Interview with Johan Brooks. Covering the protest around Olympic Games 2020
The confrontation goes beyond the competition facilities at recent Olympics games when the biggest sports event on the planet turns into a mixture of political and public health disputes.
As more than 80% of the Japanese population were against the Olympics being held when asked back in May, many of them now flee to the streets of Tokyo and other capitals calling for an end not only to this event but to the whole organization.
Twitter explodes with #noolympics-, #CancelTokyoOlympics-, #AbolishIOC-like hashtags pushed by thousands of dedicated accounts from around the world, but established media do not rush to cover the disturbance.
Johan Brooks fills the gaps by reporting protests during the closing ceremony on the streets of Tokyo and we were honored to kick off mnngful with this reportage.
Zak Dimitrov holds a conversation with the photographer on his attitude and own role in the events:
Zak Dimitrov: What made you concentrate on the Olympics and this particular aspect of it?
Johan Brooks: The Olympics is obviously a huge event drawing attention and participation from around the world and I happened to be well-positioned to cover it. That I only focused on the protests was simply due to access restrictions. That said, I do think the protests and general anti-Olympic sentiment felt by a reported majority of the population here is a side of the story given less attention by the media than it is due.
ZD: How do you see your role as a photographer — pure spectator or something deeper? Would you get involved if you see violence, for example, break out?
JB: Considering all the ethical arguments, this is a challenging question and a fascinating one. As someone of a compassionate disposition who is pursuing photojournalism, I’ve thought about it often. When you go to document an event as a photojournalist, there’s an understanding that you do so in an objective fashion and refrain from intervening in what transpires.
I could say I’m of this conviction, but it’s hardly been tested sufficiently and the only way to know for sure what you’ll do in a given situation is to be confronted by it in the field. When it comes to witnessing violence and scenes of distress, I suppose there is also a line for photojournalists regarding how much they’re able to burden their soul with. When this line is crossed it could be said they effectively switch out from that role, but perhaps it’s a worthwhile trade-off given whatever good they manage to do and what they gain in their own sense of humanity.
ZD: That’s interesting you mention switching off, do you ever feel like you’re watching tv instead of witnessing a live event?
JB: Being in the mix of events that hold a certain gravity and that most, indeed, only see on TV or in stills can certainly register as surreal at times. There isn’t, however, much time to process it when your attention is so focused on your surroundings and the next photograph.
ZD: Could you give us a bit of a background to your practice, have you photographed any other widely popular events or was this the first of its kind?
JB: I’ve covered other local protests such as those for Black Lives Matter and animal rights groups, as well as some isolated incidents. Moving forward, I hope I’ll be able to document a lot more of the significant events that will make up our history.
ZD: If there was one event you wish you covered, either past or future, which would it be?
JB: I can’t speak to future events, but recent past would probably be the Black Lives Matter protests in the US. Having spent several years living in the US, it would have been great to record the heart of such a momentous series of events.
See the full story at stories.mnngful.com:
Johan Brooks is a documentary and street photographer
based out of Tokyo, Japan. Born in the UK, he grew up in NYC, and eventually found his way to Japan where he has been living for over 10 years. He is a member of the VoidTokyo photography collective.
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