1994

A child at an ANC rally in South Africa peers from behind a sign bearing the image of their President Nelson Mandela, April 1994.

Rather than dramatizing motion like in so many of his other pieces, here Stoddart manages to articulate and contextualize the significance of the motion, with a young South African child looking out from behind a photograph of Nelson Mandela. The image embodies the importance and the necessity of Mandela’s dismantling of segregation, presenting the viewer with feelings of fondness and protection for the youth. Institutionalized racism and those who combat it feature heavily in the themes of Humanity, as the psychology of human-imposed division arises from the neglect of truth: that we are all human and we are all worthy of the same respect.

2009

British photojournalist Don McCullin photographed at dawn near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, United Kingdom in November 2009.

Don McCullin is a renowned British photographer recognized for his images scrutinizing urban sociological issues. In a somewhat rare opportunity, we have access to seeing his likeness with his camera rather than behind it. Tom Stoddart’s closeup of the photographer’s hands inspires several analyses of what it means to be human; from the wrinkled skin and staggered veins signifying aging and accomplishment to the precious way in which he cradles his camera representing the vitality of art, McCullin’s hands are a symbol that needs accentuated.

Berlin, Germany, 1989

A West German girl leaps to reach the top of the Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg Gate to witness history being made on the morning of 10th November 1989.
The previous night, East Germany’s communist rulers had decreed that the gates along the 45km barrier, which had divided Berlin and prevented people leaving the East for nearly 30 years, be opened. Few dared believe it was true.

But by 11pm on 9th November large crowds of East Germans, brimming with suppressed joy and anxiety, gathered at Checkpoint Charlie; and when the gates opened just before midnight, they streamed through into the outstretched arms of loved ones and strangers for their first taste for freedom since the wall went up in 1961.

The night’s dramatic events marked the end of the cold war.

This image reinforces Stoddart’s legacy of capturing significant moments of sociological development and thought. The excitement in the young woman’s body language is palpable in her spring-like movement, and the feeling of unification is eminent in the individuals helping to prop her up onto the firmament of the Wall. Humanity seeks to remind us that we are, ultimately, one human race, and the restorative emotions that awoke with the fall of the Berlin Wall perfectly encapsulates this notion.

Bhachau, India, 2001

A child scatters pigeons as she runs through the ruins of Bhachau, one of the towns worst hit by the earthquake.
Drawing again upon his mastery of movement and emotional impact, Stoddart conjures the poignant sentiments of childhood delight and historical tragedy. There is wonder in the outstretched arms of the child reflected in the takeoff of the birds, who scatter to the wind haphazardly. However, all of this momentary beauty is juxtaposed against the ruins of a natural disaster, a visible citation of how destruction is simply a matter of life. These concepts coalesce in Humanity, as life is constructed of moments that are simplistic and wonderful as well as moments of hardship. In some instances, these concepts undercut one another; in other instances, they exist simultaneously, exemplifying the cyclical nature of joy and sorrow.