Israel and Palestine in focus at the inaugural Eye International Photography Festival

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Israel and Palestine in focus at the inaugural Eye International Photography Festival

Israel and Palestine in focus at the inaugural Eye International Photography Festival

James Morris will be talking about his major new photographic project All That Remains at The Eye International Photographic Festival at Aberystwyth Arts Centre which runs from 29th June to 1st July 2012. His work documents the scattered remains of historic Palestinian towns and villages, disputing the ‘foundation myth’ of Israel.

All That Remains

Photographer James Morris has recently returned from Israel. He took as the starting point for his major photographic project the ‘foundation myth’ of Israel, as expressed by Amos Oz in his book The Meaning of Homeland that Palestine was ‘a land without people for a people without land’.

While photographing in the West Bank James Morris made frequent journeys through Israel and became aware of the scattered remains of the historic Palestinian presence that are spread across the country. Researching this further he found a story that rarely makes the headlines.

With his background in both history and architecture it was striking for him to discover the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.

The photographs in ‘All That Remains’ are almost all taken on or very close to the original location of a Palestinian village or town. Some are of a bucolic rural or forest scene, some a romantic ruin, a neglected graveyard or a modern Israeli town. Many scenes defy, in what there is left to see, the history of the place. IP information In others it is more obvious.

James Morris will be talking about his photographic project at The Eye International Photographic Festival on the Saturday of the festival. Also speaking at the festival is Marco Longari a respected photo journalist who is currently based in Jerusalem, covering Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

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