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It has been said that conflict is what gives life its meaning. It is what feeds progress and lays the foundations for self-conquest. At the same time conflict has left a trail of destruction through history. It is a phenomenon with many faces: the tormented face of inner conflict, the bloody face of war, the empty gaze of hunger, poverty and oppression.

In an ambitious and probing photo festival Noorderlicht curator Wim Melis and five guest curators - a first for the photo event - offer their personal views on themes that define the human condition. Stuart Franklin, Lauren Heinz, Simon Njami, Marc Prüst and Bas Vroege take us with them to conflict areas, and provide their commentary on developments in the vanguard of engaged, narrative documentary photography. On the basis of weaponry Melis underscores the absurdity of war. Six diverse exhibitions, but one powerful thread: the love and the horrors of which man is capable; the struggles that remain hidden from the eyes of the world. Thus Noorderlicht deliberately turns the spotlight on the footnotes of world history, on ordinary people and their circumstances, their will to live and their capacity to destroy.

With photographs which sometimes hit you in the face, and sometimes get under your skin, the 2009 event makes it clear that unseen conflict is also a story that must be told.

HUMAN CONDITIONS

Stuart Franklin - Point of No Return
A furious exhibition in which Palestinian photographers give a face to the recent Israeli siege of Gaza.
Mohammed Abed, Fadi Adwan, Ali Ali, Ashraf Amra, Eyad Baba, Khalil Hamra, Mahmud Hams, Abid Katib, Said Katib, Hatem Moussa,
Mohammed Saber


Lauren Heinz - Closing In
The personal and the political become one in Lauren Heinz's answer to classic distanced photojournalism.
Lurdes R. Basolí, Vincent Delbrouck, Linda Forsell, Seba Kurtis, Wayne Liu, Adam Patterson


Simon Njami - Ordinary Pain
Individuals struggle and suffer in visually less 'sexy' conflict zones too. Simon Njami rescues them from oblivion.
Jodi Bieber, Marie-Ange Bordas, Viviane Dalles, David Damoison, Anabel Guerrero, Laurence Leblanc, Mwanzo Lawrence Millinga,
Aida Muluneh, Andrew Tshabangu


Marc Prüst - Lost
Resistance, assimilation or avoidance conduct: the ways in which individuals respond to the pressures of social rejection.
Massimo Berruti, Lorenzo Castore, Michael Grieve, Pieter ten Hoopen, Arja Hyytiäinen, Kosuke Okahara


Bas Vroege - Multivocal Histories
An intriguing sampler from a movement in which 'slow journalism' is practised, with one's own work, and that of third parties.
Taco Hidde Bakker, Wouter den Bakker, Vojta Dukát, Julian Germain, Stephen J. Bell and Stanley Greene, Tim Hetherington, Jian Jiang,
Anastasia Khoroshilova, Susan Meiselas, Florian Schwarz, Andrea Stultiens, Ales Vasicek


Wim Melis - War Machines
Stripped of their function and context, in this exhibition weapons underscore the absurdity of war.
Robert Hirsch, Gabriel Jones, Shunkichi Kikuchi (Magnum), Simon Norfolk, Simon Roberts, Paul Shambroom, P.W. Voigt,
Yosuke Yamahata (Magnum)

ANCILLARY SHOWS

Wim Melis - The Pursuit of Happiness
Everyday life too has its victories and defeats. Seventy photographs by as many photographers reveal the bright spots and and shadows of being.


PhotoLab presents ‘Belgrade Belongs To Me’
Belgrade Belongs to Me shows three different atmospheric documents of the same city, which are distinguished not only by the subjects chosen but also by their distinctive visual language.
Boogie, Dirk-Jan Visser, Mark Nozeman

WORKSHOP WITH MAGNUM


Noorderlicht Workshop 2009 in cooperation with Magnum Photos

Passing Through: A four day workshop with Stuart Franklin, 9-12 September
Ten photographers will be documenting movement in the city of Groningen to explore and understand some of the challenges that documentary photography presents.

With portfolio reviews, shooting on location in Groningen and a presentation to the public.
Applications before August 28: visit http://www.noorderlicht.com/eng/fest09/workshop.html