Magnum x Edgelands is an initiative developed in collaboration with Magnum Photos, a global collective of artists and storytellers established in 1947 that has pioneered an experimental approach to photojournalism. Ours is a three-year project covering six cities that focuses on how technology is impacting and transforming our societies, specially in cities where digital surveillance is becoming more prominent. Our main goal is to understand if it’s possible to visualize surveillance and security through narrative photography, and how.

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Magnum photographers work closely with Edgelands researchers, grassroots organizations and cultural institutions to develop their own ground research and visually interpret the findings of Edgelands’ reports on each city. From these findings, we create pop-up exhibitions, visual literacy workshops, talks and online publications to enable spaces for discussions and engage with local and global audiences on the topics of surveillance, technology and social contracts.

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We believe this project to be fundamental for our discussions, since narrative photography is a powerful tool to capture stories and create narratives that traditional research cannot. That spot between the research findings and the artistic point of view is where we believe the most important advancements can be found.

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