The work of seven photographers included in previous Moving Walls exhibitions in the United States were shown at Le Pont Art Organization, alongside the work of local photographer Nazem Jawish. The photographs in this exhibition cover diverse regions—including Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and the United States—and subjects such as political transition, prison life, wounded veterans, American Islam, and homelessness. Moving Walls Aleppo was organized by OSI's Documentary Photography Project and Middle East & North Africa Initiative, in partnership with Le Pont Art Organization.
Photographers in the Exhibition
Gary Fabiano, Aleksandr Glyadyelov, Eric Gottesman, Edward Grazda, Lori Grinker, Andrew Lichtenstein, James Nubile, and Nazem Jawish.
Workshops
Concurrent with the exhibition, Al-Liquindoi organized a production workshop co-taught by Sheryl Mendez, photographer and photo editor, and Issa Touma, photographer and director of Le Pont Art Organization. The five-day workshop included nine local photographers and was held April 19–23, 2007, at Le Pont Art Organization.
The workshop included students from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and age groups. Most workshop participants were very new to photography, having been introduced to the medium through Touma and his International Photo Gathering, which is held annually in Aleppo. Mendez worked closely with each student on choosing his/her story idea, using her own work and the work of other photographers to provide examples of possible subjects. Mendez also led the group editing sessions while Touma coordinated logistics and provided support for the students when they were photographing on their own.
The collaboration between both instructors created an intense and extremely productive learning environment. Each participant produced a solid body of work, and many were inspired to continue working on their projects after the workshop ended. The final edit of each student’s work was projected on a large-screen television as part of the Moving Walls opening reception.
Student workshops were organized by OSI’s Network Debate Program.
Location
Le Pont Art Organization
Fisal Street, Aleppo, Syria
Tel.:+963 21 2274018
photos@shuf.com