In this episode, we talk with Tanya Habjouqa about reevaluation and responsibility. Tanya shares how her Circassian background motivates her work as she feels the diasporic community’s story was never told. She reflects on how the process of printmaking has allowed her to forge a deeper physical connection with her art which can be healing. Tanya explains the countless ethical considerations involved in photographing Palestine including the topic of embedding as well as the targeting of journalists. She also discusses the different levels of involvement and responsibility involved in photographing a community and the impact of parachute journalism.What you’ll find inside: “I need to care about the community that I’m photographing, there needs to be a stake a personal stake.” (13.17)On printmaking: “There was something healing about that process but it was also just wow I can take a faint archival picture I can utilise images that I could not in our traditional photography realm.” (14.29)On art books: “It was this moment where I understood I was in a position where I could bring my documentary work and ethics but find new ways of layering bringing in history and overlaying texts.” (15.16)“The community who’s story you’re telling they should recognise themselves. You should invest time before picking up your camera, I really see photography as an intellectual practice.” (19.24)“You have the power and the responsibility of that archive, I don’t think you shouldn’t take the picture. Sometimes if there is something happening take it and then carefully carry that close to you and unpack where that should go or if it should go.” (21.02)“I think we have a responsibility to try to innovate in our image making and to be as layered and nuanced as possible.” (39.22)What does photography ethics mean to Tanya? “It’s a process of being thoughtful, evolved emotionally intelligent human beings and understanding that this is not a right, you worked very hard to get access. You can tell there’s a difference between a parachute journo drop in snapshot, you can tell when you’ve been invited into the house and that there’s a degree of trust it’s very clear in the image and what’s reflected. It’s just a constant evaluation checking in with stake holders. There’s no key formula you also end up developing an intuition and trusting your intuition.” (40.33)Links:The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America by Sarah LewisDarcy PadillaMaureen CumminsSean HillenThe Book as the Trojan Horse of Art: Walter HamadyBetty BrinkThese macaques are used for entertaining. They’re also endangered.Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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