Photographers are weaving together visual stories about people aging across the world for the collaborative project, 1 in 6 by 2030. The stories reflect on individual experience and reveal how people in different cultures, communities, countries and continents have embraced and been embraced by life.
In Taiwan, for example, Chen Lin (林真) describes a life of grace and resilience, from the outset of her career as a teacher at the Taipei First Girls High School through to her experience with marriage and, now, grandmothering.
In the United States, Abby Ybarra, who is a member of the Yaqui nation, remembers a lifetime of care towards his family, culture, community and the environment.
Other accounts that vividly stand out include an image of Einar Njiokiktjien doing a backflip off his houseboat in the Netherlands and one of Beatriz Amado lovingly embraced by her husband in Brazil.
These individuals feature among a growing group of older adults, who are participating in 1 in 6 by 2030. Founded in 2023 by photographers Ed Kashi, Sara Terry and Ilvy Njiokiktjien of the non-profit VII Photo, the project focuses on aging in general, and the experiences of senior citizens in particular, over time.
To date, photographers have explored personal stories of individuals being “72” and choosing to “work or retire”. A third chapter to be published in 2025 will address the issue of “generations”.
Thereafter, the project will continue to converge every year on themes of aging until 2030. That is when some 17 percent of the world’s population, or one out of every six people, will turn 65 or older.
1 in 6 by 2030 is partnered with the World Health Organization, Help Age International and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. Several stories are currently on display in New York through June 16th for Photoville, the city’s free, annual open-air photography festival.
