A profoundly moving look into the unseen moments of survival, strength, and resilience among the survivors of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, this collection of rare photojournalistic images stands as testament to the extraordinary human capacity to survive the most devastating of natural disasters.
The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, which devastated the shores of 11 countries and took the lives of over a quarter of a million people, burned through the world s consciousness for months afterwards. Just as the wave shattered everything in its path, so the stories of those who encountered it forever changed, torn apart and unraveled. The sea forced them not only to rebuild their lives, but to rewrite their stories.
And so they did. They rebuilt and they rewrote.
Photographer Dan Root, whose client roster includes Nike, adidas, Manchester United and the Oregon Food Bank, was on the ground in India and Thailand three months after the tsunami, capturing the stories of survival and resilience taking place all around him. What impressed him most, he will tell you, was neither the scale of the destruction nor the colossal amounts of aid pouring in, but the indomitable spirit of the people in these regions.
Conceived by author and entrepreneur Birgitte Rasine and sponsored by international non profit ICLEI, the original Tsunami: stories of resilience documentary project has now turned into a gorgeous hardcover photography book of images. Stories told in images, because no words in any language can fully express the power and drama of the hundreds of thousands of lives so profoundly changed by the very ocean that once gave us all life.
BIRGITTE RASINE
Author, producer, entrepreneur, Birgitte Rasine serves as the Chief Evolution Officer (CEO) of LUCITĄ Inc., a hybrid design, publishing, and communications firm based in Silicon Valley. A former journalist for the Hollywood film industry, Birgitte has worked with and written about a vast range of industry sectors, from cybersecurity and space travel media and technology to sustainability and food.
In addition to her writing, Birgitte is a seasoned public speaker and member of several professional organizations, including the Independent Book Publishers Association and ALLi, and sits on the board of directors of a Czech and Slovak nonprofit in New York City dedicated to supporting the leaders of tomorrow.
A graduate of Stanford University, Birgitte also studied cinematography at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and completed a professional masters degree in international relations at the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset in Madrid, Spain. She speaks five languages and enjoys yoga, pilates, and running. She lives in Northern California with her family.
DAN ROOT
Dan Root is a freelance commercial and editorial photographer based in Portland, Oregon. He specializes in photographing sports and the culture in and around sports of all types, and has done work for brands such as Nike, adidas, Merrell, and H&H Outfitters, as well as non profits such as Mercy Corps Northwest and Oregon Food Bank. He regularly donates his time and talent to special causes, including the annual Doernbecher Freestyle project, a collaboration between Nike and Oregon Health & Science University.
After graduating college, Dan embarked on a seven-year career as a photojournalist. After that he went back to school to earn his MBA from the University of Oregon. A few years after graduating, he worked as an art director, designer, producer, and photographer for a small multimedia production company based in Portland.
It was during his last of year of a fifteen-year stint there that he took off for Thailand and India to document the rebuilding efforts after the December 26th, 2004 tsunami, in collaboration with design and publishing firm LUCITĄ and global non profit ICLEI. Upon returning home, he decided to leave his job and pursue his dream to be a freelance photographer.
He s lived happily ever after since then with his wife Susan and his daughter Leah.
