This project originated as a proposal from Magnum Photos to present to the Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, in Paris, a photographic assignment on the theme of the "new Europeans," namely, the ten countries that joined the European Union on May 1, 2004 Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. Ten Magnum photographers each chose to explore one of these countries, all with personal reasons and very personal approaches. The rules laid out were simple: contrary to the illusionary and vain "portrait" of a country typical to this kind of short-term assignment, each photographer was asked to give an account of his or her specific experience. In addition to photography, their means of exploration could also include film, video, written notes, oral commentaries and other mediums.
