Photography: Invisible Fes

One of the participants in Omar Chennafi's outdoor exhibition

Fez is fortunate to have a month focusing on photography. As part of the Saison Culturelle France-Morocco 2012, during December the French Institute is presenting the 6th edition of the Rencontres Internationales de la Photo Fez.

One of the three photographers participating is Fez based Omar Chennafi, with his unusual exhibition Invisible Fes.

Chennafi's exhibition fits well with the theme of the event, Morocco: in and out, which explores the idea of the photographers revealing what is hidden behind usually closed doors.

To gather material for Invisible Fes, Chennafi photographed the interiors of more than a dozen houses in the Fez Medina, capturing scenes he considered to represent the lives of the residents. When he showed his photographs to the householders,"some of them started to see their places differently," he says. "I started to realise how connected we are to where we live and how our home gives us a (unique) sense of place."

Chennafi says that, "photographing these houses in the Medina is to remind people to recognise the beauty from times of the past and to be proud of where we come from."

The chosen shots have been printed and displayed on the exteriors of the participants' houses until the end of December. They can be seen in the quartiers of La'ayoune, Ziat and around the Tala S'ghira.

You may even be fortunate enough to get the photographer himself to take you on a guided tour of the locations.

Given the positive feedback for the project, Chennafi hopes to extend this project to other Moroccan cities.

Invisible Fes, part of Rencontres Internationales de la Photo Fez, until December 31. 
Contact: Omar Chennafi on 0659661502

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