ICE COLD (10.02.12)

Brainstorming on subjects to treat with the kids is fun. We gave them the theme "water". Everyone came up with waterfalls and lakes, wich must be the photographs people here love hanging on their livingroom's wall. Only after came drinking, washing etc... When I asked what happens to water when it's really really cold they said the water gets cold. They knew that by boiling it becomes steam. But the snow all over Kabul? A gift of God.

OUTAWINDO (07.02.12)

When I am not inside the centre's walls, I'm driven through Kabul by taxi. No idea where I am. My eyes can't get enough and I would like to record it all, knowing how much gets forgotten. So I shoot randomly out of the window. The locals with me, keep repeating I can get problems, but since I'm dying to walk the streets I can't hold myself from clicking and clicking. Waiting to get into a subject.

Yesterday we visited very shortly a refugee camp. The conditions with the cold temperatures are worse than they allready are. It's tough seeing this kids bearfeet in the snow, walking to get frozen water to bring back to the tents. It's the consequences of this war. And it's hard to take. I couldn't help but to fix it on camera as good as possible. Nothing but "deju-vu" clichés. Wich makes it even sader. I sent a selection out in the evening hoping that by publishing I could "DO" (...) something. But of course I didn't even get answers to our mails. Today we drove around demanding for permissions for a project I'd like to get done wtih my students. Can't wait to be out again.

SNOW (03.02.12)

I almost felt home this morning. I woke up late, in a warm room, in a big and fresh bed, had a little hangover headake and outside the window everything was under lots of white snow. I had a real italian coffee. Even a real hot(!) shower. This can only happen when you keep contact with friends working in ngo's here! They might invite you to dinner and give you some drinks on thursday night. Fantastic. Feel reborn. And as I arrived back to the centre by cab I found an ongoing huge snowball battle... lots of laughters, lots of fun... It's calvin and hobbes afghan version! It's kids universally.

OUTSIDE (01.02.12)

Had just time to get a coat, put my shoes on and grab my cam. A group of students were going up to the mountains surrounding Kabul. And as yesterday I was "complaining" about feeling in a cage, today I found myself suddenly on top of the world! Wonderful and what fun with the kids!!

In the afternoon I finally started my serious classes and told three girls and three boys (sort of photo dream team here) they have to take responsability for what the world gets to see of the country, and create the stories they feel they want to tell. Can't wait to hear the ideas they will come up with, tomorrow. I hope that way stepping away from the clichées, I admit wanting to capture too.

both pictures Kabul 2012 © Reto Albertalli / phovea

INSIDE (31.01.12)

Playing around with your camera, you sometimes get a nice shot. Even if it's a completely useless one. Illustrating nothing at all. Or maybe in this case a bit my actual feelings. The writing apparently says "acrobatics". Indicating an activity they do here at the MMCC centre with children. I am inside. I am with the kids not caring that much (bubble!) and I can imagine there is a world outside, but I'm not seeing it. Yet. I know this feeling from previews experiences. I am nervous. I don't know if I'll find a subject. Don't know if I will be able to shoot like I wish. To get an access. To have a different understanding of things. And I'm still waiting to start teaching photography for real. Wich should happen in days. But at the moment I am here. Waiting. Knowing there is something on the outside.

Publish Post

both pictures Kabul 2012 © Reto Albertalli / phovea

KABUL LANDING (27.01.12)

Arrived in Kabul today. It snowed. But the sun shines and the light is awesome (!!!). As the last time it's impressing, driving through by cab. I know you get used quickly to the kalashnikovs, the hummies, the burkas and the poverty...  But arriving fresh is still impressing. And people here at the centre are really very very nice. It's cold in the evening. A little gas heater next to my cold bed. Allready scared thinking about the daily showers. Brrrrrrr. Now ready to hibernate for the night and tomorrow I'll meet my student kids... Think it's gonna be great here... Great feeling when everything has to be done. Everything is unknown...

