Photoday | Galerie | MASTERCLASS 2016 | Tomas Bachot, School of Arts/KASK

/Those who eat fish from the cyanide lake improve their sex life/ I have used the actual debate on the reopening of Romanian goldmines to explore the way in which a documentary story can be told. Within this quest the manipulation of the photographer plays a leading role. “The only true voyage of discovery (…) would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes.” (Proust) As a documentary photographer I am a professional liar. With my project I represent the daily life in the gold area of Romania. There, foreign companies try to reopen old goldmines. On the one hand this could create jobs, but on the other hand there is the danger of an environmental disaster. When I showed the photos from my first trip to a Romanian family where I stayed, the mother was shocked. Literally she said: “these pictures have no value for me.” She pointed out that I depicted Romania as a stereotype of misery. She was right. Before I arrived in Romania I had already had a preconceived image in my head, mainly created by the media. I was only pursuing that image in my head on the ground. The truth depends of the photographer. Than why not play another photographer each trip? I went back seven times to the gold area, each time photographing with another approach. Last time I used a camera, which automatically reacts to movement and heat. This resulted in a more abstract image of the region. Working this way I aim to give an overview of the Romanian gold area that is as diverse as possible. Moreover I want to raise questions about the role of the documentary photographer. The different ‘truths’ will oppose each other. I hope the viewer will question the credibility of the photographer and the relativity of an image. At this moment I am working on a book, where pictures, diary fragments, maps and reactions from locals will be mixed.