Internship at iNOMAD

Back in November, John, my cousin Anahita and I attended a surprise birthday party for my friend Natasha (aka Fluffy). Across the table from us sat a young British gentleman, who, as the night went on, chatted to us about this and that, traveling and education, film and anthropology. He mentioned a group called iNOMAD and thought I might be interested in their work. A few days went by and I visited their site...

Now, a month and a half and a couple of emails later, I am proud to announce my active involvement with the iNOMAD group, as their 1st ever Volunteer/Intern!

In a nutshell, iNOMAD is a community of expeditioners, educators, filmmakers, and artists, all seeking to "communicate discovery". As their website attests, they "work with individuals and organisations from the worlds of expeditions, education and media to spread the excitement of exploration to a wider audience". They are involved with numerous travel and exploration projects throughout the world that all comprise serious media elements (usually film). To me, they seem to epitomize the endless possibilities of what one can "do" (and most importantly, what I am interested in doing) with a Visual Anthropology degree.

During one of their recent projects, four British artists traveled to the Middle East to explore the region through art, working with local artists and communities from Damascus to Esfahan. This resulted in a wildly successful touring exhibit, art book and educational program, now named Offscreen, which aims to promote cultural understanding through art and media.

From the exploration of the uses of satellite technology and education in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to expeditions to sacred Tibetan mountains in Yunann, China, iNOMAD illustrates again and again how valuable travel and discovery are, especially in our 21st century world.