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Project/Program <br />Summary <br />I have dedicated the past 7 years to exploring Iran. W ith each series of <br />expeditions, I look to bring stories of underrepresented people & places to <br />my audience. To understand the immense cultural diversity of my birth <br />country would take lifetimes, so I prioritize my travels to the ‘traditional <br />worlds’ in Iran, before they fully modernize, & their living history, <br />disappears. <br />There are plenty of stateless nations in the world today. W ith a population <br />estimated around 30 million, the Kurds are one of the largest groups of <br />people without a proper nation state. Their traditional homeland, Kurdistan, <br />was forcibly broken up through centuries of political turmoil in the Middle <br />East. The land that was once Kurdistan is currently divided along the <br />borders of Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. The Kurdish people quite literally <br />live and die by the geography & politics surrounding this region, & have had <br />to fight to maintain their culture for centuries. <br />This August through December I will be traveling to Ostān-e Kordestān <br />(Kurdistan Province, one of 31 provinces in Iran). This mountainous region <br />is where the majority of Kurds in the country reside. W hile the terrain in this <br />area is wild & at times unforgiving, local guides will ensure safe passage to <br />off the beaten path villages. I seek to make personal connections, as I <br />have on previous expeditions, & capture images of seasonal celebrations, <br />daily life, a traditional wedding ceremony, among other experiences. <br />Images of people & places I intend to capture may include, but will not be <br />limited to, the following: <br />1. The Dengbêjs, singers of the music genre of the same name. The word <br />‘deng’ means voice and ‘bej’ means to sing. The music here has been <br />traditionally used to transmit stories, & these storytellers sing not only in <br />Kurdish, but Turkish & Farsi as well. <br />2. Palangan & surrounding area, an ancient stepped village surrounded by <br />virgin nature, inaccessible most of the year due to inclement weather & <br />treacherous roads. <br />3. Keras & Chookh-o-Raanak. The former is the typical dress of Kurdish <br />women, made of silk, lace, velvet, & satin. The latter refers to the two part <br />woolen blouse & pants for men. <br />4. The unique cuisine of the region. This fundamental part of the Kurdish <br />identity will be documented photographically at every step, by shadowing <br />shepherds in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, to joining families in <br />their kitchens as they prepare meals & bake bread in mud ovens. <br />The Kurds have a rich yet increasingly endangered folkloric tradition. Much <br />like extended treks in previous years in Iran, I am certain these upcoming <br />traverses will yield unique photographs, however that is where the <br />similarity ends. Kurdistan is a universe unto itself, endemic, somewhat <br />isolated except for a couple of smaller cities in the province, & fiercely <br />independent. I intend on opening a window into the lives of these oft- <br />forgotten people, & sharing this wonderful corner of our planet with a global <br />audience. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 02859F63-3D23-4F41-8A2A-72A471A6BA01