Rose-Lynn Fisher / Morocco

R O S E - L Y N N F I S H E R

TOPOGRAPHY OF TEARS

STARDUST: Bone & Botticelli

MICRO OCEAN

BEE

BODILY

YONDER aerial

ASHORE

WALLS/DOORS

MOROCCO

LIMEN

MOROCCO

Selections from a series of 60-80 photographs throughout Morocco in 1995 and 1998.

For me, the intensity of Morocco reverberated in the power and presence of the implicit, the invisible, and the unspoken, in the subtle spaces between modern and traditional worlds, spiritual and physical realms, or urban and desert landscapes. In Morocco I sensed that what separates the visible and invisible realms is as permeable as breath.

These images here, include the mellahs (Jewish quarter) in villages lining the Draa and Tafilalt regions, comprising a selection of the full series which includes shrines and tombs, vestiges of Jewish heritage, and urban life in contrast to the desert.

In 1998 I traveled with Moroccan-born Israeli anthropologist, Nissim Krispil, to Berber villages lining the Draa valley, and further east to the Tafilalt. In these pre-Saharan regions, we explored the abandoned homes and synagogues of the old mellahs, some re-inhabited, others empty and silent. With untarnished memories, village elders recalled details of former community life, the family names and trades of former Jewish neighbors from almost half a century before, recounting friendship, respect, and interdependency. These elders were the guardians of Jewish history, and their grandchildren would often gather and listen with us. Homage was paid to a way of life long over, yet brought present again as each family was remembered, each name mentioned.

Sifting through my photographs more than twenty years later I reflect on ruins and renovations, the passage of time and guardianship into the present, shared laughter, the breaking of bread and the permeability of peace, and the timeless hope for a good life.

exhibitions and press

©Rose-Lynn Fisher 1995-2020