I was first introduced to Murray Ballard in Krakow, Poland during Photomonth back in May this year and I remember that he immediately struck me as being a very conscientious person. Therefore it gives me great pleasure then to let you know about a book he and his girlfriend, Gabriella Rizzello are self-publising to raise money for the charity Diabetes UK. The motivation for this project stems from the loss of Gabriella's mother earlier this year due to complications of diabetes.
At the moment they are still in the first stage of the project. They are asking 150 people to pre-order the book in advance to get things off the ground and help pay for production costs. Those that order before the 23 August will receive a signed copy with their name printed in the book with special thanks. Here is their story:
"On the 8 February this year we went to Russia with the intention of travelling around the Central Region for one month. We planned to make a photography project about our journey, but in the early hours of 15 February we had a phone call from home to say Gabriella's mother had been rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest. Within 8 hours we were by her bedside, but sadly she never regained consciousness.
Unsurprisingly, Gabriella has found the sudden and unexpected loss of her mother very difficult to come to terms with, but out of something so tragic comes a real and sincere motivation to do something positive.
Gabriella’s mother, Sarah-Jane, suffered from Type 1 diabetes* and it was complications of this condition that caused her untimely death. She was diagnosed with diabetes on her twenty-forth birthday, after returning from Damascus, where she had been Dj-ing with the London Town Disc Jockeys.
Our book, One Week In Moscow, is being sold to raise money for the charity Diabetes UK. Designed by Connie Dickson, it is a photographic diary of our week in Moscow prior to coming home. A combination of landscapes, interiors, still lifes and street scenes, the pictures are shot in a mixture of formats from black and white 35mm to large-format colour photographs.
The book will be released at the beginning of October to coincide with the Brighton Photo Fringe Festival. A book launch event and exhibition will be held at Marwood Studios – date and time to be confirmed.
* Type 1 diabetes is when no insulin is produced at all because the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have been destroyed. Nobody knows for sure why these cells have been damaged but the most likely cause is the body having an abnormal reaction to the cells. There is nothing that you can do to prevent Type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes is always treated with insulin injections."
Let´s just say that this subject is very close to my heart and Murray and Gabriella have the full support of 1000 Words in their excellent venture. Visit the website www.oneweekinmoscow.com and lend them a hand if you can.
