‘Born to Change’ talks about revolutionary photography ideas

CAIRO – 18 November 2017: “Born to Change” series of talks on revolutionary photography ideas was held at Darb 1718 on Friday as part of the ongoing first edition of Cairographie Photography Festival.

The discussions were led by six speakers including artists/photographers Nelly El Sharkawy, Lobna Tarek, Hamada Elrasam, Ravi Shaker, Hesham Elsherif, and Mohamed Alaa, according to the event’s official Facebook page.

The lecturers engaged with participating photographers and exchanged views about introducing revolutionary ideas in photography.

Inspired by the festival’s theme; “Born to Change” allowed those professional six speakers to cite the change occurring in the photography scene in Egypt since the revolution in 2011; one of those speakers who gave insight on the topic included El Sharkawy, who is a young talented photographer known for capturing portraits and street documentary. Her photographs were exhibited in different cultural venues such as El Hanager Arts Center, Photopia and Arts-Mart Gallery.

The discussions also examined how their works contributed to change and predicted changes in the upcoming period. These points were also tackled by other speakers including Tarek who specializes in photojournalism and participated in various exhibitions such as “Egypt Press Photo” exhibition and “People – The Red Line” exhibition.

El Rasam is another talented documentary photographer who engaged in these discussions. He previously worked at leading journalism institutions, such as Independent Magazine in East Africa, Associated Press, Washington Times, and National Geography. He also focuses on humanitarian subjects, and is a rising photographer interested in documenting daily life situations.

Each of the six speakers discussed their perspectives on the photography scene in 30 minutes. The speakers explained new techniques to participants.

Shaker and the other speakers were interested in documenting current events and political issues; he also works at independent Egyptian newspapers and Alaa, who is a multidisciplinary international photographer, has had his works previously exhibited in various international venues, such as BJCEM Biennale in Thessaloniki and Istanbul Triennial.

Cairographie is the first photography festival organized by Darb 1718 and Photopia and it kicked off on November 5.

The festival aimed to celebrate photography and video works, and brought together artists with varying skills and experience, ranging from amateurs to well-established photographers. The festival also aimed to raise awareness on various issues through the usage of photography and video, providing artists and attendees with the opportunity for interaction.

Cairographie plans to feature a unique theme every year, with the current edition’s theme titled “Transition”. Developed by photographer Karim al-Hayawan, “Transition” deals with the concept of change and focuses on its relationship to art, using contemporary photography to explore how we respond to and deal with the infinite change in life.