This discussion brings together artist Laura El-Tantawy and photo editor Laura Summerton who will talk through their new collaboration, Carrying Life: Motherhood and Water in Malawi. This project, which has culminated in a new book and exhibition, looks at the effects of limited clean water has on maternal health.
This event will be moderated by researcher and scholar Jessica Crombie.
Biographies
Laura El-Tantawy is an award winning British/Egyptian documentary photographer, book maker & educator. Born in Ronskwood in Worcestershire, UK, Laura studied in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US & UK. Her projects investigate notions of home and belonging, routinely approaching her work from a social and environmental perspective inspired by her transatlantic background.
Her visual explorations often intertwine moving images, sound, and personal narratives, marked by the artist’s lyrical eye on reality. Laura started her career as a newspaper photographer in the United States. In 2016, she was among the four artists nominated for the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Afar, Le Monde, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Time, New York Times, Huck & Foam. In 2020, Laura joined Canon’s global Ambassador Programme.
Her goal as an artist is to produce socially engaged, unique and thought-provoking work. She often collaborates with like-minded individuals, institutions and organisations driven to inform responsibly, contribute positive change to the world and encourage stimulating thought and creativity.
Jess Crombie is a researcher and scholar working as a Senior Lecturer at UAL, and as a consultant for some of the leading organisations in the humanitarian sector. In both contexts Jess utilises almost two decades as a senior leader in the charity sector to explore the ethical complexities in documentary storytelling. Her research focus investigates the potential for power shifts in both story gathering and telling by seeking out the opinions and ideas of the people in the pictures and stories, a process that she has coined ‘contributor centred storytelling practice’.
Laura Summerton is the Photography Manager at WaterAid, where she works with a global team to share stories of people living without access to water and sanitation in new, engaging and, most importantly, ethical ways. She also works with a range of organisations from grassroots arts charities to international photo festivals, bringing with her a story-led and socially engaged approach.
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