1. 7/2/09 12:11 PMPhotodocumentary projects
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Photodocumentary projects
Dyer Street Portraiture: Chambers returned to El Paso, Texas, the city
of his alma mater (Austin High School), to take a look at a particular
street, Dyer, that intrigued him when he was a teenager. He put
together this project, and it was later exhibited at various galleries,
and American Photo Magazine listed it in their Notable Exhibitions
section, March, 1986 issue. This work provides intimate street shots,
and reveals the nature of the environment by detailed background
content. The environment is one of simultaneity, where military
personnel blend with the locals. >>
Descendants 350: Chambers put together this project as a part of
Rhode Island's 350th Anniversary Celebration in 1986 (funded by
Providence 350, Inc.). He chose to mix images of Descendants with
text about their respective Ancestors (Founding Fathers) as a
celebration, but also to encourage the study of history. The project
was well-received, exhibited at ten different sites throughout Rhode
Island, received a Governor's Proclamation (RI), and accepted by the
Secretary of State (RI) as a part of the Rhode Island State Archives.
Buy this book. >>
Hot City: Chambers made over 100,000 images during his tenure as
Staff Photographer for the Executive Office of the Mayor, Providence,
Rhode Island. They provide an archival record of Providence and its
people during 1985 to 1989, a period of time that echoed a listing by
Newsweek magazine (February 6, 1989), which stated that
Providence was one of the ten hottest cities to live and work in
America. The exhibition was funded by Rhode Island Hospital Trust
National Bank, and the negatives are a part of the City of Providence
Archives. >>
Southwest of Rusape: The Mucharambeyi Connection: When Chambers
first arrived in Zimbabwe as a Peace Corps Volunteer, he had the
opportunity to spend Christmas 1992 with the Mucharambeyi family in
a rural area Southwest of Rusape. The images combine a documentary
portrait style with the utilization of an environmental backdrop to
convey the lifestyle in a Traditional African rural setting. The
exhibition was funded by the United States Information Service
(USIS), officially opened by the U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe and
accepted as a part of the USIS Archives. >>
People to People: Chambers teamed-up with Choi Ok-soo, a Korean
documentary photographer, to have a two-person show and contrast
their perspectives and styles. This was the first time that a Western
(American) photographer and Eastern (Korean) photographer had
come together in Gwangju, South Korea to show a dual approach at
documentation of the Korean people. The images were accepted as a
part of the Kumho Art Foundation Archives (1997). >>
Buddha's Stones: A Stacking Comparison: When Chambers was living
in South Korea, he traveled to the Buddhist temples on numerous
occasions, and became interested in Buddhist philosophy (quotes
follow). He also noticed a unique practice of stacking stones as a form
of worship and asking for good fortune. He decided to document this
behavior, and compare these stone formations as a study in

2. 7/2/09 12:11 PMPhotodocumentary projects
Page 2 of 2http://www.tomrchambers.com/pdpjs.html
technique, and to pay tribute to those Korean people involved with
this form of religion.>>
The People of Longhu Town: Chambers collaborated with Zhao
Zhenhai, a Chinese documentary photographer, by putting together a
two-person show, Zhao/Chambers Joint Photo Exhibition. This was
the first time in Henan Province, China for a Chinese and an American
photographer to come together to offer an East/West perspective on
the Chinese People and Culture. Zhao's photos cover a twenty-year
period (1984 - 2004) throughout China, and Chambers' photos were
taken in 2004. >>
Wide-screen China One, Wide-screen China Two, Wide-screen China
Three, Wide-screen China Four, Wide-screen China Five and Wide-
screen China Six: Chambers has been in China since 2003, and this
black and white coverage of the people and environs is ongoing since
that time. It involves a great deal of China [Zhengzhou, Kaifeng,
Luoyang, Anyang, Deng Feng (Shaolin Temple), Dunhuang, Lonzhou,
Xian, Xiahe, Beijing, Shanghai, Hanzhou, Shaoxing, Guilin, Yangsuo,
Zhaoqing, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong]. The images are elongated for
a wide-screen effect, and they are formatted as a slide show. Please
allow considerable loading time. Buy this book. >>
Wide-screen Hungary: Chambers spent two weeks [February 1 -15,
2006] in Hungary at the invitation of Istvan Horkay [artist and IDAA
Committee Member], and this black and white coverage is of the
Budapest and Revfulop [Horkay's hometown] areas. After a four-year
working relationship on the Internet, Chambers and Horkay met in
Beijing, China at the 2005 IDAA exhibition in November, 2005 and a
second time in Hungary as these images indicate. They are elongated
for a wide-screen effect, and they are formatted as a slide show.
Please allow considerable loading time. Buy this book. >>
Wide-screen India 1 and Wide-screen India 2: Chambers spent three
weeks [July 10 - 28, 2006] in India at the invitation of the National
Institute of Design in Ahmedabad to conduct a workshop for its New
Media Design graduate students. In between conducting the
workshop, Chambers documented Ahmedabad and the surrounding
areas. The images are elongated for a wide-screen effect, and they are
formatted as a slide show. Please allow considerable loading time.
Buy this book. >>
The Great Wall: Color photographs of The Great Wall ... Mu Tian Yu ...
near Beijing, China. These images are almost a private encounter in
the sense that Chambers was alone most of the time during his trek
along the ancient barrier. Chambers' students in China say, "You're
not a man until you've walked the Great Wall." Chambers walked part
of it, so he guesses he's 'part man'. The images are elongated for a
wide-screen effect, and they are formatted as a slide show. Please
allow considerable loading time. Buy this book. >>