Investigative Photojournalism Research
Robert S. Brown Fellows Program
Fellowship Winner, 2021-22
This solo research undertaking focused on a photojournalistic investigation of the architectural remnants of the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. I was awarded this travel fellowship by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a research proposal that sought to explore how reconstruction and preservation have played a role in recovery and remembrance efforts in Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The Yugoslav Wars have had an unyielding and indelible impact on the built environment in the region. Left in the wake of heavy shelling and artillery fire, these remnants tell a story of a decade of conflict. With an uncertain future, the scars of strife left behind have solidified the architectural legacies, urban identities, and collective cultural memory of a former nation as a means of reckoning with the past.
During a 40-day self-guided journey through the Balkan nations, I photographed and cataloged these countless physical and societal “scars of strife” that have impacted urban areas in the region. Following the completion of this investigation, I compiled and produced a photo book (depicted at right) as a culmination of this research effort.
