Light. Joys of life. Bundles of Joy. Babies are the most pure and special human beings on the earth. They are so innocent and they love unconditionally. That's why this picture really catches the eye. So many babies! Why? How are there so many babies in just one little place?

Sebastião Salgado took this picture on top of a roof top of a FEBEM (Foundation for Child Welfare) center in Sao Paulo. This building is located in the Pacaembu district. This place is a refuge for abandoned babies. Thirty-five percent of the babies in this center were found on the streets, abandoned by the very person who gave them light. Others were given to the center by parents who could not provide for the child anymore.

It's supposed to be a shelter for children that have nowhere to go but, ten years later, these centers don't function like that anymore. In an article titled A Waste of Lives, Amnesty International describes the horrible conditions that the kids now live in. The centers are over crowded, understaffed and are the scenes of torture neglect. Created with good intentions, the FEBEM foundation has not been able to keep up with the amount of kids coming into it and unfortunately has broken down.

What are these babies in the picture going through right now? Have they escaped? Or, are they being tortured and neglected as we speak? In the recent tragedy that has hit Haiti, we can't help but think that there will be a lot of orphans. Adoption is the best bet but, if Haiti needs to create a foundation for the welfare of children, hopefully it doesn't end up like the foundation in Brazil.

Salgado, Sebastião. Photograph. 1996 Migrations: Humanity in Transition. 28 Jan. 2010 <http://pdngallery.com/legends/legends10/largephotos/gallery02_03.html>.

Amensty International. Article. Brazil A Waste of Lives. July 2000

Humanity in Transition. This picture displays it very well. Tragedy ridden, these people in the top picture look at what is left of what they have known. There is nothing alive or organized in their lives. It looks like that in the top picture that they are children looking in at the ruins. The structure looks like a blown up factory. Could it be that these children-recently orphaned-are looking in at the last place their parents were? Amidst all the death and destruction they cling to each other because that is all they have. This photograph depicts the aftermaths of the Bosnian War in the city of Bihac. The war arrived in Bihac in 1994 and was under seige by the serbs until 1995. A good youtube video depicts the refugees of the city running away: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7ESBQhNZpU This city is ridden with mines and a lot of innocent people have lost limbs and lives, especially children. People that couldn't pay their pay out of the city or country were stuck to make make-shift homes out of destroyed buildings just like we see in the second photograph. It's interesting to note that the only people outside of the half-standing house are children. Why? The house is an obvious symbol of difficulties that have happened and they are trying to rebuild. It's not logical to think that the only inhabitants are the children though. A makeshift orphanage housing little children who will never see their parents again. Family ripped apart by natural disasters or human cruelty. Nonetheless, they are coping with life's difficulties, coming together and rebuilding and gathering up all the broken pieces. Although this picture is a couple of years old there is something very recent that we can relate to in our lives; the terrible crisis that has hit Haiti. Tens of thousands have lost their homes, their parents, their families and they are in the course of rebuilding with what they can find. How many orphans exist in Haiti now? Widows? There are thousands of people desperate for help in Haiti and in the rest of the world. How can you help?

Salgado, Sebastião. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Page 119

"Bosnian War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2010. Web 21 Jan. 2010.

"Bihac." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2010. Web 28 Nov. 2009

Sebastião Salgado Introduction

I apologize for this blog being a couple hours late. Being sick isn't easy and its definitely hard to focus sometimes. :/
The purpose of this blog is to write about an artist and exam his pictures. To do that i would like to supply a little bit of background about him. His name is Sebastião Salgado. He is Brazilian and was born in 1944. After growing up he studied and became an economist; specifically for the International Coffee Organization. His hobby at the time was photography and later chose to abandon his career as an economist and became a photographer. After working for a couple of different companies he started his own in 1994 called Amazonas Images. He is known for his work in underdeveloped countries. We will be examining various images from his book Migrations: Humanity in Transition. For many of us, these photographs introduce us to a part of the world that we have only vaguely heard about and it's something that we should all be aware of. There are always people in need. This picture is just one example of many from his book. Sebastião Salgado has been named one of the most important photographers of the early 21st Century by Hal Gould.


Salgado, Sebastião. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Page 78.

Well, I will say, that this is a completely new experience for me. I always thought blogging was dumb and the only reason I have a blog now is for the class but I actually dont think it will be as bad as i though it would be. My name is Jeff and I'm 23 years old. I was born in New Jersey, I grew up in Cincinnati, and I now call Minnesota home along with my family. I really enjoy music along the lines of favorite bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Kooks, The Hush Sound and Muse. I also love playing sports, specifically baseball, golf and lacrosse. I also like to rock climb, scuba dive and snowboard. That's why I think that this picture relates to me and my life. I love a face paced life with lots of different things happening and I love the feel of an adrenaline rush. I'm generally a pretty happy person all around as well. That about it for now though!