Zoe Springer: Can you tell me a little bit about your upcoming exhibition and book release?
Pete Voelker: System Change Not Climate Change is an edit of photographs taken in the USA between 2014 and 2016, it is a collection of images documenting protests and other demonstrations relating to social justice movements as well as the political climate within the presidential election year.

ZS: What led you to the development of this project and your dedication to the subject of social activism?
PV: The first march I successfully created images at was a demonstration against police brutality in response to the murder of Eric Garner. I had set out that afternoon primarily to march and express my disdain for the oppression and inequality that was blatantly occurring across my nation. After spending many hours marching I had a few hundred photos and the desire to share them. In an effort to help create awareness and spur discussion, these were the first protest images I decided to publish. After they went live on a few different media sites I felt as If I had been successful and decided to focus on this work moving forward. The book is a concentration of images from different movements and causes that I personally believe deserve discussion and acknowledgement.

“After spending many hours marching I had a few hundred photos and the desire to share them.”

ZS: Do you believe that the act of protesting is an essential element in the establishment of change?
PV: Yes. I think as a whole, our society has come a long way but with that said, the biggest changes and hardest ones to create were propelled by the selfless dedication of activists.

ZS: What first triggered your interest in social activism?
PV: Growing up in a military family established a sharp awareness of global politics at a fairly young age. I often spoke with my father about our relations with other countries around the world. He spoke rather candidly with me and was never afraid to answer my tough questions. An Air Force Colonel and a veteran, who on paper is very conservative, was never afraid to tell me when he thought we had done the wrong thing and he was sure to make me aware of the injustices that have grown from our precedent. I believe those discussions and his ability to be critical instilled a lot of curiosity and desire to learn and expand my understanding of our present society. And in my teenage years, I regularly attended shows and concerts in Washington DC. More often than not, especially with local bands, these events were politically charged. It was a regular site to have tables full of literature promoting activism and different causes within the region and country as a whole. The first demonstration that I attended was in 2003 outside of the IMF World Bank in Washington DC, it was also a protest of the newly engaged Iraq War. This demonstration was the first time I had been around people more critical than my father, and I learned a lot. I was exposed to a whole new line of thought and culture that had previously been out of reach for me and I absolutely embraced it. I went on to study at an incredibly liberal art school where these interests were expanded and cultivated.

“Our society has come a long way, but the biggest changes and hardest ones to create were propelled by the selfless dedication of activists.”

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