Robert Dawson
Robert Dawson
Jungle Books Library, The Jungle Refuge Camp, Calais, France from the series The Global Library Project, 2016
Archive pigment print
13 x 19 in
Edition of 10
In The Global Library Project, Robert Dawson documents libraries around the world as vital spaces for education, community, and access to information. This photograph captures a library within the Jungle refugee camp in Calais, France, highlighting the importance of books and shared knowledge even in the most precarious circumstances.
Dawson is an acclaimed American photographer whose work explores the relationship between landscape, environmental issues, and civic life. His photographs are held in major museum collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Robert Dawson’s involvement with SF Camerawork includes two exhibitions (Mono Lake, 1982 and Farewell Promised Land: How Paradise Was Lost, 1998) and membership on the board of directors, as well as lectures, awards, and generous donations to our programs for over 30 years. Dawson’s early work focused on the shared commons of the landscape and environment of the American West, and on global water issues. “Jungle Books Library” is part of Dawson’s most recent series, The Global Library Project, which documents the important role of public libraries throughout the world in engaging and supporting an informed citizenry. Work from the project will be presented in a series of traveling exhibitions, videos, public programs, lectures, and publications.