Really excited to be part of the British Film Institute and BAFTA’s talent program for 2019. Here’s to a year of British film-making! After 7 years overseas, I’m so excited to launch on a number of projects much closer to home.
New York Exhibition: Beneath These Restless Skies /
And, we're open!
Running at the Gordon Parks Foundation in Pleasantville, New York through to May 4, 2018. For further details on opening hours and location, please see the Foundation's website, here.
Exhibition Opening: February 23, 2018 /
Announcing the opening of my exhibition, Beneath These Restless Skies at The Gordon Parks Foundation in New York. Running February 23 to May 4, 2018.
Gordon Parks Dialogues /
It was a huge honour to be part of the inaugural Gordon Parks Dialogues series this weekend in New York, co-hosted by the Pratt Institute and NYU / Tisch School of the Arts.
A real thrill to be speaking alongside Devin Allen about our respective projects and reflections on photography, whilst reviewing work from a formidable group of students from institutions across New York City.
I'm back in New York and working on the final flourishes for my forthcoming exhibition of Beneath These Restless Skies in February 2018.
2017 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellow /
"First Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowships awarded to Devin Allen and Harriet Dedman."
Smithsonian Magazine: Shark Hunting /
My latest photographs for Smithsonian Magazine on Galeophobia (fear of sharks).
Full article (by Christopher Crosby): here.
The Gordon Parks Foundation /
I am extremely honoured to have been awarded one of the inaugural 2017 Gordon Parks Fellowship Awards, created in the memory of the formidable photographer Gordon Parks -- forever seeking to expose and highlight civil injustice and racism.
The award will help to support an exhibition of my series, Beneath these restless skies, in New York later this year -- exploring questions of identity and opportunity, 50 years after Gordon Parks.
“The answer is far too big and complex for me to attempt: society must give its conclusions.”
For more information about the project, please see: https://www.beneathrestlessskies.com/
REFUGEE - The Film /
This weekend, in London's Parliament Square, we launched our first trailer for our upcoming documentary on the crisis. Shot across Europe over 2015 and 2016, the film is to be released later this year.
SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE: CHILD REFUGEES POSE UNIQUE CHALLENGES TO MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS /
My latest article for Smithsonian Magazine is out today:
Extract:
Last year, more than 1 million refugees—predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq—made the journey to Europe by sea. A third of those were children.
For mental health professionals, these young refugees bring unique challenges. Fleeing conflict and war undoubtedly takes a deep psychological toll, but in the midst of an ongoing crisis, no one has yet assessed the full extent of what that toll is. And without a better understanding, physicians are struggling to treat this vulnerable population.
Link to full article here.
Somewhere Out There /
It was a real privilege to have been out shooting with the @swotdoc team this weekend, in Stuttgart, in the final push to wrap the documentary.
The documentary, travels across borders from Turkey, to Greece, through Serbia and Macedonia, over the course of 2015 and 2016, as Syrian refugees seek security, peace and futures for their families.
For more information see: http://www.refugeethefilm.com
CNN: Refugees as stimulus, not burdens. /
My latest for CNN Money and CNN International:
Za'atari Refugee Camp, in Jordan, is now home to over 79,000 Syrian refugees. Established in 2012, the site - just 12 miles from the Syrian border - has grown at a rapid and organic rate, with over 3,000 businesses now operating within its boundaries. Four years ago, this area was a desert - claimed by the UNHCR - as the conflict drove millions from their homes. Now, over 3,000 small businesses operate within its boundaries, with an average total turnover of over $7 million a month. View on CNN here.
“While people generally see refugees as burdens or challenges, what refugees do is they also provide economic stimulus. They have to buy things, they have to rent homes, and so this actually provides a major impetus for economies which are otherwise suffering...”
— Andrew Harper, UNHCR Representative in Jordan
The New School - Dispatches From Lesvos /
For those in New York, I will be hosting a seminar at The New School on April 29, to discuss my recent work in Lesvos - with Fahrinisa Oswald.
Over the course of 2015 and 2016 I have been reporting from the beaches of Greece, as over 600,000 refugees - predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq - have landed on Europe's shores.
We will share our recent reporting, images and videos - and our experiences from the field, as the E.U-Turkey deal continues to shift the landscape of the crisis.
