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| Coin de la mémoire: One of my photos of the Casbah of Algiers featured in the exposition. |
A few months ago, a Facebook group that I follow, called
"Friends of Algiers: History, Arts, and Culture", announced plans to organize an exposition celebrating the Casbah, the ancient quarter of Algiers, and issued an open call for artistic submissions.
As
a longtime fan of the Casbah, I was excited to participate, and sent the organizers a selection of the many photos I have snapped there with
my Rolleicord. A few weeks later, I was happy to hear that five of my shots would be featured in the exposition, "The Casbah of Algiers, from Yesterday to Today", to be organized in the Casbah itself at the
National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions.
The expo opened on February 23, Algeria's national "Casbah Day", earning
mentions in the major local cultural listings (
Sortir à Alger,
VinyCulture,
Kherdja,
Petit Futé) as well as some positive press coverage (
Jeune Indépendent,
Radio Algérie 2). I, unfortunately, was still
in Berlin at that time, and then because of work didn't have time to visit the exhibition until today.
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| Dar Khédaoudj el Amia: at the exposition today. |
Between seeing my own artwork on display for the first time since elementary school, meeting and chatting with fellow amateur photographers participating in the exhibition, and welcoming numerous friends who turned up to offer support, it was a great afternoon. My sincerest thanks to all who came.
The exposition runs until March 3. But for those who can't make it to the museum, here are my four additional photos featured:
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| Casbah stairway |
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| Chaabi dancer: at a nighttime concert last summer during Ramadan. |
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| Young residents of the Casbah. |
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| Railing detail from the Bastion 23, a restored seaside fortress in the lower Casbah. |
Note: The organizers adapted a short bio for each participant, including one on me, after adding some noticeable flourishes to my original draft. For those who are curious:
Originaire de la ville de Baltimore, États-Unis, Andrew Farrand est photographe amateur depuis son adolescence. Ce n’est qu’en 2013 qu’il fait ses premiers pas dans la photographie argentique, avec un Rolleicord 1951, une perle rare et précieuse comme la Casbah elle-même qu'il hérite de son père et qui, rapidement, remplace son appareil numérique. La même année, son travail dans le domaine de la coopération internationale le conduit à Alger dont il a lu et rêvé depuis fort longtemps. Au cours de l’une de ses sorties pour explorer la capitale, il découvre la Casbah. Dès lors, elle constitue l’un de ses sujets préférés. Andrew publie ses photographies, découvertes et réflexions de ses voyages sur son blog, ibnibnbattuta.com.
(English translation:) A native of the city of Baltimore, United States, Andrew Farrand has been an amateur photographer since his adolescence. But it wasn't until 2013 that he made his first forays into film photography, with a 1951 Rolleicord, a rare and precious pearl like the Casbah itself, that he inherited from his father and that rapidly replaced his digital camera. The same year, his work in the international cooperation field led him to Algiers, of which he had long read and dreamed. In the course of his outings to explore the capital, he discovered the Casbah, which has been one of his favorite subjects ever since. Andrew publishes his photographs, discoveries, and reflections on his travels at his blog, ibnibnbattuta.com.
