Born Into Brothels
It could easily have been me. I could easily be one fearing for my safety every minute of the day. I could easily have been a 10 year old sold to prostitution by an aunt. I could easily be among those who starve 80% of the time. I could easily be a child born into a brothel in Calcutta...if I was, I wonder how I would fare.
Born Into Brothels, a film by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, chronicles the life in the bordellos of Calcutta through the perspective of the children of prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer who lived in India for two years, initially intended to document the prostitutes but diverted her interest towards the children instead, advocating for their education as a way to escape the peril of becoming prostitutes themselves. By teaching photography, Briski enables the children to speak of their experiences through the photographic lens with pictures acting as entry points in a dialogue about their lives.
Apart from its significance as an anthropological document, the piece further delves into the exigence of art as a primary need. Judging by the children's response, it is clear that the act of photography was not only an expansive exercise but a way of self-discovery. Amidst the poverty and violence, their striving to capture and create images hearkens Artaud's ironic anti-pragmatic sentiment about art: despite the fact that art has never fed a hungry man, it is the essence of hunger in him; that is to say, that although one must respond to one's digestive want, one's energies cannot be spent solely on its satisfaction. The human being ultimately must address the abstract points of his existence through his creative powers; his ability to experience the world and synthesize those experiences through art foments his development as a full human being. In my mind, it illuminates how the fundament in our perception of the future, our grand possibilities, lie in our ability to seek the underlying truth and beauty in the present. Only through this recognition can hope be preserved and dreams realized. Therefore, for these children, the ability to pick up a camera, shoot it, produce stunning images is their entry into the rest of their lives. They begin to see the present as a different reality. The pictures, although outwardly depicting hardships, don a kind of beauty that only those that betray truth can claim. The recognition of life's manifold parts, its charm, color, vibrancy, vis-a-vis its pain, as visually reflected on the photographs, illustrate the other side of their experience. In producing these pictures, they can begin to see and feel their own lives differently. Therein lies a new surge of hope. In re-imaging the present, they can start to re-imagine the future.
Born Into Brothels, a film by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, chronicles the life in the bordellos of Calcutta through the perspective of the children of prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer who lived in India for two years, initially intended to document the prostitutes but diverted her interest towards the children instead, advocating for their education as a way to escape the peril of becoming prostitutes themselves. By teaching photography, Briski enables the children to speak of their experiences through the photographic lens with pictures acting as entry points in a dialogue about their lives.
Apart from its significance as an anthropological document, the piece further delves into the exigence of art as a primary need. Judging by the children's response, it is clear that the act of photography was not only an expansive exercise but a way of self-discovery. Amidst the poverty and violence, their striving to capture and create images hearkens Artaud's ironic anti-pragmatic sentiment about art: despite the fact that art has never fed a hungry man, it is the essence of hunger in him; that is to say, that although one must respond to one's digestive want, one's energies cannot be spent solely on its satisfaction. The human being ultimately must address the abstract points of his existence through his creative powers; his ability to experience the world and synthesize those experiences through art foments his development as a full human being. In my mind, it illuminates how the fundament in our perception of the future, our grand possibilities, lie in our ability to seek the underlying truth and beauty in the present. Only through this recognition can hope be preserved and dreams realized. Therefore, for these children, the ability to pick up a camera, shoot it, produce stunning images is their entry into the rest of their lives. They begin to see the present as a different reality. The pictures, although outwardly depicting hardships, don a kind of beauty that only those that betray truth can claim. The recognition of life's manifold parts, its charm, color, vibrancy, vis-a-vis its pain, as visually reflected on the photographs, illustrate the other side of their experience. In producing these pictures, they can begin to see and feel their own lives differently. Therein lies a new surge of hope. In re-imaging the present, they can start to re-imagine the future.
posted by rocelyn at 3:20 PM
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