STAY STRONG PHOTO STORIES
Ongoing participatory photography project / publication
How do you stay connected to yourself and others in a time when life is uncertain and unpredictable? Stay Strong Photo Stories is a participatory photo project in which participants portray their daily lives based on concrete assignments.
The first edition of the project was created in 2020 when the world was in the middle of the COVID-19 period. During the (online) workshops, participants used photography and stories to look for bright spots in days that were lonely and uncertain for many people. The workshops facilitated a safe space for sharing thoughts and feelings sparked by the resulting works.
In spring 2024, the fifth edition of Stay Strong Photo Stories started in Ukraine with teenagers people between the ages of 12 and 17 in collaboration with the organisation Molotok in Khush, Transcarpathia (Western Ukraine). A region that is still relatively safe and to which many refugees from other parts of Ukraine have moved.
Article in NRC (In Dutch). June 2024. To read the online link. Click on this link.
PUBLICATION
Booklet of edition #1 until 4. Still available for free at Framer Framed.
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS - #1 The lockdown edition: Artists from i-psy open atelier program - #2 The lockdown edition: Youngsters with a background in Youth Care - #3 The lockdown edition: Newcomers in Amsterdam with a refugee background - #4 The lockdown edition: Youngsters in Amsterdam - #5 The Ukraine edition : Teenagers in Transcarpathia
EXHIBITION Amsterdam Museum. Shaped Feelings. Corona in de stad. Online exhibition. 2020
PRESS -NRC. Oorlog door de ogen van jonge Oekraïners. Interview by Rianne van Dijck. 2024. - PhotoVoice (UK). Online article. 2024
CREDITS
Concept Karine Versluis in collaboration with Framer Framed
Workshops Karine Versluis
Graphic Design: Dinara Vasilevskaia
Translation Nataliya Cummings (for Ukraine edition)
Partners i-psy Open Atelier, Stichting ExpEx, Stichting Warm Welkom Noord, Startblok Elzenhagen, Elance Academy, Levvel, Picture Bridge Foundation, NGO Molotok (UA)
Financially supported by Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie, Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Gemeente Amsterdam.
During #1 the first online workshop edition with the artist from -psy open atelier program (2020). Click on this link for more information about the lockdown editions. Photo: Suzanne Delshadian.
During #5 The Ukraine edition. A combination of online & offline workshops facilitated from the Netherlands and UK and put into practise in Khust, Transcarpathia, Western-Ukraine (2024). Click on this link for more information about the Ukraine edition.