One of the research projects I worked on in Ouessant stems from a long stay I spent in Burj al-Shamali, a Palestinian refugee camp southeast of Tyre, in southern Lebanon, where I lived between 2006 and 2011 and where I have been working for the past ten years.During this period, I compiled—most often in collaboration with the camp’s residents—a significant archive of photographs, videos, and audio recordings.
The aim of my research project is to explore how the conflict, within a dialogue that constitutes the process of image collection, can lead to new forms of (non-)visualization of these images. This refers to the fact that, on one hand, they are objects of emotional and private attachment, while at the same time, they are among the rare documents that testify to an otherwise nonexistent history—that of the Palestinian refugee camp of Burj al-Shamali. This question is examined in relation to the practice of photography, considering its production, perception, and use.
I see my work as an ongoing process rather than a completed form, due to the social dynamics created by my artistic gestures and their impact on the environment in which I work. It is a reflexive practice that is not necessarily tied to the immediate creation of an object or the production of knowledge. In this sense, what I seek is a methodology that blurs disciplinary boundaries and intertwines theory with practice, subjectivity with objectivity.
The second project I worked on, in collaboration with Rozenn Quéré, during my stay in Ouessant is titled Vies possibles et imaginaires (Possible and Imaginary Lives). It was awarded the Grand Prix International de la Photographie in Vevey in 2011 and was published by Photosynthèses in Arles in September 2012.
Interviews formed the basis of the text for this work, which was entirely composed in Ouessant, where the photographs were also arranged. Ouessant’s isolation played a crucial role in our productivity during the month we spent there, while the stimulating conversations we had with the island’s residents were extremely valuable, offering us a critical perspective on our working process. The horizon left its imprint on our work.
Finally, with the informal collective Sahra Occidentale, con poche immagini, composed of artists, intellectuals, and activists, we organized a gathering with the inhabitants of Ouessant around the publication Necessità dei Volti. Necessità dei Volti is the result of a reflection on the photographs of an unintended archive compiled in the Hamada desert during the years of conflict in Western Sahara and preserved in the War Museum in the Tindouf region of Algeria.
