fifty had survived the Khmer Rouge regime by 1979, none of whom were mental health professionals. The decimated healthcare system never fully recovered – at least in the field of mental health – and as recently as 2015, there were o n l y 4 9 t ra i n e d p s y c h i a t r i s t s i n t h e e n t i re c o u n t r y, of whom only ten worked outside of the capital.

Even in Phnom Penh there are only two psychiatric in-patient facilities – the only such facilities in the e n t i r e c o u n t r y – w i t h a to t a l o f 1 6 b e d s b e t w e e n them. With mental health services available in o n l y n i n e o f C a m b o d i a ’s t w e n t y - f o u r p r o v i n c e s , p e o p l e i n r u ra l a re a s a re o f te n o n t h e i r o w n w h e n family members star t to display signs of psychosis.

E n te r T P O - T h e Ca m b o d i a n N G O ’s m i s s i o n i s to improve the well-being of Cambodians with mental illness and to help them to function effectively within their work, family and communities. Celebrating its 20-year anniversar y in 2015, TPO was initially the branch of Dutch NGO TPO International, but just five y e a r s a f te r i t s e s t a b l i s h m e n t , T P O Ca m b o d i a w a s re g i s te re d a s a n i n d e p e n d e n t l o c a l N G O i n 2 0 0 0 .

It is now staffed and run by local Cambodians.

One of their more recent projects is ‘Operation Unchain’, which was initiated in 2015 to free Cambodians suffering from severe mental illnesses from being tied, chained o r l o c ke d u p b y f a m i l i e s u n a b l e to d e a l w i t h t h e i r psychoses due to lack of awareness and insufficient a c c e s s to m e d i c a t i o n a n d m e n t a l h e a l t h f a c i l i t i e s .

We joined Dr Ang Sody, one of the two psychiatrists responsible for 41 Operation Unchain patients across Cambodia, for two days on the job visiting patients in Battambang province. What we saw left us with TPO psychiatrist Dr Ang Sody measures out one month’s medication for Thy Soeun, 37, in Bosknor Village, Battambang province, 28 January 2016. Thy and his brother both sustained brain damage as a result of exposure to toxic pesticides while working on a nearby farm.

Photo: Adam Robert Young/ARGUS

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Left: Yoeut Sorya sits on his bed beside the post he is chained to in his family’s back yard while his family interact with him from a distance in Samroung Otrea village on the edge of Battambang city, Cambodia, 28 January 2016. Yoeut has been chained up for nearly ten years due to highly violent behaviour that was attributed to a drug and alcohol induced pyschosis, causing his family be fearful of him.

Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS 47

Sieng Sok Khoeun, 29, plays with the family cat on his bed by a television which he smashed a few days earlier during an angry outburst. Photo: Adam Young/ARGUS R i g h t a b o v e : S a m S o k N y, 3 6 p r a y s i n the metal cage that he has been locked in for the last three years in Bour village, Battambang province, Cambodia, 27 January 2016.

Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS R i g h t u n d e r : S i e n g S o k K h o e u n ’s n o n patient brother holds the antipsychotic m e d i c i n e t h a t T P O ’s D r A n g S o d y i s p re s c r i b i n g f o r K h o e u n f o r t h e n e x t 2 months in Lhoun Thmey village, Battambang province, Cambodia, 27 January 2016.

Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS

an over whelming sense of the undeniable impact a significant lack of mental health services has on a n a t i o n . We w e re , h o w e v e r, w a r m e d b y a f e e l i n g of hope that the situation could be turned around.

Dr Ang climbed down from the 4-wheel drive and started down the dir t road toward the home of the first patient for the day after a couple of hours driving from Siem Reap. The doctor’s medical bag looked oversized beside her tiny figure. After surviving the days of Pol Pot, Ang was one of the first Cambodians to graduate in the post-war era with an MD from the University of Health Sciences and to complete a residency in psychiatr y.

A ways down the track she turned a corner and we followed.

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Treating Psychosis Ream Touch, 45 She was sitting on a bamboo bed, waiting. When she saw the doctor, her face beamed.

