Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013 awarded for War Primer 2 collages

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Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin have been awarded the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013, thanks to their impressive “War Primer 2” publication, inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s original War Primer.

The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize is an annual competition which is looking to award the photographer with the most significant contribution to photography in Europe.

deutsche-börse-photography-prize-2013 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013 awarded for War Primer 2 collages Exposure

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013 has been awarded to Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin for the “War Primer 2” publication, consisting of War on Terror photos and Bertolt Brecht’s short poems. Credits: Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin.

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013 awarded to Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin

The 2013 edition is the first time that the contest’s judges have given the first prize to a pair of photographers. The laureates are Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, who both reside in London, UK.

The pair has been presented with the award during a special event at The Photographers’ Gallery, where their winning publication will remain until the end of the month.

For the “War Primer 2” publication, Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin have received a prize of £30,000 in cash. The photographers have released War Primer 2 as a limited edition book and then as a free e-book, both consisting of same photo collages.

War Primer 2 is the re-imagination of Bertolt Brecht’s 1955 War Primer

War Primer 2 has been inspired by the original War Primer work, which has been published by Bertolt Brecht back in 1955, in order to show the horrors of the World War 2.

Broomberg and Chanarin’s work is similar, the difference being that the artists have focused their attention on the War on Terror, started by the United States after terrorists have hijacked several airplanes, crashing two of them into the twin World Trade Center towers.

Brecht used short poems as descriptions for the World War 2 images, while Broomberg and Chanarin have adapted the poems to match their collages.

Broomberg and Chanarin adapted Brecht’s poems to low-resolution images of the War on Terror

Most of the War Primer 2 collages consist of photos taken with mobile devices and other images taken from the internet. This fact has attracted the criticism of other photographers, as it is the second time in a row the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize is awarded for unoriginal work.

Anyway, the jury has been impressed by the “re-imagining of Brecht’s War Primer”, as the pair has taken this concept even further by showing that there is a strong relationship between the photos and the text.

Despite what you may think, it is clear that the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013 winning text+image collages are sending a powerful message, saying that we should all stop fighting.

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