Thursday 29 December 2011

#inthought -Observation

ok, I think this blog may be going in the direction past my intentions...but hey its a blog, and I'll just let it go the direction that feels right. As with most things that we do, we act and react to situations based on collective information that we receive from observation.

Observation is something that occurs all the time, we do it intentionally or unintentionally, and its something that we do from the moment we are born. It is through life's experiences that we are shaped by our observations, and eventually those collective observations become part of us. Take for example, learning how to speak. A baby is born without the ability of speech, yet through hundreds and hundreds of days of human interaction and observation a baby learns to speak, and they will speak like whom they have been observing -their observation has become part of them.


Is what we observe the true representation of what we see? or is it based on what we want to see. Are we impervious to occurances that occur right infront of our eyes but independent of our vision? Again my 2 cents...we see something becuase we want to see it, that is, we become part of what we observed in the past to the point where our observation of the present can never be independent of ourselves. What we have here is then conflict caused by these observation: assumptions, social beleifs and conformity are what causes this conflict.

This may sound neither here nor there, but if you carefully read the statements and think about them, you might see this in a different light. To put this into context, I'll put forth an example that can occur and probably does a lot of the time.
When someone presents their view in a discussion, they will most certainly almost always refer to a past event in order to validate their observation as one that is "more" true. They would utter the words "In my experience.." or "back in my day...". The problem with that according to me is that it past observations of a similar subject in the present will give the same perception, but how accurate is it? (given the fast changing and dynamic world that we live in). What has merely happened is that the observer has limited their subject of current observation to the past and therefore will give rise to conflict.

which is probably why adults and teens seem to never get along in some societies (intergenerational gap). Is it probably due to adults' observation that is not independent from self that fails to account for the variables present today. Past events can have similar attributes to present events of the same nature, but they are no way the same, and therefore assuming that acting or reacting in the same way and expecting similar results is truely foolish...but its something we see happen everyday of our lives. What im trying to say here is that close minded observation (that is not free from self) creates conflict by not not observing something in its entirety and is what certainly leads to misintepretation. 

 this is in no way trying to suggest that we shouldnt learn from the past. Then again im not suggesting anything!!

So how would one avoid this conflict? Would it be to separate observation from the self..? and how would one go about that.? perhaps its not possible, or perhaps its what it is to be human, then again, I would say that open mindedness would be one of the ways to avoid conflict. To truely separate emotion from observation, and just as we can never really completely separate emotion from observation, we can never be truely be free from conflict.

but we can go some way in opening our minds to the world around us. What you see is what you get, but if you want to see more, you will get more.

Friday 9 December 2011

Charity Photoshoot Against Human Trafficking - Shoot 2

It started off on a cloudy and frosty Saturday morning, we met just on the south Edge of Gabrone city. I was certainly surprised at the number of people that were going to work on this. Feeling very unsure on whether we would have a successful shoot as we made our way to the  rail track that would make the setting for the shoot; I got acquainted with the designers and other photographers, most were friends I hadn't seen in a while and others I just met but the overall energy and friendly atmosphere among us was enough to brighten up every day.




Equipment talk now out of the way, we quickly got got planning, while the designers and make up artists dressed and worked on the models; the photographers got scouting the location to get the best of the scenery. I went around looking for unique and interesting scenes that would make for interesting shots. The great thing was that we worked well together and even got to share and create some great ideas for the scenes.

As soon as we started we got snapping and things flowed so organically and seamlessly as if we had practiced for it prior. By midday we had a small lunch provided by the shoot organisers as we casually had a chat to which we decided to have the last couple of shots and call it a day. It was a great success, and ill share some of the images that I managed to capture, but first a bit about the photoshoot.



About the shoot: 

ART FOR A CAUSE-HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS PROJECT COORDINATED BY DESERTARTZ

DesertArtz is a collective of visual artists who collaborate to achieve specific common goals. Artists who constitute DesertArts include a range of photographers, videographers, clothing and accessories designers, sculptors, painters, printmakers, make-up artists, leather crafters, potters, models and any kind of imaginable handymen and women. A remarkable passion for art and humanity has inspired this group of well versed artists to work hand in hand in the name of charity to raise awareness against human trafficking activities in Botswana and the rest of the world.

With its youthful population, economic disparities, porous borders, lack of opportunities for young people and flawed birth registration systems, Botswana has inevitably become an origin, destination and transit for the trafficking of persons. Women and children are most commonly trafficked without their consent for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Victims from Botswana and neighbouring countries are trafficked throughout Southern Africa with Botswana as the transit route mainly via the ‘Maputo Road’.

Botswana also has common cases of internal trafficking of vulnerable men, women and children. Children orphaned by different circumstances are usually not registered and they never officially acquire a formal nationality which is why they become targets who are easily moved around Botswana and other countries. In a time frame of countless generations children, refugees and internally displaced people in Botswana have been trafficked and subjected to manual labour. Children from poor rural communities are usually sent to work for wealthy families as domestic workers and cattle herders while they have most of their basic human rights violated. It has also come to our attention that Albinos are violently trafficked and killed for ritual purposes across Africa. 

Although human trafficking is world wide dismay, DesertArtz intends to primarily raise an intense awareness in Botswana then secondarily in Africa and the rest of the world. With our versatile talents, DesertArtz aspires to use art as a medium of raising this awareness by compiling previous fashion photo shoots and respective artworks to host an exhibition that would mark the inception of this endeavour. It is also our intention to send our video documentary to CNN –Project Freedom.



Artists currently involved in this project include;

DESIGNERS;
Tshegofatso Sino Ragontse- bead accessories D’vine Designs
Buhle- accessories Tswanalyric
Boitshoko Kebakile- accessories House of Divinity
Naiko- clothing Naiko
Maungo J Seabenyane- handpainted tshirts and bead accessories  ‘ outoftheblu’
Tsholofelo Madiabaso- clothing
Julia- bags label Valerie Clemence
Dondo Segola- bags
Tafadzwa- wireworks
Chandida Nlebesi- Shoes xix couture
Kepi Mngomezulu of Smarteez

PHOTOGRAPHERS;
Tsaone Majela- videography Green Hole Productions
Kopano Machailo- photography kMoe Foto
Kabo Olesitse- photography
Batho Matlhake-photography
Motheo Keitumetse

STYLISTS;
Dodo Bikane Zinc Boutique
Chandida Nlebesi


MAKE-UP ARTISTS
Fatima
Sino

MODELS
Kagiso Kablay
Christina
Eunice
Sino Ragontse
Nkamo
Thandie
Sadie
Khwame Acheampong
Diawyn
Katlo
Kgosi
Bonni

Here is my top ten shots I managed to capture (in no particular order)....














 
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