The Jewish cemetery of Marrakech.
Designing a virtual environment.
I have extensive aerial images of the tombstones, and I was especially overwhelmed by the number of unidentified ones with no engraved inscriptions. I partially understand the source of my attraction to cemeteries. At some point, I began to obsessively search for more Jewish cemeteries, just for the opportunity to light candles, say Kaddish, walk among the tombstones, and photograph them. This text is just a beginning and a starting point to further explore tombstones as a practice of memory. I still ponder how this memory practice manifests within my work. Only recently have I begun to consider creating 3D model replicas of the tombstone images I took in Morocco. One thing is certain: since visiting the cemeteries, the haunting feeling has stayed with me. Here are a couple of useful writing resources that I'd like to revisit to reflect on my experiences.
writings on stones, treats them not just as inert objects but as vibrant participants in the narratives of memory
The stones and tombs remind us the the deep time geological changes, encapsulating the entanglements of matter and a memory of washing the grave in a hot summer day. Raffles articulates that stones can be storytellers of the past, where each layer and sediment can reveal stories of ecological and anthropological shifts. Stones act as witnesses and record keepers, embodying the traces of past lives and events, thus forming a non-traditional archive that challenges our understanding of memory and historical narrative. His interpretation extends to the personal, where stones also mirror individual memories and identities, influencing and reflecting personal and collective experiences. In this way, stones become a medium through which history and memory are continuously being constructed and reconstructed, making visible the often obscure connections between the past and the present