NOOR Images – Green Shoots
28 Oct 2020
We are a global, multilingual collective of highly accomplished journalists, authors, photographers, artists and filmmakers documenting, investigating and witnessing our world. We approach our work with integrity, passion, and respect. We believe stories have an impact and inspire action. We believe in the power of still and moving images. We are honest witnesses.
NOOR, which takes its name from the Arabic word for light, launched in 2007 as a platform for its members to take financial control over their work and leverage the power of a group in a changing media landscape.
Since then we have become industry leaders, producing images for large media companies and small startups, institutional clients and non-profits.
We also teach host workshops and public programs around photography, media literacy and representation. And while the content of our work is broad, it is unified in our desire to connect the dots around critical issues such as climate change, overconsumption, forced migration, the rise of authoritarianism, the injustices of patriarchy and the power of art and music to keep us human.
What made you think of the project?
Inspired by Roy Stryker, head of the Information Division of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression who launched the influential documentary photography movement, NOOR understood the urgent need to create similar iconic work documenting the recovery of Europe from one of the biggest economic crisis of our times.
When the 2nd round of Culture of Solidarity Fund became available, we saw the emphasis written on the application to favour projects that were somehow addressed to document the energy transition Europe needs to do.
The open call helped us to think in this framework and that’s when the idea of documenting the ‘green’ recovery of Europe, through documenting the impact and implementation of the European Green Deal.
What will your project contribute to Europe, post-corona?
Hopefully, these stories will serve as evidence for other European regions to visualise the power of these initiatives and provide direction for them to replicate and/or implement similar policies in the mid-long term. It would be great if during the exhibition tour we manage to activate grassroots and activism movements to support it and help us in our outreach.
How do you envision it to grow from local to pan European?
The touring exhibition will ‘move’ stories across places.
And – finally – how does your project help to make Europe an open and shared public space for everyone?
The European Green Deal is Europe’s roadmap for making the EU’s economy sustainable. By 2050, the EU wants to be climate neutral. For this to happen, societies have to believe in the power of green initiatives.
By providing audiovisual evidence of how green initiatives can be a source of economic recovery, creation of employment and transformation of industries towards a more sustainable future, we aim to encourage citizens, civil-society-organisations and business owners to change the lens with which they look at the future during the turning point this crisis has created.