Photography and video are tools that I use to express the ideals that I value as a human being; and to measure the distance between those ideals and the reality of the world that we inhabit. The distance is enormous, and ever-expanding: and so, this storytelling is a tireless task.
My images are driven by a burning, sometimes obsessive, craving to communicate with people who appear stuck in an abysmal state of crisis or injustice — and to serve as a bridge of understanding between them and my audience. Armed with still imagery, sound and moving pictures, I strive to awaken minds and senses, and pull the viewer out of their shell and into the world beyond.
I do not attempt to be objective in my work. We live in a time of great change and imbalance. Humanity’s negative imprint upon the planet is unprecedented. The chasm between the haves and have nots has perhaps never been wider before. With the accessibility of technology, injustices occurring across the planet have also never been more widely known of and reported. While corporations and monstrous private interests largely determine which images and stories are allowed into the realm of mainstream public consumption, the Internet has demonstrated an infinite potential to alter this sad state of media affairs. I find it increasingly depends upon the creativity and invention of the storyteller/imagemaker to reach their audience directly, and swiftly stimulate their curiosity to see and hear what has to be said.
I want my work to provoke thought and feeling accompanied by action. Beyond strong images, something should be learned. These stories that I share with you are a call for change, and to question the status quo. I want people to see themselves in my images, and to look inside themselves when viewing my work.
As temperatures rise and water supplies dry up, semi-nomadic tribes along the Kenyan-Ethiopian border increasingly are coming into conflict. When the Water Ends focuses on how the drought will pit groups and nations against one another.