To u c h h a s b e e n a p a t i e n t o f D r A n g ’s f o r j u s t t w o months. On the initial visit, she was suffering from auditory hallucinations and was virtually unapproachable and violent toward others. She had been chained to a post by the bed by her sister Ream Ry for three years, as neighbours and even her own family were fear ful of Touch’s violent outbursts.

Traditional healers had not produced the results Ream’s mother had hoped for, and the family lived too far from

any mental health ser vices to utilise them. Looking at the woman sitting calmly next to the doctor, her eyes smiling warmly, it was hard to imagine her as a fear ful force seething with anger as she had previously been described. Soon we were to hear Touch’s story.

Before her psychosis, the mother of two was happily married. The family lived a peaceful life in the village of Kampong Chhnang, but times were tough. Touch’s husband took a trip to the capital Phnom Penh in the hope of finding stable work in order to send money back to suppor t Ream and her family, but he never reached his destination. He was involved in a fatal t r a f f i c a c c i d e n t s h o r t l y b e f o r e r e a c h i n g t h e c i t y.

Family members were notified, but Touch was unaware of the fate that had befallen her husband. She was asked to travel to see her husband, but had not been told that he had passed away. On seeing the b o d y, s h e c o u l d n o t h a n d l e t h e s h o c k . Fro m t h a t p o i n t o n , s h e s u f f e r e d s e v e r e p s y c h o s i s . To u c h wouldn’t eat out of a paranoia that people were trying t o p o i s o n h e r, a n d s h e h e a r d v o i c e s c o n s t a n t l y.

Thankfully in Touch’s case, she and her family had a suppor tive community who tried to help any way they could, but they were not equipped to deal with such an intense situation. It was out of desperation that Ry chained her up. Touch and Ry’s mother felt 49

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relieved at the thought of knowing that Touch could not harm herself or others, but thought that all hope was lost until a commune leader told her about TPO. After being contacted by Ry, Dr Ang diagnosed and medicated Touch – a ser vice provided at no charge to TPO’s patients. At first Touch’s mother had trouble giving her the medicine due to Touch’s paranoia, but after hiding the medication in Touch’s food, she began to see a change. Two months later, and Touch is now calm and able to communicate with a lucidity that is a stark contrast to her previous state. Touch is still chained, but there is hope that her release is imminent.

We wondered what a patient may be like before TPO’s intervention. It wasn’t long before we would find out.

Sam Nakry, 54 Ste p p i n g o u t o f t h e c a r o u t s i d e B o u r v i l l a g e a f e w kilometres down the road, we were instantly greeted by the babbling sound of a woman’s voice. We were met by a woman who led us into a hut. As our eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the hut, a shor t-haired woman, each arm tied by the wrist to one of the walls, appeared out of the black. She spoke to us, her eyes at times pleading, at times filled with wrath and hatred, the unintelligible words tumbling out over each other in a confused and ever-changing tone. This was Dr Ang’s first contact with 54 year-old Sam Nakry, who was forced to leave her job with Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CAMC) clearing landmines after her psychosis set in. But Nakry wasn’t the only family member in need of TPO’s help.

Outside the hut and past chickens and pigs to a rusting iron cage suspended above the ground behind the family’s home. As we approached, the pungent smell of human waste took over the fresh rural air. A dark pile of blankets inside the cage shifted, and the naked hunched body of Nakry’s son Sok Ny emerged from under the coverings.

Unlike his mother’s psychosis, which Dr Sody attributes to a genetic predisposition triggered by times of emotional trauma, Sok Ny’s schizophrenia seems to be the result of abusing the drug Yaba- a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, along with alcohol while working in Thailand.

The care for both Nakry and Sok Ny has fallen on the shoulders of Nakry’s daughter Soa Simay, who lost her left hand in a rubber factory incident some years ago.

Nakry’s two other children are unable to help financially.

Her other son is working in Thailand, but the construction company he is working for is withholding his income to repay an undisclosed amount for “visa processing and recruitment fees”, while Nakry’s other daughter has just recently had a child, and her husband’s meagre income is barely enough to care for the three of them.

