The Fountain District – Gyumri

7 12 2008

Twenty years after the earthquake the situation in the Fountain District in Gyumri, Armenia, has not changed much. On 7 December 1988, as a powerful earthquake struck the town of Gyumri and the nearby territory, tens of thousands of people were left homeless. Many found shelter in small houses that were given by the government or found by the people themselves. The government promised then that in a two years time the people will be given apartments. Now that 20 years have passed there are still roughly 4000 people waiting to get an apartment.

The Fountain District is one of the spots where about 300 households have been waiting for their home for 20 years.

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Categories : 88earthquake, gyumri, poverty

Special School

12 11 2008

Several years ago I made this photo story for my photojournalism class in the university. I haven’t published it anywhere so I’ll post it here to remain for some people to see.

St. Paisii Hilendarski, a school for children with learning disabilities, is otherwise called the special school or the gypsy school. Eighty percent of the children here are Roma.
Although not seeming to have any mental disability many of these children come from big families where parents do not have time to take care of their children, and this originates in their learning disabilities. Their bad knowledge of Bulgarian is another reason for that.

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Inlandish

1 11 2008

This is a story I began several months ago, and will go on doing for a very long time. I will be updating the blog when I have more photographs of these great ladies. In November 2008 these photos will be printed in an Armenian pretty popular magazine newmag, which is good…. So, here goes the story.

“I am a woman who is not accepted by the society,” out of all the women I photograph for this story, none would say this or anything similar. Yet every time any of them walks along the street people look with amazement.
When I would see one of them in the streets I would look at them just as everyone else would. There was strange interest and respect I felt towards them, so I decided to get to know them closer, talk to them, and photograph them for memory.

Later on, the real meaning and importance of this photo-story developed. The women I photograph always separate themselves by dressing differently, wearing bright make up. If it is possible to live in our society the way they do, then it is also possible for Armenian women to make a step, and many steps, towards something more than what they have, and more than what they are doing. Through the bright and brave looks of these women, this story is meant to wake up some lives.

Lora

Lora

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Categories : portrait, special women

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