Theater of Life by Tomasz Lazar

BACKED

$1765

OF $7000 GOAL

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DAYS LEFT

my project name

Hotel in Berlin – Berlin, Germany
Girl on the breakwater before the storm – Niechorze, Poland
Children inside water balls – Szczecin, Poland
Young groomsman after the wedding – Szczecinek, Poland
Young boy during preparations for the Halloween Parade – New York, USA
People at a parade during the take over of the EU Presidency – Szczecin, Poland
Man dressed as a spaceman before a Halloween Parade – New York, USA
Boy with a clown’s cap – Venice, Italy
People on Times Square – New York, USA
Women in the city center – Warsaw, Poland
Man disguised as “death” – Warsaw, Poland
Cook resting in front of a restaurant – Venice, Italy
Group of people dressed up as eyeballs before a Halloween Parade – New York, USA
One of the biggest festivities in Capoeira called Batizado – Szczecin, Poland
Portrait of people dressed as cartoon characters on the streets – New York, USA
Young fisherman resting after a night’s catch on the Baltic Sea – Niechorze, Poland
Night watchman in a trailer – Szczecin, Poland
Tourist at Checkpoint Charlie – Berlin, Germany
Clown walking in the old town center during the rain – Warsaw, Poland
People seeking shelter from the train – Warsaw, Poland
Boy with a ball – Venice, Italy
Men dressed as soldiers during the night of the museums – Warsaw, Poland
Man moving a mirror in the streets – New York, USA
Tourists in the streets – Berlin, Germany
Traces of hands on a window – Szczecin, Poland

Theater of Life

Theater of life is a very personal project about life - how I perceive of it. It is an exploration of surrealism in everyday life. Theatre of life is an essay that is a combination of my experiences and thoughts about what surrounds me.

As a result of fast changing technological development that are shaping our lives and the invading presence of the mass media, many people seem to feel disconnected from the world. Some seek refuge and create alternative realities for themselves. Some merely look for a temporary escape, by “letting off steam”. Some dress in costumes, play role games or pretend to be heroes from movies, games or Japanese anime. We all find our ways to cope somehow. These “off” moments are what interest me.

The concept of the surreal, the Theatrum Mundi - Theatre of the World - stems from Plato; the world as a place where man is only a puppet, an actor, whose role is to play his part in the theatre of life; a play created by the powerful being known as the creator (Demiurg, God).

Today, the place of the devine power has been taken over by the mass media. It is the mass media that shapes our lives, tells us what is right or wrong and creates the narrative of our existence. We are under the influence of a mass culture that comes straight from the television and the internet. It seems to me, people are increasingly getting lost between the borders of two worlds: the real world in which they live and the world created by the media.

This phenomenon can most notably be seen in most highly developed countries, the place, where people rely more and more on technology in everyday life, where the mass media have had the greatest impact on people.

To develop this project further I want to go to the most technologized cities of our globe, such as Tokyo, New York, Las Vegas, Sydney and Hong Kong to observe the theatre of life there.

My next trip will be to Japan, the country that is most developed or invaded by technology. The level of technological development of metropolitan areas has reached such a level in Japan, that to me it has become surreal in itself. I would like to focus on street life and an “escapist culture” that seems to be growing there. I am planning to visit Japan in April/May.

You can help me reach my goal and join me on the journey. I am hoping to raise $7,000 to pay for my flights, accommodation, food, transport in and around Tokyo for two months to extend my project.

Prints offered as rewards for this project will be selected from the work Tomasz will produce in Japan. These prints will be exclusively available on Emphas.is.

Once this project is fully funded and the timeline to raise funds has expired, to making-of zone will be activated exclusively for the photojurnalist and the backers of this project.

Until then, you can follow updates here

Latest posts

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Recent backers

Wojciech Borkowski backed $10
Anonymous backed $25
eric kim backed $150
Kevin Downs backed $10
Jakub Jermak backed $10
Katarzyna Pawlica backed $150
Kadir Lohuizen backed $25
Mirka Gmaj backed $25
Tomasz Kulbowski backed $10
Eric Kruszewski backed $25
Jenny Lynn Walker backed $15
Michal Mrozek backed $10
Elias Djemil backed $500
Wojciech Tomanik backed $15
Iwona Golczak backed $250
ali moon backed $25
Tytus Grodzicki backed $10
Charlie Kirk backed $75
Ina-Jasmin Kossatz backed $10
Miro Kuzmanovic backed $150
Simone Fisher backed $10
jessica rattner backed $10
Fabrizio Quagliuso backed $25
Piotr Madej backed $25
joanna kinowska backed $10
Marta Krause backed $150
Anonymous backed $25
Clode aka l.s. backed $10

Tomasz Lazar

FREELANCE

Tomasz Lazar is an emerging young documentary photographer from Poland. He has been the winner and finalist of many photography competitions including the World Press Photo, Sony World Photography Award and International Photography Award. Represented by Clair Gallery.

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