foto8/Host exhibition August & September

This month is exciting, on August 29th is the opening of my exhibition at the foto8/ Host gallery in London... The home of photojournalism! Here is the text from the invite: foto8/Host press release.

"The Long Road is a collaborative project between researcher and writer Clare Cook and photographer Kristian Skeie, whose images take us on the journey of the annual peace walk, a symbolic act of remembrance and dedication. The project pieces together the mosaic of life after genocide by looking at the struggle of the women of Srebrenica for justice and the new generation, born after the war, embarking on their own journey, which begins in an irreconciled community in which peace and prosperity seem a long way off".

Many thanks to Webster University Geneva for generous support to this project.

Some impressions from this years Mars Mira.

I am in Srebrenica for this years Mars Mira or Peace March to mark the 17th anniversary of the Genocide that took place in 1995. I am posting her some pictures from the last few days.. Please have a look on on our blog Talking Bosnia and later this summer at the foto eight Gallery & magazine

Advija Krdzic burying her father

Coffins arriving from Sarajevo

Presentation at one of the historical lessons at Liplje

Walkers relaxing after about 35km at Liplje

Water truck arriving at camp site

Just arrived after one day of walking

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari #july11 #20years #nikon #d4 #reportage #marsmira #lifeaftergenocide #neveragain

Mars Mira 2012/ Peace March

The 11th of July marks the anniversary of the genocide that took place in Srebrenica in 1995. More then 8000 men and boys were killed in less then a week... Mars Mira or the Peace March, is a march that goes between Nezuk, near the city of Tuzla and Potocari, outside of Srebrenica. It is about 110km long. This is the reversal of the walk where some men and boys walked for survivals in 1995. On the final day, on July 11th, there is the ceremony at the memorial center in Potocari where the bodies that have been identified during the last year is buried. I will be covering this event, as I did last year. Have a look at out "talking Bosnia" blog for ongoing info....

Half way, day 2

After 42 km of walking..still two days to go.

Young kids taking part in the Peace March

Burial of the dead

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari

Ghent, Belgium

I was in Ghent, Belgium last weekend and did a workshop with some great friends. No better way to explore the former cultural capitol of Europe...

50 cent!

Sunday at 10 am

Graffiti Street

A Marked

Ice Cream

Srebrenica June 2012

Next month is July. Last year I took part in the Mars mira- the 110 km Peace March between Tuzla and Srebrenica that marks the anniversary of the Genocide that took place in 1995. On July 11th there will be the burying of the dead at  the Potocari memorial ground after lots of people would have done the long peace march. I shall be there to cover the event and will be meeting many of the people involved. This is a moving and deeply emotional time. Last week I went to visit some of the people involved, including Hasan Hasanovic who survived July 1995 and Advija Krdzic who had her own father identified at the Body Identification Center in Tuzla and will burry him in Potocari this July 11th.

Hasan Hasanovic

Advija Krdzic

A dog in Srebrenica

Appellate Body welcomes new member

Mr Shotaro Oshima from Japan was retiring while Mr Seung Wha Chang of the Republic of Korea was sworn-in on 13 June 2012 as a member of the Appellate Body at the WTO. It was a great event to photograph, as always!

Mr Oshima gives his farewell speech and praises the new member, Mr Chang,
of the Appellate Body at the World Trade Organization.

Ratko Mladic in court

BBC's John Simpson: Mladic had reputation for being 'ruthlessly efficient". Those words says it all. Finally former General Mladic faces court. Over the last two years I have been going to Srebrenica and tried to somehow understand a little bit of how life is there 16 or 17 years after the worst genocide in post 2nd world war Europe. Above is an image of a participant of the peace march that takes place every year honoring the 8000 men and boys who were efficiently killed in July 1995. Later on this summer I will have an exhibition in London at the Host gallery- the home of photo reportage. The opening will be on August 29th and it will be on until September 16th. More info to come...

