During a period of 2 years (1960-62) my father was deployed to the Gaza Strip as a young lieutenant, part of the Brazilian contingent of the United Nations emergency force. They were sent as an observation force to monitor the conflict between Egypt, Israel, France and the United Kingdom after the invasion of the Suez Canal.
This project is a visual memoir of sorts of the photographs he had taken while deployed. His accounts captured the daily life inside the military compound, the region and myriad of self portraits reflecting his position not only as a photojournalist but also as an infantryman.
The color of the photographs has been severely altered by the high humidity of Brazil’s climate, in return generating an exquisite mold. This natural occurring chemical reaction between the mold and chemicals with in the film sock have created a peculiar result.
My father passed away when I was 5 years old this robbed me of the opportunity to get to know him as an adult and further of being able to inquire about the photos and his time in Gaza. These images are a time machine of sorts allowing me to try to enter my fathers world during a time of conflict.
Ultimately this project is about the connection of two generations that were never able to communicate to one another verbally or physically, until now. As a grown adult, as a designer and typographer I am able to understand the complexity of his situation and merge his photographic endeavor with my skills to produce collaborative publication.
We share the same name and passion for photography. Now I share all with you. I want to dedicate this project to my family.
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Yomar Augusto
info@yomaraugusto.com
917 975 1090