A Statement
Recent developments cause us to want to make a statement about a situation that fills us with horror and makes us sad. Everyone has been following the news in Israel and Palestine and it will leave no one unmoved. We recently posted a message on Instagram to ask how a young Israeli baker and his family are doing. A baker with whom we spent time, whose work we photographed for this project and who briefly welcomed us into his life. This question, this post on Instagram, has provoked a flood of (mainly DM) responses. Many were immediately ready to push us into a political corner. Out of nowhere we are called 'brutal murderers', accused of supporting Israeli politics and of being anti-Palestine.
When we ask how an Israeli baker is faring in this horrible situation, we are not pro-Netanyahu. If we spent time with a Palestinian baker, were impressed by his bakery and breads, we are not pro-Hamas. When we photograph matzos among religious, Orthodox Jews, we do not justify the atrocities in the West Bank.
We meet bakers with very diverse backgrounds. All over the world. People from different walks of life. We don't judge them, we narrate about their profession (baker) and show their products (bread).
Privately we have our preferences, our opinions. But our individual statements are of no relevance to this account on Instagram. Here, we are photographers.
To quote Nick Nolte in the famous film Under Fire: 'I don't take sides, I take pictures'. That's exactly what we do here. We take pictures.
Don't box us into a corner. You will not be successful. We do not discuss such complex topics on this Instagram account. This account exists for a different purpose and you are free to unfollow us. Social media have proven to be ideally suited for unsubtle attacks, often even anonymously. We refuse to participate in it. We will not stoop to one-liners and aggressive verbal attacks.
We will continue to respectfully photograph bakers, tell their stories, and showcase their beautiful products. And somewhere we even hope that this will connect people. A few ingredients that yield a great diversity of expressions.
You would almost think that humans could learn something from bread.
Love. And love.