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28 images Created 16 Jun 2020

"Us & Them" Project. 2015 to Present.

The “Us & Them” project by Wayne Martin Belger is a museum-based Camera and Photo Installation that focuses on the fictitious “us” and “them” that governments and the “powerful” create and use as a tool to dehumanize, divide, dominate and at times exterminate a select group of humans.
The first photoshoots for the “Us & Them” project took place in November 2015 on the Greek Island of Lesbos in the Kara Tepe Syrian Refugee Camp. After that the camera project traveled to the Palestinian Territories to meet, connect with, and photograph Palestinian families living in the West Bank. Then spent two months in Standing Rock North Dakota with the Sioux Water Protectors and they protested a pipeline going through their ancestral lands. And then recently visited all five of the Zapatista rebel compounds deep in the jungles of Chiapas Mexico as they face a country-altering election.
For the last four years Wayne Martin Belger with the “Us & Them” camera has traveled the world to connect with like humans “Us”, forced into inhumane situations. And he will continue traveling to places with injustice, war and persecution to bring awareness to the myth of Us and Them.
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  • "Us & them, Standing Rock #2" <br />
On the hill top behind Mychal (The Navajo woman in the photo) are heavily armed National Guardsmen, Sheriffs, Police and DAPL hired guns, ready to repel the Sioux and their supporters, from gaining access to an ancient Sioux burial site. <br />
I ask everyone I photograph for the "Us & Them" project, to write something from their heart. The script in red at the top of the print is what Mychal wrote. <br />
In Diné it reads, "To be of the people means you must have reverence and care for all the resources and all the beauty of this world."<br />
<br />
 48"x60" print made from 9- 16"x20" sheets of gelatin silver paper, each individually developed and toned, then mounted in a Steel frame with 5 gallons of acrylic resin poured over the print.<br />
<br />
1 of 1, 2016
    "Us & Them, Standing Rock #..uot;
  • "Us & Them" Museum Installation at SDAI (San Diego Art Institute) September - November 2018.
    "Us & Them" Museum Ins..tion
  • "Us & Them" photo shoot during a battle between the Standing Rock Sioux Water Protectors and the Sheriffs Dept, National Guard, and Dakota Access Pipeline hired guns. <br />
<br />
The woman in the photo is from the Navajo Nation.
    "Us & Them" photo shoo..ota.
  • "Us & Them" camera, side view. <br />
The "Us & Them" Camera made for this project is constructed from aircraft aluminum, titanium, steel, brass, copper, silver and glass. The camera contains artifacts that relate the subject of "Us & Them". In the front of the camera hangs a silver crucifix that once belonged to Eva Braun (Adolf Hitlers wife), and has Evas monogram on the back. In the three silver pyramids on the top and sides of the camera, are chambers containing a human artifacts from the Vietnam war. They were donated by a U.S. Vietnam Vet, and were part of his "proof of kill box" where he was required to take a body part from everyone he killed during the war. The back of the camera is a glass and rusty steel chamber. All of the glass I found in the Palestinian territories. Inside the chamber is an armband from WWII with a yellow Star of David on it. On the left side of the armband is a red stamp signifying that the owner of the armband was a registered Jew with the Nazi party. And wrapped around the armband is barbed wire that I picked up at the Israeli/Syrian border and was from the 1967 Six Day War. Interestingly while I was at the Syrian border, I experienced a massive air strike and bombing campaign from U.S. or Russian forces on a town close to the border. You could also hear antiaircraft fairly close to our position.
    "Us & Them" Camera, Side
  • "Us & Them" photo shoot of a Zapatista commander and a couple hundred of his solders in a Zapatista Rebel encampment deep in the jungles of Palenque Mexico.<br />
<br />
Funny side note... <br />
Setting up shots, shooting and then tearing down takes a lot of time. During after this shot, the Zapatista convoy I was riding with left the Palenque compound and was on its way to another Rebel base about 6 hours away. <br />
Without me... <br />
 I ran for the truck as it was leaving.  With 50lbs of gear on my back, I didn’t make it...<br />
I watched the convoy disappear in the jungle with my gear bag leaving me with no money, no passport, no food, and a pathetic knowledge of the Spanish language... <br />
So I started hiking the road in the direction of the convoy surrounded by beautiful, thick jungle and the epic sounds of life coming from the jungle. <br />
Then after a few miles I came around a bend and there was the convoy, stopped! <br />
It’s difficult keeping a convoy of 60+ vintage vehicles rolling smoothly on small, muddy Mexican jungle roads... <br />
I found my truck, climbed onboard and was greeted with cheers.
    "Us & Them" Zapatista ..oot.
