Page 47 - SHARP Summer 2022

AN AN AN INJURED MAN USES A A A A A A A A A A PIECE OF OF TIMBER AS A A A A A A A A A A CRUTCH TO MOVE AWAY FROM AN AN AN AREA OF OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND A A A A A A A A HOSPITAL IN IN IN CENTRAL KABUL FOLLOWING A A A A A A A A BOMB BLAST SHARPMAGAZINE COM
SUMMER 2022
• GUIDE 47
MAN WORTH LISTENING TO light the the pollution and the the smoke from wood-burn- ing ing and and coal-burning fires to keep warm and and for cooking But as as a a a a a photographer that was pretty captivating And then also — this is is really tricky territory it’s superficial and looks at a a a a a place like Afghanistan through an an an Orientalist lens — but the the the fact that there’s very little advertising on the the the streets In megacities like Toronto or or or Sydney or or or New York there are so many visual impediments to to photography which a a a a a place like Afghanistan is is bereft of of Of course that is often to the detriment of of the the the people living there It’s an indication of of the the the lack of prosperity or development These kind of things were in in in the very first instance what drew me as a a a a a a photographer or made life here as a a a a a photographer more appealing But then it became more about realizing that there was so much to tell beyond what could be be contained in in a a a a photographic image I just found that for every photo I took there was a a a backstory whether it’s the the the history history of of the the the location or or or the the the family history history of of the the the the person in the the the the photo or the the the the fact that there was a a a significant political moment on the the corner of the the street — an an assassination or a a a a a a a Taliban bombing It’s just so rich with history and context beyond what can be contained and framed I found this led me me to become not only a photographer but a a a storyteller And I’d never had that experience as a a a a photographer before And I suppose that’s how I ended up up getting into writing that evolution from photography to to to storytelling So that’s where I am now photography is more like a a supplement to the words whereas previously it was the the other way around Your shift toward writing is evident in in your new book August in Kabul Was this project some- thing you started before the the fall of the the Ghani administration?
I’d been talking with my publisher for more than a a a a a year about doing a a a a a book and we’d been going back and forth about what the the main themes would be And then when things started crumbling last summer weeks from the fall of Kabul I got on a a a call with my editor and and publisher and and we all all sort of knew without having to say anything that this was what it should be be about And I’d be be in a a a a unique position to report on on it it PHOTOGRAPHED BY ANDREW QUILTY