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World Press Photo Gallery

by 2007 prizewinners

As a sponsor of the World Press Photo 07 exhibition in Toronto, The Walrus is pleased to present a critical analysis of a selection of the images.

Photographer: Spencer Platt, USA, Getty Images

Description: Young Lebanese drive down a street in Haret Hreik, a bombed neighborhood in southern Beirut, Lebanon, on August 15, 2006. For nearly five weeks Israel had been targeting that part of the city and towns across southern Lebanon in a campaign against Hezbollah militants. As a ceasefire gradually came into force from August 14, thousands of Lebanese began to return to their homes. According to the Lebanese government, 15,000 homes and 900 commercial concerns were damaged.

Comment by Stephen Bulger, gallery owner and curator:

I thought this was a terribly disturbing picture when I first saw it. The fact that this photograph seems to touch on a number of issues that plague photography and humanity, causes my continued engagement and repulsion. Devastation, tragedy, destruction, communication, voyeurism and displacement; all neatly compressed into one frame.

At first glance, this photograph is an indictment of the five youths in the car. Clearly the children of privilege, they seem to be on an innocuous Sunday drive. Their bright red sports car and fashions show them as the 'in crowd'. What is it that shields them from the devastation that surrounds them? Is it the shiny car, their money, or their attitude? It is the latter notion which troubles me the most because it isn't the attitudes of these five that disturbs me, but our own. Although we are informed of the world's problems and hold opinions for solutions, or at the very least we express exasperation at the improbability of finding answers to many specific issues from regions with systemic hatred, we are sheltered in our own islands of affluence. We pass through the troubles of others by reading the paper, watching the TV, or looking at photographs. When will we stop the car to get out and help?

--Stephen opened the Stephen Bulger Gallery in 1995. He represents over 20 photographers. He is a co-founder of CONTACT, Toronto's photography festival, and the First Vice President of the Board for the Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD). www.bulgergallery.com

Further reading in The Walrus:
- Photo Essay: "War Stories" by Rita Leistner (Sept 2007)
- Bonus Photos for "War Stories" (Sept 2007 - online exclusive)

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