When asked how she feels having to care for her mother and brother, she couldn’t fight the tears that welled up as she told us of her fears that if anything happened to her, nobody would be able to care for Nakry and Sok Ny. Besides the weight of responsibility for her mother 52

and brother’s care, Simay also needs to care for her 14 year-old sister Sao Muy and her own 11 year-old daughter Soeum Risa. Just two visits in, and the harsh reality of the difficulties faced by everyday Cambodians with mental illness and their families had hit us with full force.

Over the following one and a half days, we followed Dr Ang as she visited family after family, each with their own tragic stor y. Brothers Sieng Sothea, 26, and Sieng Sok Khoeun, 29, had been released from t h e i r r o p e s a f te r m e d i c a t i o n a n d t h e ra p y f o r t h e i r drug-induced psychoses had been effective, but Sok Khoeun had regressed after going off his meds, claiming that he had been healed. The smashed walls and television set in the family home said other wise.

sur face, as the more families TPO helps, the more in similar situations come out of the woodwork, and there’s only so much two psychiatrists can humanly do.

In a nation where most communities still look to traditional religious and superstitious healers for help in cases of mental illness, and where most years, there

is zero intake into Cambodian universities’ psychiatry majors, TPO has an uphill battle to fight. But looking into Sam Nakry’s pleading eyes, or seeing the restored sparkle in those of Ream Touch, we can only hope that TPO is not only able to continue Operation Unchain, b u t to a c c e s s t h e r e s o u r c e s to e x p a n d t h e w o r k .

At Rim, 46 Then there was At Rim,46, who had made good progress in the two months, but had killed one of the family dogs by swinging it against a wooden post just days before Dr Ang’s visit. After seven years of being tied to a post by the family home, it seemed it would still be some time before the family would feel safe enough to release At. In Toul Thnong village, Sam San’s family had sold their two hectares of land to pay for ten different traditional healers to cure her schizophrenia. Treatments included p o u r i n g h o l y w a te r o v e r h e r, p i e rc i n g h e r s k i n w i t h bamboo to release the evil spirits, rubbing hot chilli all over her face and body, and exorcism. After the family had run out of money and options, they heard about TPO, and within two months of free treatment Sam was released from the room she had been locked i n . S h e n o l o n g e r h a s p a ra n o i d f e a r s t h a t m e n w i l l c o m e to ra p e h e r d a u g h te r, a n d s h e h a s s to p p e d beating her daughter – previously a daily occurrence.

Breaking the chains At the age of 60, Dr Ang Sody could be enjoying time with her granddaughter in her Phnom Penh home, but i n s te a d s h e s p e n d s f o u r d a y s a w e e k o n t h e ro a d travelling to remote rural areas with a medicine bag and a message of hope for desperate families. W ith just her and Dr Chhim Sotheara to cover the entire kingdom of Cambodia, Dr Ang is saddened by just how limited the help she can provide is. While TPO works with the Ministr y of Health, other NGOs, and referral hospitals to tr y to build a stronger network of mental health services in Cambodia, along with village leaders who par ticipate in their monthly awareness sessions, the impact they can have is limited by available funding.

A donation of $5000 by King Norodom Sihanomi in 2015 was allocated to Operation Unchain, and to date, 12 people have been released since the project began in February 2015, largely thanks to the King’s donation along with another $5000 raised through the platform Global Giving, which allowed TPO to provide psychiatrists and medication free of charge to 41 families in nine provinces of Cambodia. This however, is merely scratching the

Sam San, 57, and her mother pose for a photo outside the family home while TPO’s Dr Ang Sody discusses her condition and medication with her daughter in Toul Thnong village, Battambang province, Cambodia, 28 January 2016.

Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS

Previous page: Sieng Sok Khoeun, 29, lays on his bed not allowing the family cat to leave him while Dr Ang Sody discusses his condition with his older brother in Lhoun Thmey village, Battambang province, Cambodia, 27 January 2016. Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS

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REALITY EXPRESS

By Marita Gjerde

“Through dancing I changed, that confidence, I could become anyone I want, I could tell stories and I could show different sides of myself.�

Jem Gariando, a Filippino teenager uses art and dance to express himself and in this moving multimedia piece. Growing up gay, he faced struggles which he has begun to overcome through his passion for dance.

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AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE

Photo: Victoria Reid/ARGUS

By Vicotira Reid and Laura Weber “Promoting Irresponsible Drinking Since 1998,” reads the graffiti over the doorway to the Angkor What? Bar, located in Siem Reap’s notorious Pub Street. Replete with a man-made beach, a kiddie pool and a hammerhead shark working the barbecue, the party was definitely here.

One would hope to avoid the usual throngs of b o oze f u e l l e d A u s t ra l i a n s , p a ra d i n g t h e i r n a t i o n a l pride, when one is overseas. Unfor tunately, this was not so in Siem Reap. All you need is an indulging b a r, s o m e c h e e p d r i n k s , a n d t h e y w i l l c o m e .

A r o u n d t h e c o r n e r a t C h a r l i e ’s , y o u n g A u s s i e s and their Southern Cross stickered international p a l s w e re t a k i n g a d v a n t a g e o f A u s t ra l i a D a y d r i n k 56

specials from 10am. By noon, the Beatnik Bar down the road was pumping out the Triple-J Hottest 100 via live stream through their stereo system.

As the day stretched on into night, the music got louder, and the revellers eventually spilling out onto the street from Angkor What?, limbo dancing underneath the Australian flag. Down the road, a group of Australian volunteers were playing football; until an overly exuberant kick took out one of the neon signs that lit up Pub Street. Game over. Back at Angkor What? a flash of bum was spotted from a group of dancers on top of the outdoor tables. It only lasted for a second b e f o re t h e re v e l l e r p u l l e d u p h i s d a k s ( p a n t s ) a n d disappeared into the crowd and that, thankfully, was that.

International revellers celebrate Australia day in Cambodia’s infamous Pub Street, Siem Reap.

Cambodia, 26th January 2016. Photos: Victoria Reid/ARGUS and Laura Weber/ARGUS 57

YING ANG Interview by Emmy Peterson

Yi n g A n g i s a n a r t p h o to g ra p h e r f r o m Australia currently working in New York. Her Gold Coast art book has been internationally acclaimed and is par t of the rare books collection at the Victorian state library.

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Let’s start with your now infamous Gold Coast series. Why was it so important to you to document the Gold Coast? The Gold Coast was a place that I spent my formative years in and found very difficult to reconcile… The perfect sun kissed veneer and the sleaze and crime that co-existed in the same environment. There was a lot that didn’t feel right about that place, but I couldn’t ar ticulate it when I was growing up and most of the people I knew there refused to talk about. Most of the time I found myself living in a state of unreality and it became important for me to photograph the Gold Coast as a way of proving that not all is as it seems.

It was a matter of collecting enough evidence to show something to the world at large, a truth about the city that seemed to be, for the most part, unacknowledged.

You link the Gold Coast to a Lynchian landscape...

Wa s t h e re a p a r t i c u l a r m o m e n t i n t i m e w h e n you became aware of the façade of perfection crumbling? The moment in which I became truly aware of the decaying facade of the Gold Coast was when I was a witness to a double murder in my friend’s living room.

How long did the project take? Is it still ongoing?

The project took about 4 years to complete and is not ongoing. The only other manifestation that is yet to be completed is a full exhibition which includes installation and video work done in collaboration with my sister, Ling Ang. The work focuses heavily on the falseness of suburban perfection. Have you considered expanding this concept beyond the Gold Coast?

I think a lot about how this work is relevant to many other places around the the world and I think that this is key to its success. I use the Gold Coast as an example and also metaphor for a larger phenomenon of an iron-clad belief in secular Western ideals for upward mobility and success, no matter the cost. I don’t think it’s necessary to make the same point again in a different place.

