The past two months have been some of the busiest ever here at ‘The Human, Earth Project’, and there’s a lot more coming up in the next two months.
I have three huge announcements for you today – about the festival launch of the final ‘Sisters for Sale’ book, touring the ‘Sisters for Sale’ documentary to the ACT, NSW and Queensland, and an upcoming ‘Sisters for Sale’ exhibition.
All three of those things are so exciting I hardly know where to begin…
‘Sisters for Sale’ documentary tour
Last year we formally partnered with Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation to host educational screenings of the ‘Sisters for Sale’ documentary. Blue Dragon’s Kim Miller and I have since hosted screenings with some of Australia’s most prestigious educational institutions, including the University of Sydney and UTS.
Because of COVID, those screenings have all taken place online – but now, for the first time, Kim and I will be touring ‘Sisters for Sale’ in person. Our first stop will be the University of Canberra at 6.30pm this coming Friday 18th March.
This Canberra screening will be open to the public, and if you’re in the area, it will be wonderful to see you there – you can find more details and reserve your spot here!
The second leg of the tour will take place in April. Kim and I have planned a tour north to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast, then back to Sydney via NSW’s north coast. While these plans have been complicated by the recent devastating flooding in that area, we’ve decided to push ahead and connect with as many communities as we can.
Kim and I will be in that area from the 14th April to the 5th May. Unlike the public Canberra screening, many of our screenings in QLD and northern NSW are expected to be private. If you’d like to host a screening in your school or community, please reach out to Kim at kim@bdcf.org for further details.
‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’ book launch
For the past year I’ve been working on the fourth and final ‘Sisters for Sale’ book, ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’. It’s the longest of the four and was by far the most challenging to write – but I believe it’s the most powerful and thought-provoking yet, and I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish.
As deadly riots erupt across Vietnam and security tightens in China, kidnapped friends May and Pang find themselves stranded a world away from their homes and families, struggling with the dilemma between their baby girls and their own freedom.
The book features a series of special messages from journalist Anemi Wick and from May and Pang themselves.
‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’ will be launched by journalist Alexandra Morris at the Newcastle Writers’ Festival on 3rd April. It will be a free, one-hour event at the wonderful Press Bookhouse in Hunter Street. Places are limited so come early to be sure of a seat – more details here on the festival site!
The books have all been written so they can be read independently of each other, so you don’t need to have read the first three before checking out the fourth!
‘Sisters for Sale’ photo exhibition
Those of you who are familiar with my hometown of Newcastle, Australia, will be familiar with the iconic Nobbys headland at the entrance to the harbour.
Atop the headland is a lighthouse surrounded by a series of beautiful old heritage buildings, one of which has recently been converted into the most stunningly-situated art gallery in the city.
(Photo by R.A. Stanley Landscape Photography)
As many of you know, ‘The Human, Earth Project’ began as a photography project, and the project’s name was taken from a photo exhibition which never actually happened.
I have the great honour of hosting the very first solo exhibition at the gallery (!), which will open on Saturday 7th May and run for a month.
The ‘Sisters for Sale’ exhibition will share five rooms’ worth of stories, photos, and videos, not only of my kidnapped friends May and Pang, but (for the first time!) also of my epic ten-month journey through ten countries of Asia to find 100 people I’d previously photographed there.
It’s really exciting to be putting the show together – if you’re in the area, come along and check it out!
I’ll leave you with a few of the photos I’ve been sorting through for the exhibition…
Stay tuned!
Ben
