Overview

The Enchanted Ones, by Stephanie Pommez, is a visual tale unfolding along the banks of the Brazilian Amazon, the source of myths and culture of the Ribeirinhos, or river dwellers. The story speaks of a deep-rooted connection between a people and their environment. In this narrative, the line between reality and the unseen blurs, unravelling the mysteries of existence. These mysteries seamlessly traverse both the metaphysical realm and the observable world. Drawing from Indigenous, African, and Portuguese traditions, the Ribeirinho culture is steeped in myths that reflect the intricate relationships between the river, the forest, and its people. Central to these myths are the encantados - shape-shifting beings said to inhabit both the waters and forests. Stephanie Pommez weaves images and words into a visual tale that reinterprets these stories and explores parallel worlds beyond the visible. After spending years photographing and filming the work of traditional midwives in the Amazon, Stephanie Pommez understood that they were not only the custodians of life but also the keepers of culture. The midwives carry the narratives of the Ribeirinhos, passing down oral histories. The Enchanted Ones is an homage to this rich cultural tapestry. The use of film and the subtle imperfections of grain bring a tactile texture to the photographs, heightening their organic feel in the intimate atmosphere brought forth by the images.

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9783969001745

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Stéphanie Pommez is a photographer and filmmaker based in New York. She grew up in Brazil, concentrated her studies in International Development and Art History at McGill University in Montreal, and after several years working in the humanitarian sector launched her career in photography in the late 90s. Her images have been published and exhibited in various countries and her documentary broadcast on channels such as National Geographic, ARTE, TV CULTURA, TV5 among others. She is known for Mondovino (2004) Amazonie la vie au bout des doigts (2005) and Baby Catchers of the Amazon (2006). Régina Monfort is an independent photography and visual book editor experienced with long-form narratives and based in France. Spending the last 35 years in the United States, she worked for cultural institutions such as the Dallas Museum of Art and Yale University and legendary photographers Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. She has taught photography at CUNY La Guardia Community College, Pratt Institute, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. From 2015 to 2018, she served as co-curator of the Eyes on Main Street Outdoor Photo Festival. Her photographic work has been exhibited widely and is in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and the Yale Art Gallery among others.

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