Plateau Photographers is a participatory photography project that trains minority students in western China.
Our Mission
- To train photographers in camera, media, and technology skills
- To provide self-representation for project members and their communities through locally managed archiving and exhibition efforts
- To present information and knowledge about Plateau communities to a larger audience
- To attract interest in and support for locally-managed development projects
Members and Activities
So far the project has trained more than 75 young image makers (half female and half male). Members come from rural communities in five provinces (Qinghai, Yunnan, Sichuan, T.A.R. and Gansu) and although primarily Tibetan, they also include other ethnicities. Each six months, new members train in basic photography and camera use. At the same time, returned members collate and archive their images before displaying them online and in their communities. Our members have made and disseminated more than 21,000 images.
Outcomes
VCDs and DVDs of all images are distributed in all photographers’ hometown communities. Some members make short films or slideshows, and distribute them on discs or online. Others print images and exhibit them in local meeting halls or as portable albums. Photo essays by members have been published in the journals Asian Highlands Perspectives and Public Culture. In the future we hope to increase the scope of local image dissemination efforts to include educational materials and a greater variety of media.
Project History
Plateau Photographers began in 2007 when cameras donated in Australia were provided to students in Xining City, Qinghai Province. Trained by Elena McKinlay, the first workshop of 12 members made more than 3000 images that summer, using five digital cameras and seven film SLR cameras. Since 2008 local volunteer Chiyang Dorji and staff Nyangchukja, Libu Lakhi, Tsemdo and Pohua Dondrup have trained members. Now all aspects of the project are overseen by local managers. The project expanded when Andrew Grant joined as co-trainer and web designer from 2007 – 2008. In the spring of 2010, the site was transformed into its current form by Drupal developer, Travis McCauley, with the support of a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant to Frances Garrett at the University of Toronto.
