TED x Oil Spill EXPEDITION: Headed to New Orleans & The Gulf of Mexico

With a broken heart and fists clenched in anger I prepare to head on down to the Gulf of Mexico to document the US worst ever environmental tragedy. One that is getting worse and worse each day. Copied from my photography blog, here’s some of the details about the trip.

Currently the entire world has their eyes and ears glued to the media that is coming out of the Gulf of Mexico, depicting the travesty and devastation around the BP Oil Spill. This man-made natural disaster is slowly destroying the natural landscape and wildlife of the Gulf of Mexico as an underwater oil rig leaks thousands of crude oil into the open water.

Many unsuccessful attempts have been tried to stop the leak and yet the oil still pours into the ocean. A community effort has spawned into a national event to bring together information, photographs and insightful advice as call to action for a much needed, better solution to this crisis.

On June 28th TEDx Oil Spill will be held in Washington, DC to bring together informative talks with creative and scientific individuals who have witnessed this crisis on the front lines of the gulf shore.

Just preceding TEDx Oil Spill, a Gulf of Mexico expedition has been planned in extreme effort to get to the bottom of the supposed media blackout that has emerged in information that coming out of BP, the Gulf of Mexico, the Oil Spill clean-up effort and the devastation that has happened since the initial leak. Static Photography photographer Kris Krüg and TED event photographer Duncan Davidson, along with the help of Static Photography studio manager Danielle Sipple, will travel to the Gulf of Mexico in attempts to photograph what has yet to be photographed.

 

The main goals of this expedition are to bear witness to the crisis that is happening and to create insightful media that can give a more concrete perspective of what is actually going on in the South.

There will be additions to the expedition team during the week, including videographer Pinar Ozger, writer Darron Collins and many others. This expedition is a collective effort, working with locals and onsite individuals from the New Orleans area as well as TEDx Oil Spill organizers in Washington, DC and beyond. Everyone will be inputing information and tireless energy into a effective presentation that can initiate a global perspective change to the Gulf Oil disaster.

 

The journey officially starts tomorrow morning but the initial leg work has been going on for weeks, often fuelled by the passionate resiliency to know the truth of devastating situations. The Static Photography blog will be host to photo essays during the journey as well as Kris Krüg's flickr photostream hosting the entire collection of photographs that are to come from the expedition.

Please check back for updates and photographs. There may be individuals heading down to the Gulf coast during this expedition but it is woven with the support and desperate motivation of a global community that connects everyone to this journey.

This expedition is an individually funded effort of documentation. There has been a TEDx Oil Spill Expedition donation page set up for anyone who wants to donate financial support. There are other ways to get involved as well.

Over a dozen and half global community meet-ups have been scheduled around the TEDx Oil Spill event on June 28th. Each of these meet-ups will meet in spirit of the effort that is happening during TEDx Oil Spill and could be simple as watching the event on its live stream to as grand as holding a similar event in order to gain a greater global perspective over the Gulf Oil disaster, our dependency on oil plus alternative ways to energy and fuel.

 

More information:

TEDx Oil Spill Expedition 

Donating to TEDx Oil Spill Expedition

TEDx Oil Spill event website  

Why we are going – Duncan Davidson 

Taking Action: TEDx Oil Spill – Dave Troy 

Event Registration TEDx Oil Spill  

The Oil Spill, the Scandal and the President – Rolling Stone