2015 One Eyeland Photography Awards /
Delighted to have been selected as a Finalist in the 2015 One Eyeland Photography Awards for my images from Hong Kong and India - in the Editorial, Political and Children categories. A real honour to be amongst such illustrious company.
CNN: Serving Syrian Refugees /
Since arriving back in New York from Greece - my team and I have been working on a number of video pieces on the lives and landscapes of Lesvos, Greece, as thousands of refugees continue to arrive on the island every day.
Our recent coverage for CNN Money and CNN International goes live tonight - as we caught up with Syrian refugee, Hasan Ataya, who was smuggled out of Turkey by boat and landed on the Greek island of Lesvos. Unlike the majority of those arriving, Ataya stayed on the island - setting up a Halal restaurant with local Greek partner and friend Thomaniku Alqi. Together they founded 'Damas' - a restaurant providing a much needed refugee for those landing on the shores of Europe.
For our coverage on CNN Money see: here.
2016 duPont Awards, New York City /
It was a real honour to be the official photographer at the Alfred I. duPont Awards in New York this week, celebrating America's finest broadcasters and filmmakers, including the formidable Diane Sawyer (featured below).
The full collection of images is set out here.
Further information regarding this year's winners is set out here.
BBC News - Broadcast from Lesvos /
Our video footage of a large boat of 250 Syrian refugees landing in Lesvos, Greece, was broadcast by the BBC this week - as part of their ongoing coverage of the crisis. For the full report, please see: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35239379
Getty Reportage Spotlight - Top Images of 2015 /
Many thanks to Getty Images and their #ReportageSpotlight round-up. My photograph from Lesvos was selected as one of their favourite images of 2015.
Reporting from Lesvos, Greece - November 2015 and January 2016 /
I have recently returned from the shores of Lesvos, Greece, where I have been covering the escalating refugee crisis as over 800,000 refugees have so far descended on this eastern Greek island.
Working with a small team, we are producing photographs and a short documentary about life on Lesvos. We will be returning in January to continue our work.
In the interim, we leave you with this:
Black History Festival, London /
Two of my images will be exhibited at the Black History Festival in London, running at the London College of Communication from October 15 through to November 14.
These photographs are taken from my series - "114th Street" - shot in Harlem earlier this summer. This project seeks to explore the changing faces and landscapes of Upper Manhattan - 50 years on from "A Harlem Family" by Gordon Parks. This project is ongoing.
(c) Harriet Dedman
UNYemen.com /
This week, for me, has been largely based out of the UN Headquarters, as the UNYemen team continue to monitor the ongoing civil war in Yemen.
As the world's leaders convene on 2015's General Assembly in New York, we take to the streets of the City to document the growing agitation within the Yemeni community here, as they look back on their homeland - and the ensuing humanitarian crisis.
For full coverage of the events - from inside and outside the UN - check out our new initiative www.unyemen.com
(c) Harriet Dedman. Yemeni protesters outside the UN, 28 September 2015.
Brief history of the conflict:
The modern Republic of Yemen was formed in 1990 after 18 years of civil war. Regional tensions re-emerged in 2009 with clashes between the government and Houthi - a rebel Zaidi Shia militia - from northern Yemen.
On February 2011, after the Tunisian and Egyptian uprising, thousands of Yemenis gathered in the capital of Yemen, Sana'a, protesting against corruption, and demanding the president Saleh to resign. By the end of the same year, Gulf countries proposed an initiative to solve the conflict in Yemen with a smooth transition of power. Yemeni parties signed the initiative in Riyadh November 2011.
The Houthi rebellion, or the Sa'dah War, escalated in September 2014, when the rebels seized control of the nation's capital, Sana'a. The Zaidi Shia rebels have established a transitional presidential council and continue to advance south. Yemeni President, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, fled from Sana'a in February. Mr Hadi is supported in southern Yemen, which is predominantly Sunni. Both Hadi and Houthi are opposed by al-Qaeda - who retain a significant presence within the country.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia launched air strikes against Houthi targets, initiating an advance on the capital, in conjunction with pro-Hadi security forces. Saudi Arabia has coordinated a coalition of other nations - including Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Sudan and Bahrain - to support its intervention.
The fighting continues.