Please find below, a selection of images from my exhibition opening this morning in the city hall of the the city of Wulanhaote, in Inner Mongolia as part of the International Conference of Science and Technology on Desertification Control (ICSTDC). The above image is the leading shot in the exhibition.

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The opening was a great success this morning with guests to the conference taking in the exhibit before the main opening ceremony. Today consisted of opening lectures from various Chinese and International scientists. The topics were as diverse as the speakers with talks covering subjects such as the history of desertification in China, agricultural ways to combat desertification, urban desertification and alternative energy sources from the desert.

I speak tomorrow morning here at the conference, presenting my 2 years of work covering desertification in China in a presentation titled “Desertification in China: A Photographic Journey.” I shall hopefully upload images and audio tomorrow from my talk.

I hope you enjoy the images of my exhibition opening!

My 'Representative' pass for the 2nd International Conference on Science and Technology for Desertification Control (ICSTDC)

After a 19 hour train journey from Beijing, I have finally arrived in the north-eastern city of Wulanhaote in Inner Mongolia. I’m here for the next 4 days to attend the 2nd International Conference on Science & Technology for Desertification Control – a gathering of some 200 people all linked by one thing – their interest in the fight against desertification.

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Sat on the steps of a yurt, a tourist adjusts her traditional mongolian clothing. Traditional life has all but disappeared on the Inner Mongolian Grasslands, along with much of the grass in places, which has been damaged by overgrazing. 2009

This week’s ‘Photo of the Week’ was taken in Inner Mongolia earlier this year, during my 6-week trip for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. I have chosen this photo this week because on Wednesday, I am heading back to Inner Mongolia to take part in the International Conference of Science & Technology on Desertification Control. I have been invited there to speak to the 150+ scientists, experts and businessmen attending, on the subject of desertification and my coverage of the issue for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. As I type this post, I have some 50 prints being printed, all to be shown as an exhibition in Wulanhaote, where the conference is being hosted.

I am really looking forward to this conference as it will be a great opportunity to bring my photography and work on desertification to a new audience and an important one at that. As photographers, we want people to see our images. We want as many people as possible to see them. This is great, but sometimes a targeted approach is equally good. Many of China’s leading experts on desertification and environmental issues shall be at this conference, therefore I have an opportunity to emphasise to them the importance of photography and its role in communicating scientific and environmental issues to the public.

I shall be sure to post from the conference and update about some of the key issues being discussed. I shall also post images of the final hanging of the exhibition. Thanks again to all who offered advice on the hanging, both here on the blog and over at Lightstalkers.

I have been invited to have an exhibition next week, which will showcase 48 images from my work on desertification in China over the past 2 years, at a Science and Technology Conference on Desertification Control in Inner Mongolia.

The details of the space I have available for the exhibition have been sent through to me at the very last minute and I am trying to brainstorm ways to hang this exhibition in an effective way.

I have been informed that I will have 40 wooden boards, measuring 120cm x 80cm, almost like an artist’s sketching easel, standing on wooden legs.

The prints aren’t going to be able to be framed in the time we have, so I also need to find a way to ‘stick’ the prints to the boards. Pins? Double-sided tape? Needs to look professional either way.

I’m completely open to ideas from my readership here, so if you have any thoughts, I’d be more than happy to hear them. Make them quick though, as I have 24hours before I head to the printers!

Many thanks in advance!

I’m happy to announce that my exhibition, ‘China’s Growing Sands‘, which is on show at Cafe Zarah in central Beijing, has been extended by one month until the beginning of September. If you haven’t had a chance to swing by, you now have an extra month to drop-in to check out the show!

All of the prints are still on sale, priced at just under 1800 Chinese RMB (US$264 approx / 157 GBP approx. as of exchange rates today). A few of them however have already been sold, but there are still plenty available. If there is a particular image you are interested in, please drop me a line to check its availability.

Once the exhibition has finished, I’ll be selling the remaining prints right here on my blog, so please stay tuned for more details on that.

If you missed my post with images from the exhibition opening, please find it here.

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Image from the 'ecological refugee' town of Hongsibao in Ningxia Province, China. Selected as part of Foto8's Summer Show 2009.

I’m pleased to announce that the above image has been selected for the foto8 Summer Show which is currently on show at HOST Gallery in London this week and will be there until the 5th of September.

“The Foto8 Summer Show saw over 2,300 individual image entries submitted by photographers from over 44 countries. The final selection of more than 120 framed prints is hung at HOST gallery in London. It was a tough choice with many spectacular images to view, but the Foto8 editorial team has made a final selection for the exhibitors of the second Annual Foto8 Awards & Summer Show 2009.” -Foto8

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Myself and Ileana Athanatos packaging Eve Arnold's Marilyn Monroe Prints during my internship at Magnum Photos. 2005

In 2004, I was lucky enough to to be selected for the prestigious 1-year paid internship at Magnum photos in their London office. This was  an incredibly important year for me and for the development of my knowledge about photography. It is an experience that I shall have to blog more about, as I receive regular emails from people asking me about my time at Magnum and seeking advice about applying for an internship.

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Exhibition Review of China's Growing Sands on Beijing City Weekend Website

Just wanted to let you know about a nice little review that has been written about my China’s Growing Sands exhibition which is still on show at Cafe Zarah in Central Beijing at the moment. It appears City Weekend’s Art Critic “Art Attack” caught the show and had some nice things to say about it. See the article here or read the reproduced text below.

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Last weekend, I held the opening of my first solo exhibition in mainland China of China’s Growing Sands, at Cafe Zarah in central Beijing. The evening was a wonderful success, attracting a great crowd of people interested in environmental issues, desertification and photography. Thankyou so much to all those who made it on the night. The exhibition runs until August 5th, so there is still plenty of time to get down to Cafe Zarah to see the images if you couldn’t make it on the night.

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Screenshot of Beijinger Website 3rd July 2009

As a reminder for those who are interested in viewing the first exhibited images from my ‘China’s Growing Sands‘ project, here are a couple of promo-pieces that have come out for the event tomorrow. Two of Beijing’s leading magazines, the Beijinger and Beijing City Weekend, approached me in the past couple of weeks to conduct a couple of short interviews to promote the event and give a little background to myself and the work. Please take a moment to read the pieces here and here.

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