Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo Terren Toro from Escuela Argentina de Fotografía, Argentina, are the winners of the Student Focus Competition for the Sony World Photography Awards 2010.
© Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo
Terren Toro, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2010
From the 120 institutions initially selected to compete, 12 students were shortlisted from six institutions across six continents to take part in the final stage of the competition. The students’ challenge was to produce a series of six photographs that explored the notion of ‘Power’. The 12 students were given two weeks to complete the exercise within their local community. The 12 winning students and the overall winning university received a combined prize of €45,000 (Approximately Rs. 21,04,195) worth of digital SLR photographic equipment, courtesy of Sony.
© Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo
Terren Toro, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2010
Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo Terren Toro’s winning images, entitled Villa Epecuen, depict the overwhelming power of water. Villa Epecuen in Argentina was a town which for many years drew tourists who believed that its saltwater lake had healing properties. It was a sacred place for the native people of Argentina.
© Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo
Terren Toro, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2010
In 1985 Villa Epecuen was completely flooded when the lake overflowed its embankments, covering over half the town. The aftermath of the disaster reveals the powerful and devastating effects of water.
© Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo
Terren Toro, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2010
Student Focus 2010 judge, Sue Steward, commented:
"The choice of Power as the theme for this year’s Student Focus ignited an exceptional standard and variety of work. Maybe it’s the abstract quality of the word which prompted interestingly different responses from the six universities. The winning Argentine series followed-up the story of a tragic flood 25 years ago, a description of the power of nature. The photographers found beauty in the stark, abandoned and destroyed landscape, the chaos of fallen bricks and concrete, dark leafless trees, and partially demolished buildings - the crucial reminders of lives once lived there. The choice was difficult but ultimately this series possessed the greatest maturity and depth of them all.”
© Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo
Terren Toro, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2010
The students’ images were judged by an esteemed panel of arts professionals: Adrian Evans – Director of Panos pictures agency, Adrian Boot – Music photographer and co-founder of www.urbanimage.tv, Jonathon Torgovnik – widely exhibited documentary photographer and co-founder of NGO, Foundation Rwanda, Idris Khan – artist and Sue Steward – photography critic, writer, radio broadcaster, photo-editor and journalist.
© Victoria Ines Dobaño and Rodrigo
Terren Toro, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2010
More information about Student Focus 2011 can be found at www.worldphoto.org/student-focus/
