How can perspectives, feelings, experiences, and hopes surrounding the concept of home be conveyed through images? In 2017 and 2018, the German Children's and Youth Film Center (KJF), as part of the nationwide youth photography project "eye_land: home, flight, photography," invited children and young people with and without refugee experiences to explore this question through their own photographs and share them on an online platform. The Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) supported this project from the outset. Numerous perspectives were thus made visible on eye-land.org – submitted nationwide by project groups or individuals. From all the images, the KJF, with the help of an advisory board, selected photographic works for an exhibition at the Federal Press Office. Furthermore, the KJF and the bpb, in cooperation with the wannseeFORUM, invited participants to exchange ideas and take photographs on the theme in a joint workshop from April 1st to 3rd, coinciding with the exhibition opening.
What makes a good photograph? How can I use photography to make a difference? What opportunities do social media platforms like Instagram offer for empowerment and participation? – These were the central questions of the event, brought to life through collaborative photo activities. All the photos taken at the final event can be viewed on the Instagram account fotoprojekt-eyeland.
(Please note that all the following images are linked to Instagram, and clicking on the linked image and caption will transmit data to Instagram; see their privacy policy.)
On the first day, three different stations, each lasting approximately one hour, offered initial opportunities for this:
Photo: © Pedro Malinowski / Federal Agency for Civic Education / KJF
Photo © KJF, bpb
The exhibition opened on April 2nd at the Federal Press Office in Berlin…
…and as an opportunity to further explore photographic possibilities together, to tell their own perspectives and stories. The participants then split into five small groups and went on photo excursions with team members and renowned photographers to different locations in Berlin, each focusing on a different theme:
During the review and selection of the photographic works on the final day, the question also arose: What makes a good photograph?
Please note that all the following images are linked to Flickr, and by clicking on the linked image and caption, data will be transmitted to Flickr; see the privacy policy.
Many new things emerged at the closing forum of “eye_land”: new contacts, friendships, pictures, perspectives and more.
The exhibition “eye_land: homeland, flight, photography” at the Federal Press Office ends on April 25, 2019, but it continues! Its first stop as a traveling exhibition is in Gelsenkirchen at the Science Park in June. After that, it will be available nationwide. Simply inquire at the KJF under "Loans".
The Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung) offers many materials and links on participation in society through the connection of media and civic education,
e.g., the tag cloud "Orientation in everyday media life", bpb.de/medienpaedagogik or bpb.de/gefluechtete-und-medien
We are pleased to announce further projects in the wannseeFORUMthat address the question of the "good photo" and the possibilities of telling stories beyond language: e.g. at BilderBewegungBerlin, October 12-19, 2019.
Organizers of the closing forum
“eye_land”: homeland, flight, photography”:
Federal Agency for Civic Education, Department of Target Group-Specific Programs
in cooperation with the German Children's and Youth Film Center and the wannseeFORUM Foundation.
The nationwide youth photography project “eye_land: homeland, flight, photography” and the exhibition were organized by the German Children's and Youth Film Center as a supplement to the German Youth Photography Prize .
Funding: Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