Nestlé Health and Sciences

In January, NHS invited to a global conference in Vevey Switzerland. It gave me an opportunity to photograph a group of a 100 people as well as photograph in a magnificent dinner room at the Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne. Speakers at the conference were Luis Cantarell, President and CEO at Nestlé Health and Sciences, Patrick Aebischer, the President of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and André Borschberg businessman and pilot. He is a co-founder of the Solar Impulse project. 

All 100 Participants of the first ever NHS Conference January 2012

 André Borschberg, Co founder of the Solar Impulse Project

Patrick Aebischer President of EPFL in Lausanne

Luis Cantarell, President and CEO of NHS

Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne

George- a former Dutch Bat

In early January 2012, I met up with George Pfrommer in Holland. We met during my last trip to Srebrenica where he showed me around the former Dutch bat HQ in Potocari. On this occasion, I got to see many of his own photographs as well as scrapbooks from his time serving for the Dutch battalion in 1994.

George Pfrommer photographed in a scrap book from 1994.

George Pfrommer ex Dutch Bat Nijmegen

Update July 2017: 'Devils Bar' is located inside the Potocari Memorial factory. It used to be the bar area for the Dutch soldiers during the war. This was a car battery factory in the Yugoslav time and the UN head quarters during teh war in Bosnia. Today, much of the buildings are left the way they were during the war. However, some work has started repairing parts of the buildings as they are starting to deteriorate too much. George Pfrommer, a former Dutch Bat, painted the 'Café' painting as seen inside the bar. http://ks-imaging.blogspot.ba/p/srebrenica-bosnia.html

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari #ReportageSpotlight #nikonswitzerland #webster #keystoneag

Synthon video

Have a look at the video we made for Synthon in relationship to their 20th Anniversary!

Synthon from Kristian Skeie on Vimeo.

Two new members at the Appellate Body at the WTO

The other day there was a change in the Appellate Body at the WTO. Mr Ujal Singh Bhatia and Mr Thomas R. Graham begin a four-year term as members. I had the pleasure to shoot the event.

The Chair of the Dispute Settlement Body, Ambassador
Elin Østebø Johansen, and Director-General Pascal Lamy

Swearing-in Ceremony

Messrs Ujal Singh Bhatia

Thomas R. Graham

Swearing-in Ceremony

TEDxRC²

I was happy to work at the TEDxRC² event in Geneva on Sunday. This was an independent TED event organised with the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Topic was Multiplying the power of humanity and amongst the speakers were Norwegian minister of foreign affairs Jonas Gahr Støre and music from Senegal's Seckou Keita. I was working for Nestlé which was one of the sponsors of the event.

Nestlé needed 66 people to walk 66 meter on the treadmill,
they would sponsor a 66th water pump in Ivory Coast. They did it!

Seckou Keita doing his bit to support water pump building!

Jonas Gahr Støre talking to journalists. 

Paris Photo 2011

Paris Photo @ Grand Palais

Every second weekend of November is when photographers and anyone interested in photography invade Paris. It is the worlds biggest fair for photography sales. If you are not buying photography, you get to see some amazing photography amongst the more then 100 galleries from around the world represented here. I've just arrived and can't wait to go and see the exhibits tomorrow! As Champs-Élysées was closed at mid day today, it made for some interesting "street photography"...

Champs-Élysées

Day 2 update:

Well, the show was great! 

Entrance

"Africa" was this years topic

Lots of people, lots of photography

Allminds London workshop

I was in London last week having a workshop for Allminds (www.allminds.ch). Part of the workshop was photographing the magician Christopher Howell (www.projectillusions.com & www.christopherhowell.net). His new act, containing three oranges (?!?) is absolutely fantastic! I will not describe it as it would not make justice to the act! You better book him and see it for yourself...

Illusionist Christopher Howell

St. Paul's Cathedral 

London from café at Tate Modern

Synthon Barcelona

I visited Synthon's Barcelona facility this week. It is a very interesting site; it has state of the art manufacturing and packaging as well as great research facilities.