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EPISODE 122 FEATURES GILES DULEY
“I don’t give voice to anyone, but I have a really amazing tool and that’s my camera. I use my camera to amplify the voices of people who feel unheard.”
Today photographer Giles Duley is the CEO and founder of the Legacy of War Foundation, and an activist for the rights of those living with disabilities caused by conflict. But he started out working in music and fashion, shooting for magazines like Vogue, GQ and Arena.
Since 2004, his portrait photography has taken him all over the world, from Iraq and Jordan to South Sudan and Angola, documenting human stories, often in post-conflict zones or crisis situations. In 2015 he was commissioned by UNHCR to document the refugee crisis across the Middle East and Europe.
In 2011, while working as a photographer in Afghanistan, Giles himself was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED). He is now a triple-amputee. He was back taking photographs the following year.
The legacy of war is violent and harrowing. Be warned, some of the stories Giles tells are graphic. And yet, this interview is full of warmth, laughter and mostly importantly hope and humanity.
*This is the second part of a mini-series beginning with Article 22, the New York-based jewellery brand that works in Laos, uses repurposed metal from shrapnel and bomb casings & gives back to support artisan livelihoods, village development, community endeavours. Listen to Episode 121 here.
“I WAS VERY AWARE THAT INSIDE, I WAS THE SAME PERSON. WHAT CHANGES IS PEOPLE’S PERCEPTIONS OF ME.” - GILES DULEY
“WE USE THE PHRASE TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH, BUT I ALWAYS SAY THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHS AREN’T TAKEN THEY ARE GIVEN. STORIES ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS THINGS WE HAVE.” - GILES DULEY
NOTES
LEGACY OF WAR FOUNDATION is an international charity founded by Giles in 2017 to provide support to civilians affected by conflict with our head office is based in the UK. They say, “We aim to start conversations, build collaborations and support communities...We build projects from the ground up, with direct input from our beneficiaries regarding their needs. Supplying prosthesis, educational scholarships, specialised prosthetic training, and our flagship Land for Women programme are just some of our projects.” Read more and support here.
STATISTICS According to landminefree2025.org, “Global deaths and injuries from landmines hit a ten-year high in 2015 – a staggering 75% increase on those recorded in 2014.”
LANDMINE AWARENESS DAY is April 4.
HUMAN STORIES “At my heart, I’m a portrait photographer, that’s what I’ve always been. I love people, I’m fascinated by people and photography is like a passport into other people’s lives,” says Giles. Read the story of Khouloud and Jamal here.
Lebanon, 2014: ‘This is Khouloud and Jamal in the photograph I took in their tent in Bekaa valley, Lebanon, when I first met them.’ Photograph: Giles Duley
Mrs Mun (detail from Giles Duley’s portrait): her brother and daughter were killed recently by an unexploded bomb from the Vietnam war as the three worked in the fields. Photograph: Giles Duley
“I will never forget meeting Mrs. Mun in Laos. She was living in the village where she’d been born, Nummen. One of the most beautiful, lush valleys you could ever hope to see. Beneath the beauty, lies a terrible legacy. Nummen is one of the most heavily bombed places in the world. Between 1964 and 1973, one million cluster bomblets were dropped in the square kilometre around the tiny village.” Read her story here.
WATCH Giles’s TED talk below:
“I see myself as the luckiest man in the world. Only 20 people in this country [the UK] have even survived being blown up and losing three limbs. Eighteen months later I was back in Afghanistan working. I’ve travelled to 14 countries in the last year on my own. I have everything I ever wanted in my life, plus a lot more experience, a lot more understanding of life and death, my empathy, my connection with people.” - Giles Duley
ARTICLE 22 COLLABORATION This collab between Giles, Massive Attack and the social enterprise jewellery brand supports the work of Legacy of War. Find out more & shop the collection here.
MASSIVE ATTACK watch the clip in the podcast mentioned below:
READ AN INTERVIEW WITH GILES and see more of his photographs in Italian Vogue here.
THE JOY OF COOKING Giles is a wonderful cook - follow him on Instagram @one_armed_chef It’s awesome.
Pics by @one_armed_chef Chef Follow the journey on Instagram for more food joy
MUSIC is by Montaigne, who sang this special acoustic version of “Because I love You” from her album Glorious Heights, just for us.
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Clare & the Wardrobe Crisis team x