Laurence Butet-Roch
Education
School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa, Portfolio Development, Photography (2008-2010)
University of British Columbia, Bachelor of Arts, International Relations (2004-2007).
Email Address
Specialization
Interactive Storytelling
Biography
Laurence Butet-Roch is a freelance writer, photo editor and photographer. Touched at a young age by the tragic news of the wars in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, exposed as a French Canadian to persistent cultural and linguistic tension and impressed by the depiction of a spirited newsroom in the tv drama “Scoop”, she chose, early on, to pursue a career path in journalism.
After completing a B.A. in International Relations at the University of British Columbia, Laurence studied photography at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa. As soon as she graduated, she joined the team behind Polka Magazine, a renowned French quarterly dedicated to covering current events through photography. Nowadays, she also contributes to several English publications such as the British Journal of Photography, BlackFlash, Exposure, Raw View, TIME Lightbox and the New York Times Lens blog.
Laurence is a member of the Boreal collective, which was founded in 2010 in an effort to promote documentary and investigative photojournalism, especially within Canada. Her photographic work examines the relation between economic prosperity and the cultural, physical and psychological well-being of individuals and communities while at the same time questioning the interplay between place, memory and identity.
Why Digital Media?
Committed to sharing visual stories in the most compelling and efficient manner possible, Laurence is always looking for new ways to engage the audience. Given the popularity of new media platforms, she hopes to develop innovative ways to harness the many possibilities afforded by digital practices, exploring techniques such as interactive mapping, data visualization and layered narratives to create intelligent, moving and intuitive storytelling platforms.
Publications
“The New Photojournalism”, Panel, VICE Magazine, Toronto, Ontario, July 2015.
“Boreal Collective and Community Building”, Exposure Magazine (USA), Society for Photographic Education, Spring 2015.
“Subject(ive)”, Boreal Collective Exhibition, Format Festival, Derby, UK, March 2015.
“The Shrinking World of Photography”, Panel, SPAO Photography Symposium, Ottawa, Ontario, January 2015.
“Tension”, Boreal Collective Exhibition, Zoom International Photography Festival, Chicoutimi, Quebec, November 2014.
“Stories and Pictures”, Panel, Scotiabank CONTACT photography festival, Toronto, Ontario, May 2014.
“A 20/20 Event with the Boreal Collective”, Artist Talk, Magenta Flash Forward Festival, Boston, USA, May 2014.