Sep
122015
archive
:
2015
Sarah Tilotta
This panel will feature photographers documenting DREAMers in the U.S., Uighurs in China, and Dominicans of Haitian descent.
Speakers: Mark Abramson Q. Sakamaki Sarah Tilotta
Moderators: Mary T. An
Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza
Number 1 on the official photoville map
What does it mean to be from a place? What does belonging look like? There are more migrants than at any other time in history, and even as Western superpowers struggle to respond to growing and permanent undocumented immigrant populations, countries all over the world treat unwanted ethnic minorities as outsiders, or force them into statelessness. This panel will feature photographers documenting DREAMers in the U.S., Uighurs in China, and Dominicans of Haitian descent. Are children who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children American? How is China excluding its Uighurs, members of an ethnic nation spanning four countries in Central Asia? Why is the Domincan Republic revoking citizenship from people of Haitian descent who have been in the country for three generations?
Mark Abramson (b. 1988) is a Russian-American freelance photographer and cinematographer based in New York City. He is drawn to telling stories that allow him to cross over into his subjects’ lives, and he sees photography as a gateway into the process of producing visual documentation in an intimate fashion. Much of the pull towards covering issues concerning immigration, undocumented populations, and other social issues, stems from the fabric of his own family history and the migration from the former Soviet Union, which has catalyzed his desire to produce journalistic and documentary content with a camera.
He graduated with a degree in journalism and mass communications from the George Washington University in 2010, and has has been producing visual content since 2009, during which time he started his journey into photojournalism; subsequently working as a multimedia intern for the Washington Post, later as a photographer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and eventually basing himself in New York City as full time freelancer.
He has been a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal since 2011 and has published work with clients such as: The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Education Week , Getty Images, GOOD Magazine, Newsweek, TIME, Arena Magazine, National Geographic (Food), El Nuevo Día, and others.
Japanese documentary photographer, focusing on human conditions and socio-economic issues with aesthetic images. Born in Japan and raised in the country, Q. Sakamaki moved to New York in 1986. His photo-documentary was sparked by the 1988 Tompkins Square Park riot and the following social, political movement in New York. In the mid-1990s, he started to cover more international events, particularly the deadly conflicts. Since then his photographs have appeared in books and magazines worldwide and have been the subject of solo shows. His work on Liberian child soldiers is in a prevention media campaign worldwide. Among the many honors he has received are World Press Photo award (2007) and two Overseas Press Club prizes (2010 & 2007). He has published five books, including “WAR DNA,” covering seven deadly conflicts (Japan 2007), and “Tompkins Square Park” (PowerHouse Books in U.S., 2008). He holds the master degree of International Affaires from Columbia University. Also he is an educator. Every summer, for more than last 8 years, he teaches photo-documentary at the workshop at Tokyo Photo Museum. Represented by Redux Pictures. Co-founder of Hikari Creative (Instagram gallery).
Sarah Tilotta is an American-born visual producer who documents issues stemming from the phenomenon of globalization, with a focus on migration, statelessness, and the intersection between ‘native’ and migrant communities.
Sarah holds a Masters in Photojournalism from the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University (2014), and a Bachelors in Visual Arts from Fordham University, Lincoln Center (2006). Her master’s project – a multimedia primer on statelessness in the Dominican Republic – won an award from the 2014 College Photographer of the Year for Solo Journalist Multimedia Essay.
Shortly after completing her graduate studies, Sarah interned as Digital News Picture Editor and Visual Journalist at NPR in Washington, D.C. There she produced and published a follow-up story and images on the Dominican regularization plan to address statelessness of Haitian-Dominicans.
In early 2015, Sarah participated in selective photo workshops with Magnum Photos in London and World Press Photo in Amsterdam. She currently splits time between the two cities, freelancing as an editorial photographer based in London, and conducting communications and sales for NOOR Images, a documentary photo agency headquartered in Amsterdam.
Sarah is currently engaged in producing a multi-country visual reportage on the migration crisis across the European Union.
Mary T. An leads development efforts at American Documentary POV (“Point-of-View”), the Emmy-award winning PBS documentary series that presents contemporary nonfiction stories rarely featured in mainstream media. Before joining POV, Mary managed and advised governance projects in international post-conflict settings. She served over two years with United Nations Development Programme in Khartoum, Sudan working on a $98 million project strengthening democracy and ensuring elections. Activities included training local journalists and supporting media outlets. She has consulted for UN Women, National Democratic Institute, Open Society Foundation, Emory University, and the United Nations Foundation and she is passionate about the transformational powers of media. Mary has traveled in over 45 countries, and holds a bachelor’s from Scripps College and a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University. She teaches a course at Hunter College on media, human rights, and democracy.
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