Jim Goldberg - Open See

Watch Video ...

http://vimeo.com/22120588


Visit ..

www.opensee.org

This below was copied from the open see web page ..

Open See tells the story of refugees, immigrants, and trafficked individuals journeying from their countries of origin to their new homes in Europe. This project addresses the struggle of immigrants to leave conditions where war, disease, and economic devastation prevail. It also addresses their struggle to adapt to new European cultures and the reciprocal struggle of those cultures to adapt to them in turn. My approach to creation and distribution requires personal, active engagement with the material from both artist and participant. With this work, I hope to shift attitudes, experience, and public perception. 

-Jim Goldberg, 2011




Golberg was asked to take pictures in Greece in the run up to the 2004 Olympics.

As above the open see project tells the story of refugees and immigrants and trafficked persons and their journeys from their homes to a new place in Europe.

The first pictures in the video were in a multi level building and each floor there was a different imigrent of refugee group, most of them illegal.  Prostitution is legal in Greece and his picture of a working woman shows a fair woman and he also notice the men are blond too.  This shows that these people are not native Greek.  These people were forced to be there and not there of there own choice.

These people had a dream to come to Europe and hoped for a better life and try to get a better life.

There is a picture of a boy crossing a river which could have been an idyllic setting but the boy probably has a more desperate story, crossing a polluted river filled with dead fish and near an industrial area, and the boy is trying to cross the river to a better place.

There is also a picture of a human trafficker, he used to be a fisherman but like so many lost his job and the said picture tells of his journey getting to Europe.

There is an underground economy, globalisation and wars starting all have an effect and push these people to search for something new and better.

I dont think this would have given a very upbeat image prior to the olympics but maybe thats the point, we sweep all the problems under the carpet whilst we watch the glossy sports.