Photographers Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen publish their book: Land of Ibeji

Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen / NOOR

Discover all about the Land of Ibeji

Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen investigate the mythology of twins in Nigeria where the rate of natural twin births is higher than anywhere else in the world. As sacred beings, twins’ magical and spiritual powers are celebrated with mythical fervour, but also condemned as unnatural.It was a path he never would have taken, because he never could have imagined it. 

‘Land of Ibeji’ is a collaborative photographic project about the mythology of twinhood in Nigeria“Ibeji” meaning 'double birth' and ‘the inseparable two’ in Yoruba stands for the ultimate harmony between two people. The centre of this twin zone is Igbo-Ora, a sleepy southwest town in Nigeria. Through a visual narrative and an aesthetic language that is meant to reflect and empower the Yoruba culture that celebrates twins, the two photographers extend their gaze beyond appearance - with symmetry and resemblance as tools- to open the eyes to the twin as a mythological figure and a powerful metaphor: for the duality within a human being and the duality we experience in the world that surrounds us.

They played with the concept of doubling to create an imaginative photographic story, using double exposures, mirror reflections and colour filters. Through these pictorial processes, the two artists produced inventive double portraits, while also working together as twin-like co-authors. Land of Ibeji is the magical, colourful result.

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About the book

Now for sale in the NOOR Shop!

Next to the regular signed book there is also a limited edition that includes a signed print. There are only 44 of them available!

Order now and receive your book in August 2021

Signed book for €59  excl. VAT and shipping costs

Signed book + signed Fine Art Baryta print (only 44 units available) for €248 excl. VAT and shipping costs

Photographer Pep Bonet publishes his photobook: Hellbangers

Discover all about Botswana’s underground metal culture

Photographer Pep Bonet has been following Overthrust, a heavy metal band from Botswana, Africa, and shows us a growing, exciting and thoroughly organic heavy metal community. Ten years ago, one group existed. Today there are more than ten – and their fans are growing every year.

“Hellbangers is an affirmation that at its core shows the strength and power of the metal community in Africa, and how it connects around the world. The love and devotion to the music that these wonderful maniacs show scream out to us with absolute conviction – we are all united by the essence of the metal heart and spirit of the Hellbangers!”

— Rob Halford (Judas Priest)

The inhabitants of Botswana portrayed in this book are tattood, wear loudly and proudly leather jackets, leather trousers and play heavy death metal music. Imagine the DIY ingenuity of their ‘costume creation’ involving harvested animal skulls and other natural elements.

With names like Demon and Gunsmoke, it would be easy though to think they are thugs, but “We try to be exemples. Rock is a wild thing, but also something for the heart”, says Gunsmoke, the heavy metal head. Here too, the lyrics of the songs are very critical towards societies, just like their western peers. Metal in Botswana is rebellious movement against authorities. This is the story of what looks at first to be an unlikely union, yet one which powerfully illustrates how music, how heavy metal music, has become a positively unifying force in an unlikely part of the world.

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About the book

Now for sale in the NOOR Shop!

PRE-SALE OFFER WHEN YOU ORDER BEFORE JULY 31ST 2021:

Signed book + original photograph (numbered, signed and stamped) for €199 + VAT and shipping costs

Only 50 units available

Fundraiser For Racial and Social Justice

Print Sale Supporting local Black run community organisations in Chicago and Oakland, USA.

In an effort to support poor and working class black communities in the United States who have been devastated by generations of disinvestment, social segregation and institutional racism, NOOR will offer a series of 3 images for sale that will benefit the rebuilding and reimagining of our country.

By offering these prints, we encourage our larger global community to become politically active in struggles for racial and gender equality and the rights of indigenous people.

All profits from the sales will go to the following groups: Nina Berman’s print to Assata’s Daughters, an organization of young radical African-American women and girls fighting police violence in Chicago; Jon Lowenstein’s print to the Black women led South Merrill Community Garden on Chicago’s South Side, and Stanley Greene’s print to The People’s Breakfast Oakland.

These are open editioned, unsigned inkjet prints 10x8 inch (25 x 20 cm) print priced at $225 Euros each. If you donate to a local social justice group, send us an email with the screenshot of your donation to shop@noorimages.com and we will send you a 50% discount code. This fundraiser will last until June 30th, all prints will be shipped after the end of the sale.

Kadir van Lohuizen tests Nikon's first stereoscopic imaging prototype

Today was a very inspiring day at the NOOR office in Amsterdam. Thanks to Nikon Europe and Frank Zuidweg from Nikon Professional Services and NOOR Technical Partners on FotoInMotion Project, QdepQ, Nikon Ambassador Kadir van Lohuizen was able to explore the first prototype ever done for stereo imaging.

FotoInMotion is a project born from an innovative format that transforms a single photograph into a dynamic, high quality video for storytelling and branding. The FotoInMotion tool will allow both professional content producers and creative citizens to rapidly produce videos with automated editing functions and dynamic effects driven by AI-powered object identification and advanced 3D technology.

Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union, NOOR, as pilot partner of FotoInMotion, is very excited to have tested this new technological tool and a new way of storytelling in order to create global impact.

