In this beautifully nostalgic photo series, photographer Ziyah Gafic goes on a quest to capture and catalogue the personal belongings of those who were killed in the Bosnian War.
30,000 Bosnians were killed by the Serbian Army during the war and their belongings were buried along with them. Gafic's 'Quest for Identity' series is close to his heart as the photographer is from Sarajevo, but says that his family was "fairly lucky" in relation to the catastrophe of losses other families around him had to endure.
The photographer decided to catalog the personal belongings found in the mass graves during the conflict, which then turned into his nostalgic photo series. Photographing everyday items like toothbrushes, house keys, water bottles and identification papers, the seemingly mundane objects become surreal and harrowing.
Bosnian Personal Belonging Photography
The Nostalgic Photo Series Quest for Identity is Harrowing
Trend Themes
1. Nostalgic Photography - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a platform for photographers to create and share nostalgic photo series that capture personal belongings and tell unique stories.
2. Quest for Identity - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a digital platform or app that allows individuals to document and preserve their personal belongings as a means of exploring and understanding their own identity.
3. Surreal Object Photography - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies to create immersive virtual exhibitions showcasing surreal object photography.
Industry Implications
1. Photography - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop AI-powered camera systems that automatically recognize and capture emotionally impactful personal belongings in a way that tells powerful stories.
2. Archiving and Preservation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilize advanced digitization and storage technologies to create a comprehensive digital archive of personal belongings, ensuring their preservation and accessibility for generations to come.
3. Art and Exhibition - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Combine virtual reality and blockchain technologies to create decentralized art exhibitions that showcase powerful photography series like 'Quest for Identity'.