Kenza Coleman's Blog

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Hand-woven Carpet - Polaroid Lift

While in Morocco this summer, I visited both Marrakesh and Fes and shot a few slides with the intent to produce Polaroid lifts and transfers. The Polaroid lift above is a detail shot of a hand-woven berber carpet taken in the Marrakesh "medina" or old part of town, which is fascinating even for a Moroccan native. It's a city within a city where neighborhoods are organized by trade, streets are very narrow, too narrow for car access and everything in and out is transported on donkeys. A great place to visit if you ever get the chance.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami


While catching up on reading my magazines - I subscribe to way too many and find it hard to keep up - I stumbled upon an ELLE recommended book reading for Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Moroccan-born Laila Lalami, who maintains a blog at MoorishGirl.com. The book explores the stories behind illegal immigration, a subject all too familiar in my home country Morocco, where this story takes place, and in Southern California, my home for the past 10 years. The book follows four unrelated characters - at different life stages - as they make their 10-mile boat journey across the Strait of Gibraltar to reach Europe where they hope for better opportunities. Excellent reviews of the book are posted on Amazon.com. I will be ordering my copy and look forward to writing my own review.

Converging Territories by Lalla Essaydi



As a born-and-bred Moroccan interested in Photography, I felt compelled to pay a visit to San Diego Museum of Photography Arts (MoPA) to see Converging Territories by Lalla Essaydi part of the "Only Skin Deep" exhibit, which explores the concept of race. Converging Territories consisted of seven wide-format photographs of women and children covered in henna inscribed white cloths are compelling and strangely disturbing. To me however, the exhibit - despite the chocking factor - does not represent nor does it do justice to Moroccan women. It conveys a distorted message to the western world about women in a moderate Muslim country.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

The Mirror Project


The mirror project is a site that explores photography in conjunction with reflective surfaces. Think mirrors, glass surfaces, shiny steal surfaces, sunglasses etc…

Users post photographs with an optional short explanatory text which can sometimes be helpful in understanding how the photograph was taken. Check it out, there are many neat pictures and if you want to hear more about how the site came about, read the interview of the site's founder in the September 2002 Oprah Magazine.