Kadir van Lohuizen | Applications Open for the Photography Workshop in Tanzania

NOOR partnered-up with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tanzania to organise a free 2-day Photography Workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from October the 24th until October the 25th.

About the Tutor

Kadir van Lohuizen (NL) has covered conflicts in Africa and elsewhere, but is probably best known for his long-term projects on the seven rivers of the world, the rising of sea levels, the diamond industry and migration in the Americas. His most recent project ‘Arctic: New Frontier’ done together with Yuri Kozyrev for the Fondation Carmignac was exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London. 

Content 

In this workshop participants will discuss, share & learn about the development of a long-term photographic project. NOOR photographer Kadir van Lohuizen is a master of visual narrative and storytelling, allowing him to engage participants into crafting their stories. Together with the participants, he will work on the (re)conceptualizing, sequencing, and narrowing down the series and projects. 

Date: Thursday & Friday 24-25 October 2019

Time: 9:00-18:00

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Application deadline: October 6, 2019, at 11:59 P.M. (EAT)

NOOR dedicates September to our Environment

For more than a decade, NOOR Authors have documented our growing climate crisis caused by fossil fuel production and material consumption along with the political forces enabling this planetary catastrophe. Through our work we have also pointed to solutions to help ensure sustainable human presence on this planet. The need for action is urgent.

As world leaders meet in New York City next month and climate actions are planned world wide, we will dedicate the month of September to sharing stories on the environment from our archive and works in progress. Please follow these stories on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

We encourage our media partners, researchers, and our community to do the same.

Nikon-NOOR Academy | Applications open for the 2019 Masterclasses in Austria and Spain

Nikon Europe and the NOOR Foundation are delighted to announce that applications for the 2019 series of Nikon-NOOR Academy Masterclass in Spain and Austria are now open!

The Nikon-NOOR Academy Masterclass in Vienna, Austria, will take place from October 14 to October 17, and the Nikon-NOOR Academy in Barcelona, Spain from November 11 to November 14.

During each of the four-day trainings, 15 selected participants will work together with three NOOR authors as their tutors, to share experiences, work on portfolios, improve editing skills and learn how to create more impactful visual stories. 

NOOR and the NOOR Foundation are committed to encouraging aspiring photojournalists and documentary photographers. Masterclasses are provided free of charge for all participants, made possible with the continued support of Nikon Europe.

Nikon-NOOR Academy Masterclass in Zurich © Jon Lowenstein / NOOR

All masterclasses are open to young and emerging visual storytellers from all nationalities and locations within Europe.  We highly encourage visual storytellers from Austria and Spain to apply to their local country’s masterclass. There are no age restrictions, however the masterclass is more suited for emerging photographers at a early/mid career stage. Applicants are required a basic knowledge of English as the masterclass will take place in English. To apply to the Nikon-NOOR Academy, please apply through our Picter Call For Applications page (links below).

Please contact us at education@noorimages.com for any questions regarding the masterclass or to promote the Nikon-NOOR Academy.

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Location: Vienna, Austria
Fee: Free of Charge
Tutors: Sanne De Wilde, Pep Bonet, and Andrea Bruce
Dates: 14 - 17 October 2019
Deadline to apply: Sunday, September 8th 2019, 23:59 CET

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Location: Barcelona, Spain
Fee: Free of Charge
Tutors: Tanya Habjouqa, Sebastian Liste and Jon Lowenstein
Dates: 11 - 14 November 2019
Deadline to apply: Sunday, September 8th 2019, 23:59 CET

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To power the Nikon-NOOR Academy Masterclass applications, we teamed up with our partner Picter, an online platform hosting contests, call for applications as well as tools for professional image-makers simply their workflow. Find out more about their platform here.

NOOR at ImageSingulières | Portfolio Reviews

These upcoming portfolio reviews provide an opportunity for emerging photographers to intensively discuss their work with NOOR photographers and industry professionals.

The morning will include reviewing your body of work and discussing your ideas, and will be attended by more than twenty professionals and NOOR members, followed by a drink.

© Arko Datto / NOOR

The portfolio reviews are graciously supported by the Embassy of Kingdom of the Netherlands in France and l'Atelier Néerlandais.

NOOR and its partners awarded funding by Google Digital News Innovation Fund

With its partners World Crunch and Internazionale, we are proud to share that NOOR was awarded funding by the Google Digital News Innovation Fund to develop a new collaborate project "Pix.T: The Blockchain-Driven Marketplace For Photojournalism, Digital Publishing & Exclusive Art Photo Prints".

Pix.T aims to create a vast new marketplace at the service of both photojournalism and online news operations. Turning the digital-print dichotomy on its head, we will build an innovative e-commerce platform powered by blockchain technology to manage the licensing rights of digital images and scale the selling of limited edition prints to the mass market of digital news readership.

NOOR at ImageSingulières

We're pleased to share that NOOR will be present at the ImageSingulières Photo Festival in Sète, France. Nina Berman & Jon Lowenstein will open their respective exhibitions premiering for the first time in France "An Autobiography of Miss Wish" and "Shadow Lives".