This photography exhibit aimed to give Americans a more direct and personal experience of Afghanistan. My concept was to bring people face-to-face with ordinary Afghans, set in the geographic context that has been a distinct part of the nation’s history.

I chose a series of landscapes to have printed as wall canvases, and portraits to be printed on fabric. I wanted to give viewers a sense of walking through Afghanistan and meeting its people.

John Seibel Photography researched suitable forms of media (inkjet printable fabric) to reproduce these life-sized portraits, and did the photo editing and printing that made the exhibit come to life.

I envisioned a display in which the prints were suspended from the ceiling via nearly invisible means, allowing viewers to walk through and encounter the portraits directly. The satin fabric that John found worked perfectly – the portraits glowed as light shown through them, and seemed to breathe as they moved slightly in the air.

The exhibit, accompanied by talks that I gave, was applauded as compelling and educational. It has been shown at four galleries in Georgia.