Laâssilat: Traces of a Disappearing Landscape
May-September 2021
With the support of Atelier de l’Observatoire
This project explores the periurban landscape of Laâssilat, a village located on the outskirts of Casablanca in the region of Bouskoura.
Over the last 50 years, the region faced a series of profound ecological and social changes, beginning with the establishement of a cement plant in the 70s and the digging of a 460ha quarry in the area. In the past few years, the Opuntia Ficus Indica cactus, a plant that used to be thriving in the area and represented an important ressource for its inhabitants, has suddenly disappeared from the region due to the invasion of the Cochineal insect.
This body of work, created through experimentation with photochemical processes and found materials gathered in the region, aims to document the memory of this plant and the significance of its disappearance for the local community.
The body of work also includes ‘Ouled Dreg’, a series of cyanotype portraits produced during a series of participatory workshops conducted with the kids of the village.
This project was conducted with the support of the Atelier de l’Observatoire as part of the ‘Mémoire des plantes et des insectes‘ residency.