For his project “Through No One Else's Eyes,” Zeitenspiegel photographer Éric Vazzoler will be awarded the Weimar Triangle Prize 2023. From October 2021 to May 2022, on his own initiative, he conducted photo workshops with 25 visually impaired young people from Stuttgart, Strasbourg, and Lodz, including nine who were blind.
The project was under the patronage of the Slovenian-French photographer Evgen Bavcar, who is blind himself. After the presentation in Lodz, their photos were exhibited in Strasbourg and Luxembourg, before they will soon be shown in Stuttgart as well. You can find impressions here, there is a movie about it here.
The prize is awarded for the most remarkable initiative of the year that brings Germany closer to its Polish and French neighbors – it will be awarded on August 29, 2023, in Weimar.
Vazzoler is currently continuing his general workshop work in Eastern Europe in Mariupol. It is his third time there within a year. In addition to assignments from journalistic media, such as Strict or Art, he leads free photo workshops for young people on his own initiative in the port city, which was almost completely destroyed and is now occupied by the Russians. Since he has been familiar with the region since 1994 and speaks fluent Russian, he can travel and work freely in the region, something few of his colleagues can manage.
Around 15 young people aged 10 to 25 from diverse backgrounds participate in the workshops. They photograph the metamorphosis of their city, often using cameras that Vazzoler lends them.
This project, titled “Pics for Peace,” was started by Vazzoler in 2015 when the Minsk II agreement offered more than just hope for a ceasefire. He is determined to conduct the workshops throughout Ukraine. The outcome of this remarkable work will be presented at a screening on September 4, 2023, in Perpignan as part of the renowned photojournalism festival “Visa pour l’Image.”.