  • "Us & Them, Zapatista #2"<br />
Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in a Zapatista military compound in Chiapas Mexico close to the Guatemalan border.<br />
<br />
The person in the photo is a Zapatista commander in charge of the platoon lining the street. <br />
He declined to write a "words from the heart" message for the photo. He was a little busy... <br />
<br />
So grateful he took the time and trusted some strange, tall white boy, to point a bizarre looking camera at him for multiple 15 second exposures. <br />
The beauty of quiet trust and human connection.<br />
<br />
48"x60" gelatin silver analog print. <br />
1 or 2. 2017
    "Us & Them, Zapatista #2"
  • Us & Them photo shoot in the food tent of the Moria Refugee Camp in Lesbos Greece.
    Us & Them Photo shoot,Syrian ref..jpeg
  • "Us & Them, Moria Refugee Camp #2"  Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in the food tent of the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos Greece, 2016.  The woman's hand written "Words from the Heart" in Arabic reads "Hope". 48"X60" print, made of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin covering the image. 1/2, 2016.
    "Us & Them, Moria Refugee C..uot;
  • Us & Them photo shoot in the Kara Tepe Syrian refugee Camp in Lesbos Greece.
    Us & Them photo shoot
  • IMG_3563.jpg
  • First photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera.  The young Syrian boy in the photo just arrived to Lesbos Greece on a rubber boat from Turkey.   Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in the Kara Tepe refugee camp in Lesbos Greece, 2015.  The young mans hand written "Words from the Heart", in Arabic reads "Jamal Safety".   48"X60" analog print, made of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin covering the image. 1/2, 2016.
    "Us & Them, Kara Tepe Refug..ece.
  • "Us & Them, Moria Refugee Camp #1"  Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in the food tent of the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos Greece, 2016.  The Syrian gentalmans hand written "Words from the Heart", in Arabic reads "Zabadani, we miss you." (Zabadani refers to his hometown in the hills outside Damascus.   48"X60" analog print, made of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin covering the image. 1/2, 2016.
    "Us & Them, Moria Refugee C..uot;
  • "Us & Them, Moria Refugee Camp #3". Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in the food tent of the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos Greece, 2016.  The young woman's hand written "Words from the Heart", in Dari reads "We love you all."   48"X60" analog print, made of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin covering the image. 1/1, 2016.
    "Us & Them, Moria Refugee C..uot;
  • "Us & Them, Palestine #2" Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in the Palestinian Territories, 2016.  The hand written "Words from the Heart", is his poem, and in Arabic it reads "“That is it to be in love with Winter, the feeling of kisses dripping on you from the sky.<br />
It’s drops are fondling and combing your hair effortlessly. Your inside shivers and you breath water and clarity. Barefoot, free from every tie and any blind traditions. You look to the see a spectacular beauty in the sky. Crazy, Yes. <br />
Through my craziness is the dream of the happy ones. Only rebels would feel it, those who refuse to obey orders and insisted on staying alive.” <br />
48"X60" analog print, made of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin covering the image. 1/1, 2017.
    "Us & Them, Palestine #2"
  • "Us & Them, Palestine #1" Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in the Palestinian Territories, 2016.  The hand written "Words from the Heart", in Arabic it reads;<br />
 "Love, Hope, Happiness, Respect, Caring” <br />
<br />
48"X60" analog print, made of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin covering the image.<br />
 1/1, 2017.
    "Us & Them, Palestine #1
  • "Us & Them, Standing Rock #1"  Photo shot with the "Us & Them" camera in Oceti Sakowin DAPL resistance camp in Standing Rock, North Dakota, 2016. <br />
<br />
The Gentleman in the photo is Chief Arvol Looking Horse who is the Chief of the Sioux Nation. This was the first "Us & Them" photo shoot in a two month stay in Standing Rock. <br />
Chief Avol Looking Horse's hand written "Words from the Heart", in Lakota reads "We are spiritual, We will survive." <br />
<br />
48"X60" analog print, made of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin covering the image. <br />
<br />
1 of 2, 2016.
