Interview: Haris Memija

HAJJ AS ETERNAL INSPIRATION

"I am immensely grateful to dear God that I traveled the world, educating myself not only from school but also through my work. I’m grateful that I’m constantly thirsty for knowledge and that my thirst for new recogntions is getting stronger." (Haris Memija)

IAM: Photographs we can see are made at the pilgrimage 2008. As the idea for this cycle occured, I assume it was a great challenge for you.

HARIS MEMIJA: No one takes his work on holiday, especially not to the pilgrimage. However, my respected father gave me as a task to try to make the photographs at the pilgrimage, to be presented to a larger public, on my return to Sarajevo. Since my father was fortunate to peform this pilgrimage twice, he was able to give me many practical advices and useful information. As I was aware what I was going to face at this unique journey in the sacred geography of Islam, I began to prepare thoroughly. I even bought a new camera and took a certain equipment, so that due to some futile detail, some unrepeatable situation wouldn’t pass me by. My biggest concern was how to peform this pilgrimage (hajj) and be concentrated on photos - while I wouldn’t bother any of the believers there... I knew that I have to have at least 50 good photographs, taken at different places and in various ritual situations, referring to the continuity of the action, as to satisfy the form of the artistic exhibition. But taking of photographs was not the purpose of my staying in Mecca and Medina - my heart longed for direct experience of my faith and for recognition of its essence, right there where humanity was gifted by Islam.

IAM: Your photographs are documentary, almost of reportage character?

HARIS MEMIJA: Thank you for noticing that. While I was preparing for the pilgrimage, I was thinking whether it is possible at all to visualize the spiritual dimension of one such religious epic. With that, I had in mind the Chinese saying, which says that one picture sometimes can show as much as thousand words. In the theory of photography and all other aspects of fine arts, the usual notion is of previsualization.

The rest of the article you can read in the magazine.