Anatomy of a Photobook: Moises Saman’s Discordia

6 minute read

What started as a series of assignments across a Middle East in the throes of popular uprisings quickly became, for Magnum photographer Moises Saman, a personal journey that’s culminated into Discordia, a self-published book that looks at five years of the Arab Spring. Through 127 photographs, Saman creates a new sort of narrative that combines “the multitude of voices, emotions, and the lasting uncertainty I felt,” he says, as he worked in Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq and Syria.

He speaks to TIME LightBox about the creative process behind Discordia.

Olivier Laurent: When you were reporting on the Arab Spring over the last five years, how did the idea of Discordia come about?

Moises Saman: The idea for the book came from my desire to make sense of the confusion and uncertainty that ultimately defined my time living and working in the region. In the course of these past few years the many revolutions overlapped, and in my mind became one blur, one story in itself. In order to find some introspection, I chose to loosen my approach as a photojournalist by shifting the focus from the “news” aspect of the story to a more ambiguous visual narrative, one that was more in tune with my own experience witnessing the blurring of the lines between victim and perpetrator.

Olivier Laurent: How do you begin to think about the images you want to include?

Moises Saman: I collaborated with my friend Daria Birang, a Dutch-Iranian artist, and together, over a period of at least a year, we went through thousands upon thousands of images stored on my hard drives. Initially we were drawn to the more ambiguous images, devoid of apparent news value, but with certain elements of tension, drama, humor, absurdity, that allow the viewer a greater engagement by sparking their curiosity. The sequence of images was meticulously organized, like in a puzzle, where each single part is bound to the next to create a larger [narrative]. To tell the story the way I lived it, I felt the need to go beyond a particular event or location and play with picture pairings that reflected a shared experience, or the lack thereof.

discordia-moises-saman
Discordia

Olivier Laurent: You talk about pairing images together, and in the book we see, several times, that you chose to include very similar images of the same place and the same events shot seconds or minutes apart from each other. It’s an unusual approach. Most photographers would look to publish only the best photograph from that moment. What was your thinking behind it? How are you using these pairings to drive your narrative?

Moises Saman: It is a creative decision that helps me reinforce a particular element within the larger narrative of the book. For example, in the series of the Syrian mother encountering the body of her dead son for the first time, the idea is to pay due respect to the hopelessness of the situation, by letting it unfold over the course of four pages in four slightly different photographs, forcing the viewer to stay in the moment, page after page, experiencing the various stages of sorrow that transpire in the same dramatic scene. The objective of this particular repetition is to form a bond with the subject that otherwise would be lost in the single “best” image.

Olivier Laurent: Going back to the blurring of the Arab Spring revolutions and how this became one single narrative for you, did this have an impact on how you covered the news? Did your vision or approach shift over these past five years?

Moises Saman: Not at first, the pace was too hectic, and the reactive nature of covering the news on assignment did not allow for much introspection. However, with time it became evident to me that, at a visual level, the facts alone did not grasp the complexity and implications of this historic transformation. During my five-year engagement with the region it became impossible not to question the simple narratives of good vs evil, after seeing first hand how easily the roles of victim and perpetrator can change. It was precisely in this shifting landscape where i found my focus, and where I was able to project my own questions and insecurities.

Olivier Laurent: Did you approach traditional book publishers with this book?

Moises Saman: By the time I started approaching publishers I had a dummy that I felt was final, or pretty close to the book I wanted to make. Throughout the process I was in advanced conversations with a couple of publishers, but we always reached a point where compromises had to be made, in terms of the format, the cover, what type of paper to print on, and where to print the book. In the end I decided that I did not want to compromise, in order to have full control over the end product.

Olivier Laurent: Who did you work with to edit this? What kind of collaboration were you looking for?

Moises Saman: I collaborated with my friend, Daria. She is an integral part of the final editing and sequencing of the book. Her background as an artist was particularly helpful when we were putting together the non-linear narrative that sometimes went against my immediate and straight-forward journalistic instinct. Daria also created the collages in the book, which emerged from our dissatisfaction in portraying the protesters simply as the subjects of an action image, instead we became obsessed with their body language, the theatrics, and performance-like rituals that I saw repeated during the countless demonstrations and clashes that I photographed.

Olivier Laurent: You self-published this book. Which means that you have to act as author, designer, publisher, marketer, distributor. Was this a daunting task?

Moises Saman: I had some help with the design, and I am working a couple of assistants that help me with the distribution in the United States and in Europe, but yes, self-publishing can be an overwhelming endeavor. I find that the hardest part is marketing the book, although I am grateful for the kind reviews that the book has had so far, which helps in ultimately selling the book.