Though you are now based in Melbourne, would you consider returning to the Gold Coast to pursue the evolution of this phenomenon further? I have considered it, but have decided against doing so. There are aspects of the work that I am interested in expanding, but it has more to do with psychological phenomena and not therefore inherent to the Gold Coast itself… Which means I don’t have to subject myself to returning there to make the work, thank goodness.

The book seems takes life as an artwork in and of itself- did you always know that this series was going to end up in book form? I did not always know that this would be a book. I didn’t know if I had the material, or even a real hypothesis, when I star ted the work. As always, you begin with a question and you ask more questions and eventually, once you’ve figured out enough of it, you begin to draft a hypothesis to a highly articulated set of problems. Sometimes, the initial 60

questioning doesn’t yield such a complex process, in which case, a book may not be the ultimate manifestation of the work.

I noticed that you launched a multimedia book trailer for the Gold Coast book… What do you think of multimedia and the future of photography? I think that multimedia as we know it will be unrecognizable in the future of story-telling. I think that we will inevitably rely on multiple forms of media to weave our tales and the notion of a singularity in visual language will not only be archaic, but also incomprehensible to the modern mind.

You talk about the Lynchian landscape in your artist statement, but what other influences do you cite in your work? The traditions of clinical observation, crime photography and journaling were definitely influences in the way that I put the book together. Also studying the way tension was built in classical Hitchcock films where much of the violence was implied and not explicit played a hand in the kinds of pictures that I would look for. The Surrealists were also very much a par t of my creative process.

How did you choose your locations? For example some photos appear to be taken from adjacent hotel balconies and in different backyards and houses. Was there an emotional connection to the places or was it more about aesthetic? I kept a daily journal of my life since I was 7 years old. It was a militant recording of everything I ever did, who I experienced it with and where it took place. Every night I would sit with my journals and note down a place where something bad happened and I would revisit those places or people in the daytime to photograph it/them.

Your work seems to revolve around the capturing of a particular feeling rather than a specific momentwhat is the importance of preserving a feeling for you? The predominant nature of the work revolves around recreating the experience of living on the Gold Coast through a photo book. In the same way that a novel equivalent would paint the picture of a scene, introduce characters and set a par ticular ambience, I needed to create a narrative that was ver y much an unsettling feeling that your mind refuses to equate to danger, based on our positive bias towards sunshine and wealthy suburbs, until hit with the proof at the end when you discover the swathe of crime that inhabits the luxury real estate of the Gold Coast. It’s less about preserving a feeling and more about recreating a feeling so that the viewer is able to ultimately question their own biases.

Do you think your work would make people reconsider their perceptions of the gold coast as the perfect Australian destination? I think that the majority of people will ultimately believe what they want to believe, and most impor tantly, what they pay for. If they pay good money to go to the Gold Coast because they believe that sunshine, beach and amusement parks 61

will be the markers to a happy and healthy life, it doesn’t matter about my book or what they read in the daily paper. If you are told (and believe) that full lips and the per fect C-cup breasts are the keys to a happy life, the reality of silicone implants and filler injections will fade into the background of your aspirational ideals.

What kind of reception did the work receive in the gold coast? Did it differ to reception in other places of Australia? The reception of the work on the Gold Coast was expected. A lot of people were excited and flattered to be made “famous” by being featured in a print publication. It is a brush with celebrity, isn’t it? A few people were angry about my hypothesis and claimed that I exaggerate its pitfalls, even though all the bad events in the book come straight from the newspaper and actual events that I experienced. Many people who live in other parts of Australia cannot seem to believe the work. Nearly everyone overseas wonders how I managed to live there for 17 years and why any sane person would ever want to live there. Many people familiar with similar areas in southern California, coastal Florida and the southern coast of Spain nod with a sage knowingness.

You work evokes a strong feeling of femininity, which you seem to explore openly in your work Diary of a Flaneuse. What does being a flaneuse mean to you, and do you consider your work as feminist? A Flaneuse refers directly to the process of being a female explorer, wanderer, traveler. It is a process that involves asking questions of the ways of the world around you and being open to the spectrum of answers that will inevitably come if you seek it. I do not consider my work deliberately feminist, although I undoubtedly have a female gaze, but that is inherent to my identity as much as being Asian.

