Background information
"The 2011 Revolution in Egypt (Egyptian-Arab ثورة 25 يناير , thawret 25 yanāyir; January 25 Revolution) was a political upheaval in Egypt inspired by the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution, in which mass protests by various segments of the Egyptian population played a role. The revolution was part of the so-called "Arab Spring. On January 25, 2011, demonstrations began in major Egyptian cities, culminating in a first peak on Friday, January 28, 2011, known as the 'Day of Wrath'. The demonstrators were mainly against the regime of the then still incumbent Egyptian President Muhammad Husni Mubarak, which existed from October 1981 to February 2011 and was forced to resign on February 11, 2011. After his deposition, demonstrations soon began again. In the course of 2011, more and more often demonstrations turned into violent clashes with police and military, with some demonstrators killed and hundreds injured in each case. (shortened text, © Wikipedia, accessed on 13.11.2020)
Content
"On the first level, this journalistic work is about the Egyptian revolution in 2011, the hopes associated with it and the bloody setbacks. If one follows the short texts written by Laura EL-TANTAWY herself and adds the children's pictures inserted on extra pages, the book gains considerable depth, the book becomes a personal document of the failure and collapse of one's own understanding of past and present. The photographer, enthusiastic about the peaceful protests in Tahir Square, had an almost romantic image of her homeland after she left for England. This is how the book begins. She returned to the protests and enthusiastically captured the colorful hustle and bustle and the merging of the different population groups for the purpose of a common goal.
She was all the more alarmed to see the situation worsening after the then head of state Mubarak was deposed, but the protests continued. Laura EL-TANTAWY asked herself the question of what and how to photograph, as she was unable to put herself on either side. In January the Egyptian-British photographer Laura EL-TANTAWY published the dummy presented at the 'UNSEEN 2014'.
Additional information
The lavish material, spread over 440 pages, was carefully edited and designed by the Dutch designer for the special photo book, Sybren (SYB) KUIPER. The volume was limited to only 500 numbered & signed copies". (© Richard G. SPORLEDER)
The SIGNED edition offered here carries the number #249 / 500.
About Egyptian Magnum photographer, Laura EL-TANTAWY (b.1980)
Photo books by as well as with works by Laura EL-TANTAWY
- Book design
- Sybren 'SYB' KUIPER
- Format
- HC (no dust jacket, as issued), 17,5 x 23 x 4 cm., 440 pp., (+7 smaller text pp. & 18 pp. as single sheets), Ltd. to 500 numbered copies