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CHILLICOTHE – While living in the Philippines for three and a half years, independent photographer and filmmaker Eli Hiller documented harm reduction efforts amid extrajudicial killings of drug users.
When he returned in May 2020, he wanted to take advantage of this experience and apply it to the small town of Ohio.
“I really realized there was a lot of isolation, the emotional and mental toll of the pandemic continued for everyone. But I was somewhat curious to see how vulnerable communities were affected,” he said.
Hiller said he was in Circleville while doing research and was told that Ross County had a strong community of people pursuing harm reduction, a set of practical strategies and ideas designed to reduce the negative consequences associated with consumption. of drugs.
In December, Hiller embarked on a project of more than seven months, yet to be completed, to show the struggles of addiction and recovery in Chillicothe, reducing the framework to a small community from the original vision of covering several cities of Chillicothe. ‘Ohio. .
At the beginning of the project, Hiller decided he did not want to show images of active drug use.
“They’re a bit of a visual cliché in the photojournalism industry, so I’m preventing them from further dehumanizing and criminalizing these vulnerable populations,” Hiller said.
Instead, he chose to focus on emotional issues of isolation, loneliness, sacrifice, grief, as well as camaraderie, care, empathy, and community.
Through the Recovery Center, the Athens-based photographer began establishing relationships with people in the community.
“They started introducing me to a lot of their customers who came to eat and I slowly started talking to people from outside, I followed them back to their camps and then I built those relationships for several months,” he said. .
Hiller said he was impressed with the strength of support systems in Ross County. “They’re really changing the narrative of the recovery aspect,” Hiller said, noting that recovery wasn’t always a straight, clean line.
“For them, as long as they can stop overdoses and prolong people’s lives, that does more than anything. And that’s really important, I think.”
The photo essay, intended to accompany an article written by a friend of Hiller’s, will likely end this month, Hiller said. The couple continues to publish the article, although the photographer claimed that Buzzfeed has expressed interest in the project.
Christina Arredondo, director of the Ross County Outreach and Recovery Center, gave a gesture of provisional approval, as anyone entering the recovery center is told to be respectful and told that if she talks to someone or takes pictures, be okay with the person you work with.
“It felt like I wanted to build relationships and really get to know people and their stories,” Arredondo said.
In the Philippines, Hiller worked with Filipino HIV lawyer Paji Angeles Jr. to create “Kemikal Romance,” a film about ‘the invisible victims of HIV and the drug war’ in a country where LGBTQ activity is very stigmatized.
He is currently working on a project that covers his stepbrothers across the country and the quest to find his father, as he and his half-brothers were born through a donor.
Do you have questions, comments, or tips about the story? Contact Justin at Jreutterma@gannett.com.
Follow him on Twitter @ jayreutter1.
[ad_2]Source: https://www.chillicothegazette.com/story/news/2021/09/29/photographer-covers-addiction-recovery-ross-county-community/5760471001/ [ad_2]
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