The power of the poppy - twenty years documenting the Afghan heroin trail
International documentary maker and photographer Robert Knoth and writer, broadcaster and photographer Antoinette de Jong, were in Australia recently for the opening of their multimedia work 'Poppy', presented by the Australian Centre for Photography. 'Poppy' documents the trails of Afghan heroin for two decades.
Whilst in Sydney, they spoke to an audience at the University of Technology, Sydney about their decision to cover this story using a combination of their own images and recordings, some images and videos sourced from the internet, and written text to create a monumental work which blends photojournalism, journalism and documentary in a totally different way.
The scope of the work also reflects the spread and reach of Afghan heroin across the world and its links into every continent.
![Photo of a field of poppies by Robert Knoth and Antoinette de Jong](/sites/default/files/styles/container_width_large_x1/public/acij-poppies-big.jpg?itok=tHJ3MkPb)
Poppy field in Balkh, Afghanistan from Poppy – Trails of Afghan Heroin,
Robert Knoth & Antoinette de Jong 2004. Courtesy and © the artists.
They were in Australia with the support of Reportage, Mondriaan Foundation and Paradox.
Background
Robert Knoth is a renowned documentary photographer. His work has been published in newspapers and magazines worldwide. In recent years Knoth's work has seen a shift towards a more contemporary approach that aims to show the complexity of various social, economical or political issues and the effects they have on the lives of ordinary people.
Antoinette de Jong is a writer, photographer and broadcaster, based in the Netherlands. Her work includes in depth reporting and documentaries for the Dutch public broadcaster VPRO and Radio Netherlands World Service and the BBC World Service. She has worked in many conflict areas including Somalia, Iraq, Former Yugoslavia, and has covered developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan for almost two decades.
The talk at UTS was hosted by the Australian Centre for Photography, the UTS: Australian Centre for Independent Journalism and UTS: Media Arts Production.