Greetings on Behalf of Our Environment

Posted by Elspeth (St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago) on 28 May 2008 in People & Portrait and Portfolio.

I have a few hundred surgical face masks, given to me in 2006 by some young activists (when we were actively involved in the anti-smelter movement). At first (a few weeks ago), I started taking portraits of people wearing the masks - to make a statement about air pollution created by smelters and all of the industrial 'parks' so rapidly being established here. But as I continued taking the photos, I realised that the masks speak about more than just air pollution. In Trinidad there are so many other elements stifling the lives of the people who live here. Crime, corruption, ignorance, rising cost of living, ineffective leadership ... the list goes on.

ONLINE EXHIBITION
I will feature a 'mask photo' per day and an accompanying written statement provided by the subject of each image.

OFF-LINE EXHIBITION (interactive)
I will exhibit the photos as a series of sixteen limited edition 'activist greeting cards' (Greetings on behalf of Our Environment), each with a stamped envelope addressed to relevant 'people in power' ... i.e. those who are supposed to have the ability to put policies in place to help 'save' our environment. Those who purchase a card (or cards) at the exhibit are asked to not keep the card, but to write a heartfelt message on behalf of our environment and post it (stamp already provided) to the addressee on their envelope. Getting a multitude of people to sign the card on which you write your message should add impact.

Thanks for visiting.
All photos © Elspeth Duncan
http://nowiswowtoo.blogspot.com

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