Bodily autonomy for one billion

Lauren Anders Brown ’07 is an award-winning independent filmmaker and photographer who says she “believes in the power of visual storytelling to amplify the stories of people who cannot tell them on their own.” Largely focused on health and human rights, her production company, colLABorate: ideas and images, has produced short and long format content, including documentary shorts, features, and series; commercials and short advocacy films; interactive films; and photographs published in Time magazine and elsewhere.

One of her latest projects is “Wanted: A World for One Billion,” a curated exhibition for the United Nations about people with disabilities around the world, for which she served as artistic director and lead photographer. The exhibition’s goal is to raise awareness about the sexual and reproductive health and rights and bodily autonomy of women and young people with disabilities, highlighting their voices and experiences and promoting access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services. The exhibition combines videos, still photographs, and stories to capture what its subjects’ lives are really like.

“As someone who knows what it is like to live with a disability,” Brown says in her artistic director’s statement, “I approached this exhibit giving all of the contributors full autonomy to choose how they were photographed, and I welcome you to participate in their journeys in whatever medium works best for you: visual, auditory and/or immersive."

In this 360-degree video from the exhibit, you can click and drag anywhere in the video to change the direction for an immersive viewing experience.

Learn more about the exhibit, watch more videos, and see the full gallery on the United Nations’ “Wanted: A World for One Billion” website.