David Butow Brings China To IRIS Nights
March 8th, 2012
Last night POYi award-winning photojournalist David Butow was our guest lecturer at the Space, speaking on the subject he has covered for much of this decade - China.
China's economy and culture have been rapidly changing over the last 10 years and David has been there to document those transformations every step of the way. During that time, he's made at least one annual trip to the Middle Kingdom.
David presented three photo essays for his IRIS Nights lecture. First, was the deadly Sichuan earthquake that struck the region in 2008.
Second, was his documentation of the Uighur people, an ethnic minority who live mainly in the Northwestern part of the country and who are largely of the Muslim faith. A Uighur uprising in 2009 threw the region into turmoil.
And lastly was David's look at China's trendy twenty-something culture. He explained that while the largely 'only-child' youth face desires, expectations and obstacles that are unique to their country, they are still essentially just like every other young person in the world.
At one point David asked the audience how many of them had recently visited China and was surprised to see how many hands shot up.
David took questions at the end of each of the three sections so the audience could discover more about each individual body of work. This was the first time IRIS Nights deviated from its format of a sole Q&A session.
Through David, we got a special window through to the many different faces that populate a country with a population of 1.3 billion people and growing.
We can't wait to see more photos from David documenting his future travels to China and elsewhere around the globe! Travel safe!
You could learn more about David's work on his official Website.
(All images © Unique for the Space)
BEAUTY CULTURE's run at the Space is currently at it's half-way point and visitors continue to flock to the show. Among those who stopped by this past weekend was Fran Drescher, who was super-friendly. Thanks for checking out the exhibit, Fran!
We first met Katie Falkenberg during last year's POYi exhibit when her "Sugarcane Worker" portrait had just been honored by the acclaimed photojournalism contest. 
Her work is featured again in the current exhibit and this time she made sure to come out and speak at IRIS Nights. 
You wouldn't know it based on how at ease she was in front of the audience, but last night's IRIS Nights talk was the first time Katie had ever given a lecture. What a natural! 
She displayed an immensely charming presence and a warm smile that captivated the audience the entire evening. 
Katie divided her lecture into two halves, dedicating each part to a specific photography project. 
The first half focused on her series of photographs about domestic violence in Pakistan titled "In The Name of Honor." 
Shockingly, 70-90% of women in Pakistan are victims of domestic violence and Katie's moving images helped shed light on their stories. 
Her series "Mountaintop Removal" tells of the drastic effects Mountaintop coal mining has on certain communities in Kentucky. 
At the end of the evening, a still smiling Katie shared more about her work by graciously spending time answering questions from those who came out to hear her speak. 
We're honored to have hosted your first lecture, Katie. You did a great job! We hope to see you speak again at the Space very soon! For more information about Katie visit <a data-cke-saved-href="