Bethanie Mitchell

Antara is a visual monograph that depicts the Burmese Buddhist ceremony of Shinbyu. This religious and cultural rite of passage is told through my son who was born in Burma to a European American mother (myself) and a Burmese father. This is the story of my son's Buddhist initiation ceremony for novice monks in his grandmother''s village, which is located in a remote destination in the far north of Myanmar. Yarrow, born in Yangon during the year of the Saffron Revolution has grown up living between two very different countries, that of America and that of Myanmar. Together, mother and son explore how this dynamic has shaped his outlook on his young life so far. Antara is an exploration that deals with the intersection of countries, culture, and family. It is a celebration of lineage and tradition, while also embracing the art of one's individuality and diversity. •This gallery displays, but a few of the images in my book. The 7 X 7 (18 X 18 cm) monograph Author & Illustrator: Bethanie Mitchell ISBN: 978-0578719238 Published 2020 Self-Published by Bethanie Mitchell of Naga publications. Hardcover, Linen Pages 126 https://www.amazon.com/Antara-Bethanie-Mitchell/dp/0578719231/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1697432944&refinements=p_27%3ABethanie+Mitchell&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Bethanie+Mitchell&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

Thanks to the luck of the Irish, magic of the mermaids, and the work effort of a competitive swimmer on July 27th, 2023, I finished what many deem the world's most difficult channel swim, The North Channel (Irish Channel). Since 1947, I became the 46th woman to complete it and only the 118th person in history to complete it as well. This would be my first channel swim and I chose the most difficult one of all to start with. I had been a nationally ranked swimmer growing up with darkroom credentials, so I felt confident coaching myself and developing my training regime while being fitted with a camera in my Selki holster. I would train at 5am in a pool and then head to the Salish Sea during the night, swimming in snow, rain, or sunshine mostly by myself with only a lighted buoy for security and a camera in tow. Since I hadn’t swam a channel before, I needed a qualified swim which would allow me to attempt the North Irish Channel. On Mother’s Day, I completed my six hour qualifier in 50 degree water from Auburn to West Seattle, allowing me to attempt the off putting route in the Irish Sea. The North Irish Channel is extremely cold, with the most unpredictable current among the world’s seven major channel swims. The current can turn within minutes, becoming a dangerous and dark entity. Along with being known for many Lion’s Mane Jellyfish on the 23 mile route, the swim would take me over the United Kingdom's largest offshore dump site for war munitions from World War 1 and World War II. I would be swimming over history and become part of it as well. To manage my senses, I always photograph before I swim, a sort of calm before the sea storm; my time before swimming the North Irish Channel was no different. Photographic meditations helped me to enjoy the environment and take the focus off what would be a very difficult swim. The notorious lion's mane jellyfish were like landmines on my route. I was slashed in the face the first hour, I stayed focused and carried on. I was covered from my face to my toes (my entire body swelled, but I managed!) It took me a couple days of not sleeping to sweat out the toxins. It was a very hard swim. My trusty captain, Quinton Nelson, who comes from generations of Irish sea faring men, steered his 1962 Burmese teak boat name Morning Glory towards Dunsky Castle, where I finished in Scotland at 13 hours 9 minutes and 21 seconds. The boat was serendipity, because I also lived in Burma for 6 years; hence, it was a mascot of challenge and strength. As a documentary photographer I photographed every step of the way to this great landmark in my life. The people and environments in the photographs were the precursor to me conquering the North Irish Channel and I will be eternally grateful for this visual record, which reminds me of one of the happiest days of my life.

Bangladesh, aside from Turkey, is the only Muslim country in the world where prostitution is legal and it is also home to one of the largest brothels in the world. Daulatdia brothel in Rajbari, Bangladesh is home to over 1500 sex workers who service between 2500 and 3000 men a day. Brothels such as Daulatdia were placed in areas of the country where rape incidents were happening at an astounding rate. The development of brothels was implemented to curb sexual violence against women and children. Sex workers must legally be eighteen years of age to work as prostitutes, but many underage girls are sold to the brothel or tricked into the profession. The prostitutes stay in cramped quarters, often alongside their children in Bangladesh’s bustling underworld of gambling, drugs, and nightlife. The average prostitute earns the equivalent of $2.80 USD for their services. Many women in the brothel serve up to eight clients a day and often fall pregnant without knowing who the father is. The children in Daulatdia are vulnerable to a number of dangers as they are hired to run drugs and errands for their mothers, retailers, and smugglers working in the brothel.

Seattle, Washington saw some of the most active protests in the United States in regard to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the police officer Derek Chauvin. . The protests spread across the globe challenging police accountability, funding, and systemic racism all during the COVID 19 global pandemic. Citizens came out of quarantine to protest despite the dangerous health conditions. The use of tear gas and less lethal weapons during the protests caused citizens to question the excessive use of force for crowd control by police. Seattle police hadn’t used tear gas since the protests during the World Trade Organizations Ministerial Conference in 1999. The city became an epicenter for protestors demands, starting in the downtown area. Over the course of the Seattle protests, activist communities and individuals splintered off from the greater downtown movement, conducting protests in different locations throughout the city.. A diverse range of protestors and protests communicated various demands and concerns, additionally, rioters broke off from peaceful protests violating businesses and public property. The message of overcoming racism and police brutality expanded into a campaign for taxing Seattle’s own amazon.com. The desire for community funded programs to take precedence over Seattle’s police force, started a campaign for the defunding of the Seattle Police Department. One tactic used by protesters in the Capitol Hill area of the city was to take over the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct. Through this action, they turned the surrounding area into a community named the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), which later changed its name to the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP). Activists stayed in tents in Cal Anderson Park and the community had its own medics, and garden. Free food and clothing were distributed by the No Cop Co-op. Teach in’s were conducted, as were community discussion meetings in an area named the Decolonization Conversation Cafe. The CHOP was dissolved on July 1, 2020 after negotiations and talks occurred between the city and activists. Beyond the CHOP, other ways to organize or conduct protests took place with different outcomes. The Official Black Lives Matter March of Silence and We Want to Live March saw no looting or violence, while hand sanitizer and PPE were handed out by volunteers. The common theme was the Seattle protests along with the rest of the country saw the most ethnically and economically diverse protests against racism and police brutality the United States has ever seen. More of my work from the protests can be viewed or licensed through SIPA Press.

At St. Nikolas Church in Athens, Greece, a community near the Acropolis gathers to celebrate the last day of lent. In Greece, the culmination of Megali Evdomada (the week before the final celebration) Kyriaki Tou Pascha (Orthodox Easter) is the most important holiday of the year; more important than Christmas. Greek Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar; hence, Orthodox Easter is celebrated a week later than most other western countries. The service lasts for hours, and just before midnight all lights are turned off, representing Christ’s death. At midnight, the priest lights a candle, which represents the holy flame. He then announces that Christ has risen. Parishioners light their candles off the priests and then share their flame with others. What is unique about the holy flame in Greece, is that a priest from the Greek Orthodox Church has brought a candle lit from the Church of the Holy Grave in Jerusalem. The initial flame is then shared throughout Greece on the last day of lent. After the flame filled celebration, Greeks break lent and have a huge feast at midnight