“It’s not always easy to enter the zone as an artist, but I was turned on by everything I looked at in Congo,” Mosse wrote. “Goma is situated on one of the world’s only limnically active lakes. Junked, vintage aircraft litter the airport, which is coated in lava from the recent eruption. Kisangani is deep in the jungle; the only cars on the streets are United Nations vehicles flown in on cargo planes. In Kinshasa, Belgian monoliths loom over dusty boulevards.”
“There’s a violation being made by the photographer that is thrown back with great intensity. You ask yourself, who’s really the subject here? That’s a very important thing to stress if you’re a white male photographing in Congo.”
“Aerochrome is notoriously unstable and difficult to work with. Kodak delivers the film on dry ice, and it must be stored in a freezer at all times,” Mosse wrote. “As you can imagine, it’s hard to find a functioning refrigerator in the Congo. Because of the dramatic shifts in temperature and humidity, and the exposure to other variables, the colors shift greatly from negative to negative. I try to embrace that instability in my picture-making process.
“For all the difficulties of working in Congo,” Mosse said, “I was surprised to find that everything is open for negotiation. Virtually anything is possible if you have the time, will, and resources to make it happen.”
Images by Richard Mosse via google images
1. You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart, North Kivu, Eastern Congo, 2010
2. General Janvier, North Kivu, Eastern Congo, 2010
3. Tutsi Town, North Kivu, Eastern Congo, 2010
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