workshop: community

Media: photography
Date: February 10, 18 & 252007
Location: Kamel Youssef Jaber Social & Cultural Center - J'baa Branch
Facilitator: Sheryl Mendez / Mahmoud Zeidan
Participants - Lama Ramadan, Layla Ramadan, Nisserine Horchi, Hussein Hodroj, Diana Zreik, Wassim Mahmoudi

View the photo-narratives >>

Photographer Sheryl Mendez, with the contributing help of Mahmoud Zeidan, held three consecutive photography workshops at the Kamel Youssef Jaber Social & Cultural Center in the rural south Lebanese mountain town of J'baa. The sessions' six participants explored the theme of "community" and what it means to them, illustrating their ideas through individual photo-narratives.

During the first workshop, Sheryl explored the topic with the participants, showed her own work connected to the theme, brainstormed ideas and individually instructed them on the camera's technical aspects.  

The participants each borrowed a camera that week, shot images that fitted their project idea, and brought them in for the second session, along with a written narrative. The images were downloaded with Sheryl facilitating a group edit through the rest of the session, and into the third and final workshop. "I was very surprised," says Sheryl. "They were introduced to something new, thought about it and came back with something very real, not superficial."

With the image and written narrative for each participant finally assembled after much debate and shaping of images, the participants were excited to show their finished work to the rest of the group, accompanying it with an oral narrative.

They each received a CD of their work, which will be part of an exhibit in June.

A big concern of theirs, as well as the center's organizers, was that the span of the workshop was too short, and they expressed a need for future projects continuing where Sheryl's left off.

Layla Ramadan, who collaborated with her sister Lama and Nisserine Horchi documenting the oldest man of J'baa - incidentally her great grandfather - was overjoyed that Lens on Lebanon donated a camera to the center for their use. "We really need access to this type of equipment - I'm so happy that we get to continue with the camera and build on our ideas," she says.

Here are some words that came up with the students that can be felt throughout their work -

"simplicity of life; traditions; memory; bear a lot and have patience; diversity; not all clouds have rain; those we cherish; distance; escape I love your north; I love your south (Farouz); You can live even with difficulties; you can manage; anger; calmness; our land; I love you however you are; life and death; distance and closeness; infinity; acceptance; rejection; sunrise - hope, joy; sunset - death; sadness; longing.

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