Pumbu, Tatango, Jackson, James and dozens of other orphans, all share similar experiences of violence and pain. They are the primates -gorillas, chimpanzees, orang-utans and bonobos- who feature in United Colors of Benetton’s communication project from 2004, by James Mollison for Fabrica. It is a very close “face to face” with the living beings who share our planet and over 96 percent of our DNA.
James Mollison had taken close-up pictures of the orphans, who were confiscated from illegal traders and form the population of at least seven sanctuaries in Africa and Asia. Many of them saw their mother killed before their eyes. Together, and each captioned with his or her name and biography, they testify to the importance of saving the various species of great apes.
With this initiative Benetton had chosen to extend its reflection on diversity as a wealth of our planet, from the human races to our nearest cousins. With anthropological rigor, the portraits by James Mollison invite us to reflect on the fundamental issues of humankind, mirrored in the enigmatic gaze of the species closest to us in the evolutionary chain.
James Mollison
In the year 2000 James Mollison took on the photography for Benetton’s advertising campaigns and became a regular contributor to COLORS Magazine.
His work in 2001 for Benetton’s campaign in support of the United Nations’ Year of the Volunteer challenged the stereotypical ideas of volunteers.
In 2002 he shot his second campaign for Benetton, this time in association with the WFP (World Food Programme) The United Nations Frontline Agency in the Battle Against Global Hunger.
Reference: www.benettongroup.com/apes/pressinfo/benetton/index.html
1 comment:
Thanks Jacqui I found your blog really interesting. I think these bennetton campaigns where enlightening and honest at all costs, unusual in the world of advertising & this is a great example of that. Paula
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