|
George
explains more about his work:
"I
was interested in photography since I was 14, in 1999 after I graduated
from a photography course in Greece I moved to the UK to attend
the Documentary Photography course in the University of Newport.
"Soon
after I moved to rural Herefordshire, in Peterchurch where I really
enjoy living. The
hilly countryside around the borders is quite similar to the area
that I was going for summer holidays, visiting my grandparents in
the Greek countryside very close to the Albanian borders.
 |
| Curtains
by George Makkas |
"As
a kid I used to stare across the barbed wire of the border and wonder
about the secret country of Albania. Twenty years later, and after
the collapse of communism, I went back and crossed the border with
a camera to explore the mysteries of my boyhood.
"The
area of Epirus is located in the south west of the Balkan Peninsula
and is divided between Greece and Albania.
"The
work that is going to be exhibited in Hereford's Art College during
the "Exposure '02", is a documentary photography project about the
depopulation of the Greek villages in the area of North Epirus,
South Albania in the aftermath of 45 years of oppression.
"After
the collapse of the communist dictatorship, and the war of 1997
more than the two thirds of the Greek speaking population of the
area migrated to Greece because the economical and political instability,
the collapse of infrastructures and the suppression of human rights.
"Nowadays
villages that once had around 2000 population hardly have 100. The
place has become deserted. One of the most difficult things to achieve
when you do a documentary project about a place and its inhabitants
is to get the vibe of the place and convey the atmosphere in the
film.
"In
documentary photography you have to be more than an observer. Thus
I spent six months reading about Albania and the area of North Epirus,
and when I went there most of the time I was talking to people rather
than taking pictures.
"My
project was awarded with the first prize in the Observer/Hodge Award".
|