EN ROUTE TO (26.01.12)

What's an online log for? Especially when you got only a couple of visitors a day... Since I'm a bit bored in my hotel room in Dubai. Since they did give me my entry visa (hurray)!!! And since I really cannot post-produce all the pics I still have to deliver, without any breaks... And since the bunch of people who cares back home are expecting a bit of sharing of this experience... I'm now deciding to bring Retangolo back to life. It's also time to turn a page and start from blank, in terms of photography. It's a time for thinking :)))

I have been through all this here in Dubai two months ago. I was much more stressed. I wasn't shure to get my entry visa (wich I wans't this time neither) and most of all my head was full of all the imagery from Afghanistan. I went basically for a workshop to some "com" people of the ICRC in Mazar-I-Sharif. A great occasion for seeing my good friend Pablo in his element. Doing his important job at the International Red Cross. Last time everything was organized. Flights. Jeeps. Accomodation. A dream experience!
I discovered Afghanistan beeing another victim of our medial distortions and remembered a contact in Kabul, a person gave me back in Palestine a couple of years ago as I was volunteering as a photo teacher (awesome period. some of my best souvenirs ever). So during a short stay in Kabul I visited this centre and proposed to come back and work with some kids on photography, multimedia and storytelling. As it often is... without really understanding how... tomorrow by this time I'll be in Kabul meeting everyone at the Afghan MMCC... I'm really excited. It's going to be a great experience. And I will put all my energy in working with the kids and of course... I need to produce a good project for myself. Wich means putting a lot of pressure on myself.
Now back to postproduction so that tomorrow I can send everything from post office here before taking off... I'm very very excited. Happy :)

GALERIE FOCALE NYON (04.09.11)

At the Galerie Focale in Nyon prints from my palestinian project where exhibited during the last three months. An experience I shared thanks to photographer Xavier Voirol, then with photographer François Shaer and awesome bw printer Aurelien Garzarolli at ACTINIC (Geneva). Revisiting the entire production for a (not even that)new editing, and the night hours inside the empty gallery (with wine and cheese) for discussing the hanging sequences, were great and precious moments, I was longing for since long.  Discovering your own work with new eyes is incredible and when you go woow unpacking the prints it's just magic. Digital files become images... become real. 

Then all those people being so into the stuff you are telling, about the reality in the camp. Having the chance to tell what you have experienced and what happened after you left. Really impressive. The feedbacks in the press, beeing interviewed and so on... Hoping a message gets along. Then selling prints. Seeing your work published. Seeing that it makes sense almost also in an economic way.  It's really great and I am very thankful to the people who gave me this chance... Now what's next?

www.focale.ch

www.actinic.ch

www.francoisschaer.com

www.xaviervoirol.ch

SWISS PRESS PHOTO (14.04.11)

At the Landesmuseum Zürich this years, by a jury awarded, swiss photojournalists work, to be seen in the exhibition "Swiss Press Photo 11". From the 6th of may until the 17th of july 2011. Opening ceremony 05.05 at 6pm.

Reto is proud his photo "Israeli soldier surrounded by palestinian women photographers" has been awarded the second prize n the category "World"!

Bravo to my friends: Christin Lutz for his big first place! To Jacek Pulawski for a 2nd a 3d place in the categories "arts" and "portait". To Patrick Gilliéron Lopreno for beeing selected for the cataolgue. As well as to my ex collegues at Tipress: Samuel Golay (1st prize news!) and Gabriele Putzu (sport).

Landesmuseum (HERE)

HOLYLAND - HOLLAND (22.01.11)

It is really just thanks to Aglaia that our common exhibition about the experience in the palestinian West Bank now will travel to the Netherlands! And we are really happy about it, specially because the curators are really great people and the space is beautiful.  For a moment I thought maybe Holland really comes from Holy Land... but no! It's the "holt" land (wood land).

link to the gallery (HERE)
link to Aglaia Haritz (HERE)
link to the related post (HERE)

PHOTO10 WERKSCHAU ZURICH (07.01.11)

A selection of Reto's portraits of palestinian ex fighters of the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades in Jenin, is to be seen during " photo10 - Die Werkschau der Schweizer Fotografie" held in Zurich (CH) from the 7th until the 11th of january 2010.

A special multimedia exhibition for Médecins Sans Frontières "Starved for Attention" by the VII photo agency and a "masterclass and talk" with James Nachtwey, on saturday the 8th, are expected, among other events of the photoforum related to photo10. 

more infos (HERE)