What We Saw: Dialects

"The photographic image... is a message without a code.” – Roland Barthes

Dialects presents recent work by the twenty-seven photographers from  What We Saw - the collective we formed upon graduation from the Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program  at the International Center of Photography in 2008. What We Saw  functions as a platform to collaborate globally and to exchange our work, ideas, and experiences. It is also a vehicle that fosters an ongoing dialogue on current developments within the collective.  As individuals and as a group, we are continually evolving as our subject matter - the real world -  continues to change. Our group is made of members from twelve countries including the US, Mexico, South Korea, India, South Africa, Turkey, Australia, Germany, and Brazil. Our dialects, or the diversity of our visual languages are molded by historical, geographical, political, and social influences, brought about by the diversity of our nationalities,  our visions of the world, our thematic interests, and our photographic practice. 

Dialects is a showcase of our work from ongoing projects from 2008-9.  In this exhibition we present a tapestry of images from our changing world; works that document social and political events such as the election protests in Iran, the remembrance of veterans of the Cuban Revolution, the impact of Superfund sites in the American South, to more reflective works that deal with personal relationships or our natural environment.  Whether we consider ourselves photojournalists, artists, or story tellers, we are rooted in the underlying belief in the power of photography, our driving passion, and our conviction to make a difference through our work.