Do you prefer documentary or art photography?

Do you think photojour nalism is able to cross over from simple reportage into the realm of art (and vice versa)? I do not subscribe to the genres of photography separated by documentary or art. There is no preference unless I am able to define what art is, which I am unwilling to do. Defining documentary for me exists as simply as DOCUMENTING a moment in real space and time. It’s pretty broad. I think that photojournalism is much more defined and I literally translate it to journalism in photo media. This includes investigation and news repor ting. Many ar tists also use newswor thy events in ar t. Given this jumble of intention, is it even possible to draw a clean line through any of it? Is there a need to even do so?

What new projects are you working on now and what are your plans for the future? I plan to continue making work that I am personally invested in, either emotionally or intellectually - hopefully both. I plan to continue teaching and working with the wider photo community and maybe make a few more books.

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http://www.yingangphoto.com/

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MUM

By Taila Campbell

“The addiction is just, beyond explaining — its capacity — that you need it as much as you need breathing.”

In this shor t autobiographical documentar y, Taila Campbell reclaims the stor y of her mother ’s tragic death, interwoven with memories of love and a bond that reaches beyond additiction.

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STREET

The imaginary, the tangible and the obvious.

A street photography journey of Brisbane and the Gold Coast by Griffith University undergraduates.

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Photo: Sara Godthelp VĂĽgsmyr/ARGUS

This page by: Martine Kolstad/ARGUS

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Photo: Oliver Wykeham/ARGUS

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This page: Sara Godthelp VÃ¥gsmyr/ARGUS

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This spread by: Emmy Peterson/ARGUS

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Photo: Lauren Young/ARGUS

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Photo: Aliah Murillo/ARGUS

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SINGLES

A surfer catches a wave at Duranbah Beach on 18 March 2016. Duranbah Beach, Coolangatta. Surfing is always a big sport on the Gold Coast but during the Quiksilver Pro competition many more people flock to the Gold Coast to compete.

Photo: Zara Tansley/ARGUS

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Johhny Depp and his wife Amber Heard arrive at Southport Magistrates Court on 18 April 2016. They face two charges of illegal importation of an animal and one count of producing a false document.

Photo: Lachlan McConnall/ARGUS

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Photo: Ruby Pascoe/ARGUS

Photos: Erin Campbell/ARGUS 76

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Photos: Tayla Buzzell/ARGUS

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Photos: Aroha Daniels/ARGUS

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EDITORIAL BIOGRAPHIES

Mar tine is a creative writer and talented photographer currently based on the Gold Coast. Originally from Norway, Mar tine is interested in photo documentary, but is inspired to pursue social documen-tary. Her goal is to be based out of South/Latin America, though is for tunate enough to also have a second home in Dominican Republic. Through her work in photo documentary, Mar tine wants to raise awareness to the unjust and give them a voice to tell their stories. www.mar tinekolstad.com - mar t_kol@hotmail.com

HEATHER FAULKNER

RAQCHELA CORBU-MILES

ISAAC BROWN

SARA GODTHELP VÅGSMYR

SAMANTHA MANCHEE

VEBJØRN BOGE NILSSEN

EMMY PETERSON

ZAKARIYYA PARUK

Dr Heather Faulkner is a documentary transmedia practitioner whose action research explores the synergetic themes of identity, place and belonging. Her professional career as a photojournalist and award-winning picture editor has seen her work published broadly on an international scale. Faulkner convenes the Photo Media Major, Bachelor of Digital Media, QCA Gold Coast. Her teaching comprises transmedia storytelling; action research; photojournalism and documentary practice; ethics and theory; picture editing and online curation. She is the executive editor of the ARGUS, the online transmedia publication published by students in the Photo Media major. www.heather faulkner.com.au - www.amatteroftime.com.au

Isaac Brown is a sessional lecturer at the Queensland College of Ar t, Griffith University and a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland. Isaac’s practice led PhD research examines the use and limitations of a contemporary documentary practice used to address and challenge fissures in paternal relationships. Working and researching in photography and photo documentary, he has shown at the Museum of Brisbane, QLD Centre of Photography and the Brisbane Powerhouse Museum. Often exploring relationships between the photographer and the subject Isaac’s practice is contemplative and questioning.

