This N That: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
© Sarah Blais, Female in Focus 2019 Single Image Winner
Female in Focus
In an era of the #metoo movement where there’s an increasing understanding that women should have equal rights in both the professional and domestic sphere, it’s no secret that women are still systematically excluded from the forefront of the photography industry. It’s estimated that over 80% of photography graduates in the UK are female, and yet female photographers remain in the shadows of the male-dominated industry. Figures show that between April and June 2019, the world’s leading newspapers printed strikingly fewer lead photographs by women than by men. Women photographers, on average, earn 40% less than their male counterparts and make up roughly 15% of professional photographers.
In the light of these inequalities, 1854 Media created the Female in Focus is an international award to encourage and reward outstanding work by female photographers. Now with their second edition, women photographers will have until March 10th, 2020 to submit their work, with prizes ranging from coveted spots in New York exhibitions, features in BJP-Online, to international press coverage. Female in Focus 2020 will be judged by leading women within the industry, including Sandra M. Stevenson of The New York Times, Kate Bubacz and Photo Director of BuzzFeed News.
© Ben Curtis: A farmer’s daughter tries to chase away swarms of desert locusts in Katitika
East Africa’s Plague of Locusts
In the Book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, the eighth plague that God inflicts on Egypt is one of locusts. “They covered the surface of the soil till the ground was black with them. They devoured all the greenstuff in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. No green was left on any tree or plant in the fields throughout the land of Egypt” (10:15, Jerusalem translation).
In East Africa, billions of locusts have swarmed as a result of extreme weather and threatens to prove catastrophic for a region still battling the plight of recent droughts and floods. Somalia has declared a national emergency and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) calls for international help to fight these deadly swarms in the Horn of Africa, warning that locust numbers across the region could grow by 500 times by June. Kenya has not seen a locust threat as severe in 70 years, according to the FAO. These photographers cover Kenya’s worst locust infestation in decades.
© Steve McQueen: Charlotte 2004, Film Still. Courtesy the artist, Thomas Dane Gallery and Marian Goodman Gallery
Steve McQueen at the Tate Modern
Steve McQueen is one of the most important film-makers and artists of this century, credited with expanding the horizon for other artists in his industry. He has authored many influential gallery-based presentations, four of which were motion pictures that were released in theaters: Hunger (2008), Shame (2010), 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Widows (2018). The first major exhibition of Steve McQueen’s artwork in the UK in the past 20 years will be presented at the Tate Modern from February 13th - May 11th 2020. The exhibition, which coincides with Steve McQueen: Year 3 at Tate Britain, features 14 major works in film, photography, and sculpture. The exhibition is said to illuminate the ways in which his groundbreaking approach to filmmaking has shaped the industry – changing the ways in which artists interact with the medium.
Visitors to Tate Modern will be able to experience his personal and intimate works, including his first film shot on a Super 8 camera, more recent large-scale video installations, and a tribute to civil rights activist and actor, Paul Robeson. There will also be a catalogue featuring an in-depth interview with Mr. McQueen and essays providing new insights into his work. For McQueen fans this will be an opportunity to see his work that has addressed the pressing issues of representation, identity, and history.
© Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto: via Getty Images
UK Government Objects Controversial Copyright Directive
The UK has chosen to not implement EU’s controversial copyright directive after the UK formally withdrew from the European Union in 2017, commonly known as Brexit. Though politicians say they still support the legislation’s “overall aims,” the copyright directive was ultimately criticized by free speech advocates who claimed this would stifle expression online though the “upload filter” and “link tax,” says The Verge. This filter would require some sites to scan uploaded content to catch copyright breaches and said tax would allow publishers to charge aggregators that link their content.
The directive was consequently altered in an attempt to assuage critics, however big-tech companies such as Facebook and Google maintain their opposition. While countries will soon discover whether these critics are being overly cautious, the UK will be exempt from these copyright changes.
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