Participants of project 8 were: Enkelena Qafleshi (Albania), Maria Paz Squella Padilla (Chile), Elke Petersson (Germany), Jennifer Eleanor Reddig (Germany), Dolores Marín Diaz (Mexico), Yi-Chen Winnie Chang (Taiwan), Qiying Hu (China)

Click on small image to see the group photo enlarged.

"Today images equal truth. What people see, they believe. A photograph of a polluted river draws the cries of >who could do this?<. The perspective, though, is false, misleading and even perverse - the process used to create the picture involves vile chemicals often far more toxic than what lies in the portrayed body of water. The >who could do this< is me and you." - Eugenia Vargas.         Eugenia Vargas has created artwork that reflects the interconnection between processes of photography and water or to be precise water-pollution. She has discussed and explored these interactions with the students referring to different conditions, practices and effects of special kinds of photography - black & white, colour, digital, Polaroid. The discussion has once been joined by a specialist of the film industry - a female chemist who works in an environmental department. Furthermore the discussion has been put into practice by taking and developing pictures by the students.

Eugenia Vargas´ work on the Rio Lerma river ("Aguas") had function as a reference and starting point for the seminar.

The artwork of Yin Xiuzhen always reflects the living environment. As a medium of communication she uses her works to illustrate her and our life in this world. Her ifu-project "Thought for River" stands in a row of projects beginning with "Washing River" in Chendu in 1995 - all of them dealing with thoughts about water shortage and pollution. "Thought for River" has been divided in the two project-parts "flowing story" and "river above river". For the first part, students were asked to bring stories, tales, news etc. about water and pollution in their countries. For the second part, they should bring two or more empty containers - typical for their country or personal surrounding - to Hannover. Referring to the artistic concept of Yin Xiuzhen, the students and her had put all the elements in a "relationship" to the river "Hardau" near Suderburg. The containers for example should be filled with water and installed parallel to the real river. Step by step, the working-process has completed the artwork and stimulated the "Thought for River" - for the students involved and the observers around.