The sixth £20,000 grant is awarded to Kiana Hayeri for

“Promises Written On The Ice, Left In The Sun”

Kiana’s multimedia project maps media coverage of women in Afghanistan using techniques of conventional journalism and the mechanisms of advance paid search engines and adaptive codes to identify and trace the histories of  women who have received public attention after being been profiled in the media.  In collaboration with SOMA (Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan) and ANJU (Afghanistan National Journalist Union) Kiana Hayeri will trace the stories of these women’s lives since their moment in the spotlight and share their experiences on an interactive website that will reveal the strength of the participants and the dangers of dilettante “hit & run” journalism.

Pamela Chen, one of the judges said, “All the shortlisted proposals have thoughtful scope and demonstrate depth of research. Kiana’s work is distinguished by how she leads with her heart. The strength of her personal vision shapes this project, and her voice has the power to advance the narrative beyond current boundaries.”

Alasdair Foster added, “To me, Kiana’s approach feels similar to my sense of how Tim worked: he responded to each situation humanely and intuitively, and then strove to understand its potential meaning through subsequent reflection. That is quite different from approaching other people’s lives as a pre-conceived photographic project.​”

More about Kiana Hayeri here

Promises Written On The Ice, Left In The Sun was selected from a shortlist of seven exceptional proposals drawn from the all the work submitted to the Tim Hetherington Trust for consideration in 2020.  We invite you to look at the shortlisted work and meet the judges:

Shortlisted 2020

About The Visionary Award

The Visionary Award is designed to foster innovative approaches to storytelling and supports visionary individuals who we hope will offer inspiration to others by example.   The award seeks out visual artists and journalists whose thinking and process reaches beyond the limitations of conventional media practice to create engaging and dynamic communications using any appropriate technology to create and distribute stories that inspire audiences and bring a fresh understanding of the chosen subject.

The successful candidates demonstrate personal vision, artistic ability, ethical integrity and have the necessary craft skills to execute their project effectively.  The award particularly favors projects that can be augmented by the application of new skills or technologies and in addition to the £20,000 cash grant we will find mentors to help expand the scope of the project beyond initial expectations.  Openness to new ideas and willingness to work in partnership are key characteristics for eligibility.