Artist's Statement

When the left goes into the streets, people
temporarily liberate the public space, turning it into
a venue for the expression of their beliefs. Indymedia
amplifies and disseminates the messages that are
expressed in that way. A crucial part of that task is
undertaken with photographs.

The pictures in this display are from my work for SF
Bay Indymedia from 2000 until the end of last year.
Since then I have switched to digital photography.
But these pictures were all done with 35mm film (which
meant a lot of trips to the one-hour lab!)

My first political photographs were taken shortly
after the People's Park police riot in 1969, when the
National Guard occupied Berkeley. I was twelve years
old. I got a picture of a guardsman, bivouacked on
the corner where I grew up, flashing me the peace
sign.

I worked in the 80s for the Guardian Newsweekly out
of New York, photographing many demonstrations against
intervention in Central America. I took my camera to
Nicaragua, and had two photos of Sandinista warriors
in a show locally called "Nicaragua through the North
American Eye."

In 2000 I was introduced to Indymedia in Los Angeles
during the Democratic Convention there. That fall I
became a volunteer for the San Francisco branch, and
soon became photo coordinator. We have a skilled,
talented crew of photographers now, and anyone can
contribute in the spirit of open publishing.

Check us out at sfbay.indymedia.org, or indybay.org!

Peter Maiden