Samantha Manchee is a photographer and writer whom is interested in documentary and news photography. She got her first taste for documentary whilst in Cambodia, using photography as a tool to tell peoples stories. Currently based on the Gold Coast, she had the oppor tunity to work for Fair fax, as a journalist and photojournalist in a rural area. Her future is bound by the need to capture a moment of reality to convey a meaningful message that could bring social change. samantha.manchee@gmail.com

Emmy Peterson is a photographer, videographer and writer with an interest in long form trans media storytelling, ar tist profiles, essays on ar t as well as the intersection between journalism and ar t. Cur-rently based on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, she has lived and worked in regional Queensland, with personal identity and modern relationships being recurrent themes throughout her work. Her practice is influenced by domestic and international travel as a way of sharing moments of humani-ty, and by the multitude of ways in which ar t functions as a catalyst for social engagement. emmypeterson@ymail.com - www.emmypeterson.wordpress.com 82

MARTINE KOLSTAD

Rachel Corbu is a journalist using visual language as her method in storytelling. Her study of colour and natural light are her way of showcasing her intimate approach within her work. She finds inspi-ration in ar t around her and believes you can never stop being influenced.

“It’s what you make of every encounter, it’s the interaction you have with people, ar t, books and so on, that influence your practice”. www.rachelcorbu.com

Sara Godthelp Vaagsmyr is a Norwegian photographer who likes shooting documentary and ar t photography. Sara aims to convey emotion in her pictures, as in her ar t she shares her feelings. She likes to disguise her feelings and let her work speak for itself, preferably wanting the viewer to feel something for themselves. Sara uses her photography to change her viewers perspective when they are looking at her pictures: ar t or documentary. “Ar t is the place where I feel free to say whatever I want, but in Documentary I just observe every-thing like it is”. www.Saragv.com - Sara.g.v@live.no

Vebjørn Boge Nilssen was born in Stavanger, Norway and is currently based on the Gold Coast studying Photo Media at Griffith University. In 2013 he decided to explore using his camera as a tool to express storytelling and began studying cinematography and storytelling. After he finished his degree in Norway, he began working as a video journalist and photographer at a local television sta-tion, before deciding to travel to Australia to complete his Bachelor degree. He is driven by multime-dia, documentary and commercial photography. vabjoern.nilssen@griffithuni.edu.au

Seeing beautiful photography that seemed almost impossible to create has become Zak’s drive to produce amazing photos and videos. His philosophy is “Do what you love, and love what you do”. From the level of demand for his work increasing, Zak has no doubt this could provide for a fun and interesting career, with the end goal of becoming an established photographer and cinematogra-pher, within the fashion and fitness industries. There are many talented photographers and Zak be-lieves it’s impor tant to appreciate, respect and draw inspiration from these ar tists, while finding your own style to stand out from the crowd. www.litshotz.com 83

VEGARD ORLANDO HANSEN

SOFIE SKADAL

ALIAH MURILLO

KINGSTON SEINAFO FEALA

OLIVER WYKEHAM

JONAS MYRVANG OTTESEN

SHAUN CARNEY

LAUREN YOUNG

Orlando’s love for photography comes from the freedom that it gives him as there is a wide range of genres. He is excited to convey his interests and objectivity through his work by travelling and doc-umenting differences throughout the world. Orlando’s favourite categories within photography are travel, nature, animals, landscapes, macro, and birds. His experience within graphic design will help Orlando share his views of the world through social media and exhibitions with the ultimate goal of funding his photography career. www.owlando.com

Aliah Murillo has been thoroughly engaged in the world of photography. Her family and culture are very impor tant aspects in her life, and using photography enables her to express that. Regardless of how one can take a photograph, she relies on the context as the most impor tant aspect. Aliah thrives on her work to have the power to challenge herself emotionally during the creative process. Photography is a platform where she has the ability to take the audience into a journey within her life, beliefs and her hear t. allymurillo@hotmail.com

Oliver Wykeham star ted learning about photography through bike polo seven years ago. The pas-sion he developed for the counterculture spor t lead him to document the culture surrounding it, the spor ts growth and development since the early years.

