Ben Ismael .. Cultural and artistic photographer of Marrakech for three decades

Wissal Sheikh

The tour in the heart of the city of Marrakech, accompanied by plastic artist Ahmed bin Ismail, has a special flavor.

The tour begins with Ben Ismail on a historical tourist route, going to the Koutoubia Mosque, Djemaa El Fna, the tomb of "Seven Men" (scientists and mystics buried in Marrakech), and then to the tomb of the city's founder Youssef Ben Tachfine El Mourabati, built in 462 AH / 1070 CE.

To answer the question of the fate of the ancient city and its people, Ahmed bin Ismail prefers to take the visitor to the "Dar Sharifa" owned by a Moroccan and dedicated to serve the Moroccan culture in a context dominated by "Francophonie" culture.

Journey in the world of photography
Ben Ismail lived for 20 years in Casablanca, and in 2005 voluntarily left the education job to devote himself to photography and painting and return to Marrakech. He was influenced by his close association with ancient Marrakech, with its paths and alleys, and the engineering and sports of the houses where his ancestors were born.

The camera fascinated bin Ismail when he saw it hanging on the necks of tourists in the squares of the city, so he arranged money to buy magic and try it in taking memorial photos of his family and friends.

With the development of a decent salary from his job in Casablanca, he bought his first professional camera between 1982 and 1983 from the late film director Mohamed Rikab, the owner of "The Barber of the Poor".

Ben Ismail learned a lot on his hands, "but the passengers departed early," and so far retained the camera "Minolta" which he took from the passengers himself.

Cultural Technical Documentation
In the process of shaping the cultural and ethnographic documentary of Marrakech and its environs, Ben Ismail takes his way from the 1980s when he set up in a small room in his home in Casablanca a laboratory for image development, and followed the neutrality of colors (black and white) and the social cultural "theme" to the present day.

These two colors formed its course, but this does not negate his work in color. He held a color photography exhibition in 1994 under the title "The effects of the night", at which time the introduction of the "Brochure" exhibition by the late Spanish writer, Juan Guetissolo, which resulted in a joint art book with the Moroccan writer. The late Edmond Omran al-Melih under the title "Light Shadow".

In his photographic documentation, Ben Ismail has endured Moroccan, Arab and foreign writers and portraits of musicians, theater pioneers, Sanai'is, and folklore, such as the art of the "ring" in the Djemaa El Fna square, which has been dedicated to it for thirty years, as well as popular figures that left their mark within the popular neighborhoods of Marrakech.

Bin Ismail came from the same cultural and artistic field. He is also a visual artist who has his own paintings and exhibitions.

His image was based on elements: "The person to be photographed, the photographer and his knowledge of the optimal image mode, and mastery while taking it, in addition to the shape of the people who contribute to the success of the image."

City Photography
Bensmail says his previous intention was not to document Marrakesh's cultural heritage, but over time he possessed an important stock of images, especially as death abducted several creators. Materialism and immateriality formed wonderful human relationships.

In fact, Marrakech, as a city, played an important role in what it is today. Marrakech is a city of photography, formation and narrative with distinction in terms of its places, characters, walls, sounds and smells, in addition to the rare lighting that attracts international cinematographers to shoot their films. Highlighting cultural interest in all periods. "

Bin Ismail says to Al Jazeera Net that the picture in this context remains "richer than writing", its task is to capture time, not described, and technology has helped him in the production of archival images and converted from "Clichy Negative" to digital images promoted through his page on Facebook, and share with his real friends After receiving permission to publish.

Diverse Archive
He has accumulated a long experience that allows the publication of a huge book "includes images that relate to one subject". Clearly appear in the pictures.

Perhaps these images do justice to the original artists of this art, who left without interest, especially the storytelling sheikhs, as well as his depiction of the weekly popular markets outside the cities, which is an independent subject in itself.

Ben Ismail did not stop here, but pictures of most of the ancient Moroccan cities, and worked on man and architecture in the mountains, especially the mountains of the High Atlas. He also documented simple people who are very creative and ridiculous Marrakesh known to the people of joy, but he is an artist lingered for some time on the issuance of a book, he is still working on his creative projects.

Today, Ismail spends most of his time in his studio, working on his old plastic project, and is currently preparing an exhibition at one of Marrakech's special exhibitions. This does not mean that he has ceased to shape his rare artistic and cultural process. The camera is present, and the vision is there.