Once again we have chosen a student project on this uncommonly heavy subject: two years ago there was also a book about the fall of Srebrenica in the selection. That, however, is where any similarity ends.
This small documentary book is the graduation project of a photography student who is also its creator and publisher. It’s a simple but charming bound notebook and there was a deep sense that the vision it displays and the manner in which it came into being – and its striking presentation – merited recognition.
The whole thing is beautifully printed and lithographed. Bound with a cloth spine and functional fold-outs it also has a number of inserted loose documents. The cover is the shade of a UNIFIL beret and has a pasted-on but partially torn-off photo so that each copy is unique.
The book’s styling led inevitably to a discussion of whether it was really one of the year’s bestdesigned books, but in the end the combination of research and the experimental nature of a student project together with professional production values eventually swung the vote in its favour.
This little book also prompted us, by its content, to ponder what exactly was reality and what fiction in this human drama. The view was that the appealing photographic work was already of a high standard, but added to that the unusual way in which a single person created and completed such a production had already been enough to earn a Distinction on completing their degree at Fotoacademie Amsterdam. It is a pity the relevant website appears no longer to be working.