This lead him to change the major of his Journalism degree to allow him to pursue photography. Being able to take a great photo has be-come an invaluable skill and he realised visual literacy is imperative for anyone wanting to tell sto-ries. Oliver dreams of working somewhere innovative in the media industry that pushes the content, process and business model to new places.

Shaun Carney is a deeply curious person and is genuinely interested in peoples stories. His curiosi-ty has driven him toward documentary film making, and by studying photography he is broadening his storytelling skills giving him the ability to use a visual medium. Shaun finds impor tance in pre-serving character driven stories for future generations. Whether it be the triumph of a spor ting hero or significant milestones in the history of the nation, Shaun wants the creative freedom to tell the story the right way.

ALEXANDRA GONZALES-MENDOZA

Alexandra Gonzales has always had a fascination with photography, and while studying at Griffith she’s had oppor tunities to grow and meet all sor ts of people from all walks of life, while learning to become a photographer. While delving into many different categories of photography such as spor t, news and editorial, maternity and even documentary photography, just to name a few. Alex is deep-ly interested in documentary and event photography. alexdimendoza@gmail.com

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Sofie Skadal is an international photography student from Norway. She has begun her third year in studying Bachelor of Digital Media at Griffith University. While living in Australia for three years; studying internationally has given her a lot of oppor tunities including extensive travel. She comes from a fine ar ts background from Ås VGS, where photography became her focus. Sofie’s future goals after she graduates is to continue photographing, and travelling, where she aims to see things other people would not necessarily get to see.

Sofie.skadal@griffithuni.edu.au - www.Sofieskadal.wordpress.com

Kingston S.Feala is a developing visual story teller currently studying out of Queensland College of Ar t, Griffith University. Using photography as his medium Feala has explored themes of emotion, place, memory and self. His work with photography has also led Feala into the field of photojournalism, using imagery to tell peoples stories. Deciding to expand on his skills and knowledge of this field, Feala travelled to Cambodia too work with local Non-Government Organisations and hopes to put his ever growing skills and experience too use in his future careers.

Jonas Ottesen is a 25 year old Norwegian studying Photo Media abroad Australia at Griffith University. His interest for photography star ted in his early years, as it developed into an aspiration to go into it fur ther during 2013. After graduating from the Norwegian School of Creative Ar ts, he continues to work as a freelance photographer. While working along side with companies, also independent, Jonas expands his skills within photography by using photojournalism to commercial photography. www.ottesenfoto.no

Lauren Young a fashion, editorial and social documentary photographer, specialising in people and lifestyle, with a style consisting of luminous and natural imagery.

Her style is influenced by photog-raphers who use natural lighting to highlight, and bring emphasise to the natural beauty of the world we live in. Lauren endeavours to capture images that give a glimpse into the joyous sides of life capturing nature, beauty and passion.

SONJA VILENIUS

Sonja Vilenius is a third year photojournalist student based on the Gold Coast, Australia. Born in Finland, Vilenius wishes to bring an international flair to the work at the Argus, by researching talented photojournalists from across the globe and contribute work that deserves to be seen. Vilenius is inspired by stories that are explored through the mediums of multimedia, documentary and photojournalism, work so impor tant that it makes a difference in our lives. Vilenius aims to become a professional photojournalist and document issues in our societies that need to be addressed and resolved.

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Photo by: Adam Robert Young/ARGUS

WE WANT YOUR STORIES! The ARGUS is seeking new submissions for our upcoming issues. We are looking for stories, multimedia, photo essays and single images with strong narrative content.

Please send your pitch or interest to: submissions@theargus.net.au www.theargus.net.au

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