Coltan, a Judith Prat exhibit
The Spanish photographer visited Rubaya in North Kivu of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to photograph working conditions of coltan miners. Coltan is a mineral essential in the manufacturing of electronic components. Photo courtesy of Judith Prat.
From January 14 to February 3, the Centre will be presenting Judith Prat’s exhibit Coltan, shown for the first time in Montreal. Winner of the sixth edition of the photography contest Human Nature (previously Man and the Environment), the exhibit is organized in collaboration with the Groupe Photo Média International and Eurêko.
The Spanish photographer visited Rubaya in North Kivu of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to photograph working conditions of coltan miners.
The DRC has 80% of world reserves of coltan, a black or reddish-brown mineral essential in the manufacturing of electronic components. The country was plunged into an extremely complex conflict with some 20 different armed groups in North Kivu and South Kivu that are financed out of the control of the mines. Miners working conditions are extremely difficult and dangerous, the mineral extraction being done in a traditional way.
Opening, program launch, conference and Green Dating Social
The art opening will take place on January 14 at 12:15 during the Centre’s 2016 program launch and special talk on the troubling impact of our electronic devices, held in collaboration with the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal.
This exhibit will also serve as backdrop and conversation piece on January 28 during the Centre’s Green Dating Social, an evening of mingling with like-minded, socially and environmentally conscious singles. Bring your friends!
Duration: 1:30. Voluntary contributions. Sign up here: lamdd.org/rsvp
About the artist
Now a Spanish freelance photographer, Judith Prat began to train in documentary photography and photo-journalism after graduating in law. She soon became aware of her passion for photography, and of how powerful images could be in capturing the realities she came face to face with.
Her journey as a photographer has been defined by her interest in recounting what happens, in reporting on realities that are sometimes not visible and in bringing to life human stories about anonymous people. It is often these small stories that can tell us how the world in which we live really is.
In recent years she has taken pictures of different themes such as the living conditions of prisoners in Panama jails, the consequences of the economic crisis for immigrants living in Spain, and Syrian refugees living in neighbouring countries.
Thank you!
The Centre for Sustainable Development would like to thank the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal, Fondaction, the Groupe Photo Média International, Copticom, Novae, the Journal Métro as well as Alcoa, its main partner in programming. The greenhouse gas emissions generated by program participants’ transportation are offset thanks to a partnership with Planetair.
