Saturday 14 March 2009
Tibor Zsikla 0512485 DPVA
Proposal
Topic: I have been inspired to look at whether money really brings happiness. Specifically I have been looking at a group of people who are personally connected and relevant to me. This group of people are from the same generation and worked for the same industrial company. They worked abroad on missions to construct silos in Europe, Africa and Asia. They came from behind the ‘Iron Curtain’, from a socialist Hungary in the early 80’s. They built 'the socialism' by constructing silos in the socialist friendly countries. They earned US dollars, which was quite a contrast to what was normally permitted at the period of the Russian ‘Big brother’ and so-called ‘Cold war’.
My work is based on researching and studying the life of a generation, it is a sociological review of that generation’s golden age and subsequent fall. It is my father’s generation, for me the subject is therefore emotionally engaging. They had exclusive opportunity to work abroad when nobody was allowed to leave the ‘socialist block’. They worked far away from their families not seeing them for up to 1 year at a time. They were not prepared for the Western consumption based culture, for the wide range of items in the shops; VHS recorder, video cameras and other new technology etc.
Half of the ‘Big Team’ my Father was part of is already dead and those who are still alive are struggling with issues such as drinking, stress, depression and economic difficulties. This project intends to address the issue of whether being well paid, successful and having the chance to work in exotic locations is worth the cost. Is wealth worth the cost on your health, family and even shortening your life?
Research: I have been looking at a project by Bahget Iskander called, “Dollar earning Hungarians” (Dollárt kereső magyarok). This project depicted the daily life of the Hungarian silo workers. Iskander, was the official interpreter of the Hungarian Silo company, Agrikon (formerly called, Mezogep) between 1980-1982. As Iskander worked beside my father and other colleagues, he was able to develop this project as a witness, photographer and storyteller. I will try to approach this subject with a similar perspective while looking at the tension between the personal narrative and the wider sociological issues.
When I was 5, I saw the first images from one of the silo complexes in Algeria. It was 28 years later that I finally got to meet Iskander in person. ’Uncle’ Iskander advised me about the previous industrial photography project. I have researched industrial photographers; Bernd and Hilla Becher from Germany.Edward Burtynsky, a Canadian photographer who takes pictures of industrial sites and factories. I have also researched artists such as Fatih Akin, Kutlug Ataman and Iosif Kiraly.
Development: Apart from continuing to arrange interviews with the participants of the subject, I have also continued to collect original archive negatives and prints from the early 80s. While interviewing my Father's former colleagues, I had finally heard the genuine story of my Father's car crash. It was told on the top of some new silo cells, approximately at 30m off the ground. My father had to be smuggled out of the country on board of an egg delivery plane to prevent the possible lynch-law. I will continue to gather these first hand stories in order to find out as many details as possible about this tragedy and other events relating to these people. My plan is to include these personal and emotionally charged narratives in my work too.
I will continue to take portraits of the people I interview. Where the colleague is sadly not alive I will interview close family members. My aim is to build a complex picture about the generation. I will continue to record the audio from the interviews so I can refer back to what they say and possible even use the sound in some of my outcomes.
Outcome: In terms of an outcome, there are a lot of possibilities. The subject would suggest making a selection of short personal stories which introduces the viewer to this generation and the real situations it faces. I feel a good way to communicate these stories would be a book as this is how we normally have stories presented to us.
Proposal
Topic: I have been inspired to look at whether money really brings happiness. Specifically I have been looking at a group of people who are personally connected and relevant to me. This group of people are from the same generation and worked for the same industrial company. They worked abroad on missions to construct silos in Europe, Africa and Asia. They came from behind the ‘Iron Curtain’, from a socialist Hungary in the early 80’s. They built 'the socialism' by constructing silos in the socialist friendly countries. They earned US dollars, which was quite a contrast to what was normally permitted at the period of the Russian ‘Big brother’ and so-called ‘Cold war’.
My work is based on researching and studying the life of a generation, it is a sociological review of that generation’s golden age and subsequent fall. It is my father’s generation, for me the subject is therefore emotionally engaging. They had exclusive opportunity to work abroad when nobody was allowed to leave the ‘socialist block’. They worked far away from their families not seeing them for up to 1 year at a time. They were not prepared for the Western consumption based culture, for the wide range of items in the shops; VHS recorder, video cameras and other new technology etc.
Half of the ‘Big Team’ my Father was part of is already dead and those who are still alive are struggling with issues such as drinking, stress, depression and economic difficulties. This project intends to address the issue of whether being well paid, successful and having the chance to work in exotic locations is worth the cost. Is wealth worth the cost on your health, family and even shortening your life?
Research: I have been looking at a project by Bahget Iskander called, “Dollar earning Hungarians” (Dollárt kereső magyarok). This project depicted the daily life of the Hungarian silo workers. Iskander, was the official interpreter of the Hungarian Silo company, Agrikon (formerly called, Mezogep) between 1980-1982. As Iskander worked beside my father and other colleagues, he was able to develop this project as a witness, photographer and storyteller. I will try to approach this subject with a similar perspective while looking at the tension between the personal narrative and the wider sociological issues.
When I was 5, I saw the first images from one of the silo complexes in Algeria. It was 28 years later that I finally got to meet Iskander in person. ’Uncle’ Iskander advised me about the previous industrial photography project. I have researched industrial photographers; Bernd and Hilla Becher from Germany.Edward Burtynsky, a Canadian photographer who takes pictures of industrial sites and factories. I have also researched artists such as Fatih Akin, Kutlug Ataman and Iosif Kiraly.
Development: Apart from continuing to arrange interviews with the participants of the subject, I have also continued to collect original archive negatives and prints from the early 80s. While interviewing my Father's former colleagues, I had finally heard the genuine story of my Father's car crash. It was told on the top of some new silo cells, approximately at 30m off the ground. My father had to be smuggled out of the country on board of an egg delivery plane to prevent the possible lynch-law. I will continue to gather these first hand stories in order to find out as many details as possible about this tragedy and other events relating to these people. My plan is to include these personal and emotionally charged narratives in my work too.
I will continue to take portraits of the people I interview. Where the colleague is sadly not alive I will interview close family members. My aim is to build a complex picture about the generation. I will continue to record the audio from the interviews so I can refer back to what they say and possible even use the sound in some of my outcomes.
Outcome: In terms of an outcome, there are a lot of possibilities. The subject would suggest making a selection of short personal stories which introduces the viewer to this generation and the real situations it faces. I feel a good way to communicate these stories would be a book as this is how we normally have stories presented to us.
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