The Power of Visual Stories on Perceptions of Deadly Violence

Telling visual stories on the destructiveness of war, violence and its consequences is a vital component of conflict prevention. By making the horrors of battles and their aftermaths apparent, visual stories incite a reaction. They have the power to change how we perceive war and impact what we are ready to do to stop it.

Meet Jorge Gutiérrez Lucena, Crisis Group's Photography and Video Manager

Your background. I have a mixed background.?

I started my career in Granada, Spain, in the field of Psychology, with a specialisation in Cognitive Neuroscience.

Soon after I gained interest in a different branch, called 'Psychology of Conflict'. So I pursued further studies related to International Relations and Conflict and started working in organisations focused on helping refugees. The entire time, video and photography remained at the top of my extracurricular interests.

This combination got me into Crisis Group, where I started as an Online Intern. Soon enough I was doing interviews with our analysts who come to Brussels for advocacy meetings. From there, we slowly started incorporating video into the organisation's workflow.?

Five years later, you'll still find me behind a camera, when I’m not managing the Video and Photography team.

Your role at Crisis Group. As Video & Photography Manager, my role is to oversee the production of audiovisual content for Crisis Group.?

The material that we put out ranges from short clips for social media, interviews with people in conflict-affected areas, photo essays, films showing Crisis Group's local research and interviews with my colleagues.

How the world sees Crisis Group's work, and staff, depends in a way on how we show ourselves through these images, so being the window keeper is an important task.

It's also my role to make sure people outside conflict zones can see the aftermath of the battle and understand why peace is always the better choice.

Workstation.?I am based in Brussels, although on occasion I visit colleagues in the countries where they conduct research; documenting their experiences and capturing the stories of those with whom they talk. The Brussels office is a very dynamic place and there is a great sense of companionship.?

Typical workday. I start the day with a few team calls. We put on the table what we all are working on.?

Then, depending on the project at hand, I either continue catching up with the video and photo team, brainstorm about possible outputs that will better amplify our research and advocacy lines, or help directly with the production of outputs in the pipeline.?

When I’m not strategising or executing, I’m often at my desk editing, working on scripts, photo essays, meeting colleagues and conducting interviews on what they are witnessing from conflict trends where they are working, or planning for future video projects.?

Earlier this year I also started overseeing Crisis Group's photography production. Hand in hand with Michelle Malaney and the rest of my team, we photograph facets of Crisis Group's mission, which implies visiting colleagues in the countries they work in and accompanying them as they do research.?

Proudest achievement. There are many milestones I am proud of but chief among them is the establishment of the Video and Multimedia team itself, which Crisis Group did not have five years ago.?

Most important thing you've learned on conflict prevention. The most important thing I've learned working on communication strategies for conflict prevention is, in fact, how difficult it is to communicate our mission.

?There is a joke that goes: A man is walking down the street, clapping very loudly. Someone asks, "Why are you clapping?”

“I am shooing elephants.”

“But there are no elephants here!”?

“Then it is working.”?

How you highlight the absence of conflict and connect the dots to meaningful action is a neverending struggle. More so when preventive action is, in many cases, a long-term endeavour.?

What do you like most about your job?

One of the things I like most is the broad spectrum of knowledge to which I am exposed on daily basis. Working closely with all the different regional programs implies getting an Aristotelian perception of the world of conflict prevention. You get to know a bit about any conflict that Crisis Group covers.

I have the chance to dig even deeper into the context and resolution ideas of particular conflicts and crises when I am involved in a longer-term multimedia project, be it a short documentary film, a demanding animation, or a photo essay.

Going to places where Crisis Group conducts research is also an incredible added value. Meeting the people, hearing their stories of resilience, and understanding firsthand the toll that conflict has on populations not only shapes my way of telling these stories. It also gives me a better understanding of the importance of delivering said stories in an impactful way to decision makers who then can make a difference. I’m fascinated by the potential of video and photos as catalysts for meaningful action.

An example of a personal touch you bring to your work. I like to feature animals in my work.

If you see any of my longer videos or photo essays you will probably be able to spot an animal. Our mission is about ending human suffering, and that's what I feel committed to, but I find it captivating how animals are part of the story.?

In Ukraine this year I met with displaced families carrying their pets with them to the shelters; dogs, cats and hamsters. One family staying in a school had even taken their pony with them.

And in the South Caucasus, where I have been a few times, cows are very often part of the conversations. As they cross territorial lines between countries at war with each other, they might enter into mined fields or force farmers to run after them, sometimes triggering incidents.?

In Georgia, my colleagues and I met Malkhaz, who lives very close to the line of separation with South Ossetia. Last year his pig got lost and ended up in a South Ossetian settlement at the other side of the fence.?The crossing points were closed and he would have been detained if he would have ventured after the pig. Luckily a friend on the other side took care of her for a few months, until Malkhaz was finally allowed to go pick her up.

Do you have models in life or people you look up to?

There are many people that have inspired me along the way and keep inspiring me daily.?

At Crisis Group I am lucky enough to have worked with Hugh Pope and other colleagues from whom I've learned a lot. And out there there are many photographers and videographers whose work I appreciate; contemporary photographers like Muhammed Muheisen, Manu Bravo, or Federico Rios, or further from my area; Carlos Javier Ortiz, Hassan Hajjaj or Graciela Iturbide (Alfredo Oliva Delgado, from whom I always learn a lot about psychology and photography).

Team cat or team dog. Team dog – I've been raised among them.?

But I do have an aquarium now so I'm also team fish.

Actually, can I be team plant?

My house is a greenhouse. I am not particularly good at remembering when I watered them last, but I have come to understand that my plants value neglect (or occasional care rather) because they all look splendorous.

I also love bringing home plants I find on the street. I don't mean bushes from parks, of course, but rather plants people do not want anymore and leave in front of their door.

It's a common occurrence in Brussels.