The VII Foundation partnered with Creative New Zealand to offer three programs for Pasifika creatives from Aotearoa in our Visual Journalism Program. Contributing photographer Christopher Morris, along with Pacific photographer Raymond Sagapolutele, assisted eighteen emerging storytellers in developing new skills and crafting unique stories in Level 1 classes. The best of these visual journalists then graduated from our Level 2 course taught by Sara Terry and Sagapolutele.
The majority of participants live in New Zealand, but photographers from New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga also attended.
To explore the Pasifika perspective, The VII Foundation’s Education Director, Dr. David Campbell, interviewed several participants regarded as emerging storytellers, including Frank Falaniko Talo, Jasmine Tuia, and Siniva Williams. This discussion was recorded and is available to watch in our Video Collection.
During the interview, the group addressed questions such as: Is there a Pasifika perspective in photography? How does this perspective challenge conventional visual representations of Aotearoa? What stories are emerging from a Pasifika viewpoint?
A selection of the final photo essays produced by participants are below.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW →
