If “photography is truth,” as Jean-Luc Godard once proclaimed, then photographer Jo-Anne McArthur’s camera is like a floodlight, illuminating what is so often hidden and dismissed in our society— the plight of animals. With her trained eye and empathetic resolve, she documents the suffering, distress, confusion and sadness of the ones who are confined; then shows us the joy and contentment of those lucky enough to be free. Jo-Anne has been putting truth on film and pixel for over ten years. She has traveled the world with her documentary project We Animals, contributing her photos to countless animal liberation campaigns. Each of her images is at once a question that lingers, a confrontation with our own conscience… and a call to action. Most recently, she documented the transport of pigs to slaughter in below freezing weather in Canada, as part of the Toronto Pig Save vigils. Her images will be featured in the upcoming film The Ghosts In Our Machine (directed by Liz Marshall), which tells the stories of animals who are used for food, clothing, entertainment and research. Jo-Anne appears to be ubiquitous, working tirelessly to make a difference. Here, she talks to us about the drive behind her work, and her love for animals.
