About the Book
East Bank
For centuries the European trade route that worked its way from Asia via Istanbul snaked its way to a small village in the Balkan region, now known as Herzegovina. It was here that the grandest bridge of the Ottoman age spanned the canyon carved by the majestic Neretva River, which blocked the trade route. For over four hundred years Mostar’s Stari Most ‘Old Bridge’ was seen as one of the architectural marvels of south eastern Europe. Then on 9th November 1993 an artillery bombardment from Croat positions caused this grand structure to crumble into the blue waters below.
On my first visit to Bosnia Herzegovina in August 2013 I was captivated by the beauty of the country that I had only known about due to its troubled history. The jewel in its crown is the city of Mostar where the Ottoman bridge spans the blue waters of the Neretva River, and where in summer local teenagers brave the 20m dive to earn a few Bosnian Marks from the tourists. Yet just blocks away from the Stari Grad, Old Town, the city still bears the scars of one of the most brutal attacks of the war.
Having returned to Bosnia in 2014 to start this project I had identified that Mostar would be one of my key locations in the project. As Mostar has such a large influx of tourist today I had no realisation that despite being twenty years on from the war the surrounding area would be unsafe. Finding myself photographing in an active minefield would change my view on this.
This body of work entitled ‘East Bank’ is just part of a series that chronicles the breakup of Yugoslavia. East Bank focuses solely upon Herzegovina during the nine month Croat siege of the Bosniak population of Mostar. Its title derives from the location of the Bosniak enclave which was located upon the east bank of the Neretva River.
For centuries the European trade route that worked its way from Asia via Istanbul snaked its way to a small village in the Balkan region, now known as Herzegovina. It was here that the grandest bridge of the Ottoman age spanned the canyon carved by the majestic Neretva River, which blocked the trade route. For over four hundred years Mostar’s Stari Most ‘Old Bridge’ was seen as one of the architectural marvels of south eastern Europe. Then on 9th November 1993 an artillery bombardment from Croat positions caused this grand structure to crumble into the blue waters below.
On my first visit to Bosnia Herzegovina in August 2013 I was captivated by the beauty of the country that I had only known about due to its troubled history. The jewel in its crown is the city of Mostar where the Ottoman bridge spans the blue waters of the Neretva River, and where in summer local teenagers brave the 20m dive to earn a few Bosnian Marks from the tourists. Yet just blocks away from the Stari Grad, Old Town, the city still bears the scars of one of the most brutal attacks of the war.
Having returned to Bosnia in 2014 to start this project I had identified that Mostar would be one of my key locations in the project. As Mostar has such a large influx of tourist today I had no realisation that despite being twenty years on from the war the surrounding area would be unsafe. Finding myself photographing in an active minefield would change my view on this.
This body of work entitled ‘East Bank’ is just part of a series that chronicles the breakup of Yugoslavia. East Bank focuses solely upon Herzegovina during the nine month Croat siege of the Bosniak population of Mostar. Its title derives from the location of the Bosniak enclave which was located upon the east bank of the Neretva River.
Features & Details
- Primary Category: Arts & Photography Books
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Project Option: Standard Landscape, 10×8 in, 25×20 cm
# of Pages: 60 - Publish Date: Feb 28, 2015
- Language English
- Keywords Bosnian War, Mostar, Bosnia, Genocide, Conflict
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