    "Us & Them, Standing Rock #..uot;
  • "Us & Them, Zapatista #1"<br />
Shot in the Zapatista compound Oventic in Chiapas Mexico, with the "Us & Them " 4"x5" camera. <br />
<br />
The red floating script "words from the heart" is hand written by the gentleman in the photo. I ask everyone I photograph for the "Us & Them" project to write something from their heart.<br />
He wrote, "Brothers from the fighting world together for a good life, justice and democracy and liberty." <br />
<br />
"Zapatista #1" is a 48"x60" gelatin silver print in a steel frame. <br />
The image is made from 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, toned with traditional chemistry, Zapatista coffee and local cactus, with 5 gallons of acrylic resin poured over the top of the print. <br />
1 of 2, 2017
    "Us & Them, Zapatista #1"
  • “Us & Them, Zapatista #4"<br />
Photo was shot with the “Us & Them” camera in the Zapatista controlled village of Guadalupe Tepeyac in Chiapas Mexico, close to the Guatemalan border. <br />
<br />
I was so taken by the beautiful young Zapatista couple in the photo because they had such a soulful, deep pride in the corn and coffee they grew. When I asked them to be part of the “Us & Them” project they said they would love to! Then few minutes later they showed up at the shoot location holding a plate of tortillas made from the corn they grew. <br />
To highlight the tortillas in the print, I painted tortillas with the coffee I bought from them that day.  <br />
<br />
The translation of their "Words from the Heart" at the top of the photo, in Spanish reads, <br />
"The men, women, children and elders of Guadalupe de Tepeyac.<br />
Zapatista's in resistance, our collective work with coffee, corn, beans and livestock between us is the only economic fountain to continue fighting and resisting. Without selling out, without conquering, without giving up. Our autonomy advances in the world with our 7 principals of the village taking charge and the government obeying."<br />
<br />
 48"x60" analog print, constructed from 9 sheets of 16”x20” gelatin silver paper and toned with Zapatista coffee. <br />
1 of 1. 2017
    "Us & Them, Zapatista #4"
  • 1C2A7147-08E9-4E23-AD59-EC4638C663E3..jpeg
  • "Us & Them, Zapatista #3"<br />
Photo shot with the "Us & Them" 4”x5” camera in a Zapatista military encampment in Chiapas Mexico, in 2017. <br />
The print is of Hilda, backed by the Zapatista Army.<br />
Hilda is one of the mothers of the missing 43. <br />
43 students that were on a bus heading to a protest in Mexico City when it was stopped by local police. All 43 students have never been see since. <br />
Hilda travels all over Mexico with a poster of her son Manuel in hopes that someday she will haves some answers. <br />
The translation of Hilda’s hand written "Words for the Heart" in Spanish reads,<br />
"Why? I will keep searching for you until my heart stops beating. I love you my Manuel"<br />
<br />
48"x60" analog print composed of 9 sheets of 16"x20" gelatin silver paper, toned with Zapatista coffee, mounted in a steel frame with 5 gallons of UV acrylic resin poured over the top.<br />
 1 of 1. 2017
    "Us & Them, Zapatista #3"
  • IMG_5468.jpg
  • "Us & Them" Museum Installation at SDAI (San Diego Art Institute) September - November 2018.
    "Us & Them" Installation
  • %22Us & Them%22 Museum Installat..jpeg
  • IMG_5415 (2).jpg
  • The "Us & Them" Camera made for this project is constructed from aircraft aluminum, titanium, steel, brass, copper, silver and glass. The camera contains artifacts that relate the subject of "Us & Them". In the front of the camera hangs a silver crucifix that once belonged to Eva Braun (Adolf Hitlers wife), and has Evas monogram on the back. In the three silver pyramids on the top and sides of the camera, are chambers containing a human artifacts from the Vietnam war. They were donated by a U.S. Vietnam Vet, and were part of his "proof of kill box" where he was required to take a body part from everyone he killed during the war. The back of the camera is a glass and rusty steel chamber. All of the glass I found in the Palestinian territories. Inside the chamber is an armband from WWII with a yellow Star of David on it. On the left side of the armband is a red stamp signifying that the owner of the armband was a registered Jew with the Nazi party. And wrapped around the armband is barbed wire that I picked up at the Israeli/Syrian border and was from the 1967 Six Day War. Interestingly while I was at the Syrian border, I experienced a massive air strike and bombing campaign from U.S. or Russian forces on a town close to the border. You could also hear antiaircraft fairly close to our position.
    Us & Them Camera, side view.
  • The Eva Braun crucifix hangs in the middle of the aperture gate. Evas glass and gold "EB" monogram is in the middle of the crucifix. <br />
The script on the brass gate holding the crucifix  reads; <br />
"There are no angels. There are no Devils.<br />
Just scattered tailings of words, myth, tears and soil.<br />
With all of creation made to be broken,<br />
blessed are those who sing in Gods killing jar."
    "Us & Them" Camera, Front
  • A frozen day of photo shoots on the frontline of the battle between armed Dakota Access Pipeline forces, and Sioux Water Protectors in Standing Rock, North Dakota.
    A frozen day of photo shoots in Stan.. ND.
  • A cool day of photo shoots on the frontline of the battle between armed Dakota Access Pipeline forces, and Sioux Water Protectors in Standing Rock, North Dakota. <br />
The Eva Braun crucifix hangs in the middle of the aperture gate. Evas glass and gold "EB" monogram is in the middle of the crucifix. <br />
The script on the brass gate holding the crucifix reads; <br />
"There are no angels. There are no Devils.<br />
Just scattered tailings of words, myth, tears and soil.<br />
With all of creation made to be broken,<br />
blessed are those who sing in Gods killing jar."
    Front of the "Us & Them&quo.., ND