Lake Urmia is an ancient salt lake which situated in the far west of
Iran. It is the largest salt lake in the Middle East. The lake used to
be an important feeding ground for huge amounts of wildlife and
birds and provide the local people with food. Now, due to
irrigation and damming projects which block the water flow, Lake
Urmia is emptying fast and very little water remains in what used
to be a massive body of water. Due to damming of the tributaries
which feed the lake it is now a massive 7 metres shallower.
If the lake dries completely the many towns and cities positioned
close to the lake will be covered with life threatening salt and
dust which will blow straight from the lake and cover the life
which once thrived.
It has recently been suggested by environmental experts that in
order to save Lake Urmia from drying completely water should be
pumped all the way from the Caspian Sea to the Lake. It seems to
many that this may be the only chance of saving Lake Urmia from
drying totally and becoming a massive ecological disaster.
The deterioration of Lake Urmia impacts 13 million local
inhabitants, as well as the nations of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq, and
Armenia.
Aletheia Casey was born in Australia in 1980. Aletheia spent the majority of her youth drawing, painting and above all, photographing everything that was around her. She completed her Bachelor of Arts majoring in photography and minoring in Graphic Design in 2000 at the age of 20.
From 2000 Aletheia devoted herself to travelling and photography, collaborating with international magazines and media including, BBC London, Getty Images Worldwide, Australian Associated Press, BBC Wales, SBS Television, Newspix Images and various international publications.
2010 saw her invited to exhibit alongside some of Australia's leading photo-journalists as part of The Head On Portrait Festival in Sydney, Australia as well as being named a winner of the European Women's Lobby Photography Award. In 2010 Aletheia was short-listed for the Spirit of Australia Youth Award and published for Witness Journal magazine in Italy. Most recently Aletheia has been invited to showcase her series "Italia" at the prestigious Reportage awards evening in Sydney, Australia and has been short listed for The Lucie Foundation Scholarship in the US.
Aletheia has worked throughout China, Iran, Kazakhstan, India, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, Cuba, Samoa, New Zeland, USA, majority of Europe, Britain, Ireland, Nepal, Mongolia and Russia.
She is currently based in London, UK.
Awards Awards
2013 - Finalist (Winner announced later in the year) CIWEM’s Environmental Photographer of the Year, UK
2012 - Honourable Mention: International Photography Awards (IPA)
2012 - Winner: Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Emerging Photographer Award, UK
2012 - Finalist: Head On Portrait Prize, Sydney Australia
2011 - Finalist: National Portrait Prize, Canberra Australia
2011 - Finalist: Lucie Foundation Scholarship, USA
2011 - Finalist: Il Mio Viaggio (My journey), National Geographic, Italy
2010 - Finalist: Reportage Screenings, Sydney Australia
2010 - Finalist: European Woman's Lobby Photography Award and Exhibition, Belgium
2010 - Short Listed: Spirit of Australia Youth Awards, Sydney Australia
2009 - Finalist: Moran Contemporary Photography Prize, Sydney Australia
Exhibitions
2013 - Environmental Photographer of the Year Exhibition, National Geographic Society, London UK
2013 - The European Women's Lobby street photography exhibition, Brussels, Belgium
2012 - AMPS: Photofusion Salon, Photofusion London UK 2012-13
2012 - Royal Shakespeare Company, A World Elsewhere Exhibition, Stratford upon Avon, UK
2012 - FOTO8 Summer Show, London, UK
2012 - National Portrait Gallery, "Sayeh" from the series Iran, Canberra Australia
2012 - Head On Portrait Prize, :"Sayeh" From the series Iran, Sydney, Australia
2011 - Ireland Photo Festival "Portrait of Iran" Belfast, North Ireland
2010 - The European Women's Lobby Photographic Exhibition, Brussels, Belgium
2010 - Head On Festival exhibition: "When all the Butterflies Have Gone" Sydney Australia
2010 - Reportage Festival: "Italia" Sydney Australia
2009 - Solo Exhibition Blanco Negro: "I'll put a Spell on You" Sydney Australia
2008 - Group Exhibition Kudos Gallery "Seven" Sydney Australia
2007 - Solo Exhibition "Mindfullness and Space" Sydney Australia
Publications
2012 - The Sunday Times, Spectrum online, UK
2012 - Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Emerging Photographer Book 2012/2013
2012 - 6Mois Featured Photograph, Paris, France
2012 - BBC 'Impact' Titles sequence
2012 - 'Ladder to the Moon' Illustrated children's book, London, UK
2011 - Light Journeys featured photographer
2011 - Witness Journal Italy "Portrait of Iran'
2010 - The European Women's Lobby Photographic Publication
2010 - PBS online Photography Gallery and interview "Mongolian nomads"
2010 - Witness Journal Italy "When all the Butterflies Have Gone'
