It’s a fantastic experience being part of a collective that provides a non-commercial platform. To encourage artists from all over the world to show their talents and abilities to a live audience is a wonderful thing. Artists can improve these talents and abilities through a direct interaction and feedback with and from the live audience - the co-creative power in front of the stage.
My role as photographer supports another side of feedback as it offers the artists promotion through visual documentation and representation. The photographs reveal the joy of the moment of live performance by the artist surrounded by the creative vibe and atmosphere of an international and multicultural setting.
Aside from the artists themselves, the photograph captures the effect on the live-audience, they are also actively and enthusiastically absorbed in creating the mesmerizing atmosphere of the Raison d’Etre events. A colourful crowd of people, a great unifying spirit due to the different cultures, countries, and backgrounds celebrating world music - for free!

Raison d’Etre’s honest and open-minded approach is recognised as audiences and participation grow from strength to strength; and through this opportunity I have been able to evolve with it. It has allowed for my other passion, sound engineering, to be incorporated.
This involves a hand-built soundsystem, which I have been constructing over the last year. It has recently been used in a Raison d’Etre event - a very exciting moment for me.
Having contributed through my own passion and seeing so many others contributing through and with their passions, it is clear to me that raison d’Etre is truly an artistic COLLECTIVE.

18th December 2004