Discordia by Moises Saman is available now.

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SYRIA. Aleppo. 2013.  A rebel yells “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) during close-quarters fighting in Aleppo’s Old City.
A rebel yells “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) during close-quarters fighting in Aleppo’s Old City. Aleppo, Syria, 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
SYRIA. Aleppo. March 23, 2013. Makeshift sheets and blankets sewn together obstruct the view from regime snipers in the Al-Amiriya front line of city.
Makeshift sheets and blankets sewn together obstruct the view from regime snipers in the Al-Amiriya front line of city. Aleppo, Syria, March 23, 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
Cairo, Egypt. 2013.The Pyramids of Giza.
The Pyramids of Giza. Cairo, Egypt. 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. November 2011.Street scene in the Shobra district of Cairo.
Street scene in the Shobra district of Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. January, 2013. Pitta seller nearTahrir Square.
Pitta seller near Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Ismailia. April, 2011. Photograph of Mohamad Mashour while in jail. He was released in 2011 after serving a 10-year sentence for being an Islamist.
Photograph of Mohamad Mashour while in jail. He was released in 2011 after serving a 10-year sentence for being an Islamist. Ismailia, Egypt, Nov. 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. 2011. Eid morning prayers, Shobra district, Cairo.
Eid morning prayers, Shobra district, Cairo, Egypt, 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. 2013. Men collecting scrap metal from burned cars and debris next to the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr City, the site of a massacre against Muslim Brotherhood supporters at the hands of the Egyptian police and army.
Men collecting scrap metal from burned cars and debris next to the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr City, the site of a massacre against Muslim Brotherhood supporters at the hands of the Egyptian police and army. Cairo, Egypt, 2013.Moises Saman— Magnum
IRAQ. Sinjar Mountains. August 12, 2014. Injured survivors of an Iraqi Air Force helicopter crash in Mount Sinjar lie onboard a rescue helicopter on its way to Iraqi Kurdistan. The survivors included Yazidi civilians, Kurdish and Iraqi Army personnel, and journalists. The Yazidis were fleeing persecution at the hands of Islamist extremists who had recently taken over their hometowns in Iraq's Ninevah province. In the high grounds of Mount Sinjar, thousands of Yazidis found safety from ISIS, but also the risk of dying from hunger and thirst. The first rescue helicopter had been sent to save the besieged civilians from that dismal fate, but it crashed into the side of the mountain shortly after takeoff.
Injured survivors of an Iraqi Air Force helicopter crash in Mount Sinjar lie onboard a rescue helicopter on its way to Iraqi Kurdistan. The survivors included Yazidi civilians, Kurdish and Iraqi Army personnel, and journalists. Sinjar Mountains, Iraq, Aug. 12, 2014.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Birqash. April 22, 2011. Camels at a camel market located inside a school in the village of Birqash, on the outskirts of Cairo.
Camels at a camel market located inside a school in the village of Birqash, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, April 22, 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. 2012. Muslim Brotherhood supportersblocking access to the Parliament.
Muslim Brotherhood supporters blocking access to the Parliament. Cairo, Egypt, 2012.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. January, 2012. Mass outdoor prayer duringthe first anniversary of theRevolution in Tahrir Square.
Mass outdoor prayer during the first anniversary of the Revolution in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 2012.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. September 14, 2012. Protestors by a newly erected wall made of concrete blocks built by the Egyptian Army to separate protestors from the entrance to the US embassy in Cairo.
Protestors by a newly erected wall made of concrete blocks built by the Egyptian Army to separate protestors from the entrance to the US embassy in Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 14, 2012. Moises Saman—Magnum
LIBYA. Tripoli. 2011. Aftermath of an errant NATO bomb that struck a residential area in Tripoli.
Aftermath of an errant NATO bomb that struck a residential area in Tripoli, Libya, 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
LIBYA. Tawerga. 2011. Hospital beds in a courtyard inside the abandoned hospital in Tawerga. Qaddafi troops had used Tawerga as a staging ground for their brutal assault on Misurata last spring. As a result, several weeks ago, all of Tawerga's residents fled the town, fearing retribution by advancing rebels from Misurata.
Hospital beds in a courtyard inside the abandoned hospital in Tawerga. Qaddafi troops had used Tawerga as a staging ground for their brutal assault on Misurata last spring. As a result, several weeks ago, all of Tawerga's residents fled the town, fearing retribution by advancing rebels from Misurata. Libya, 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Cairo. February 7, 2011. A young Egyptian protestor inside the shell of a burned out bus used as a barricade at the entrance to Tahrir Square.
A young Egyptian protestor inside the shell of a burned out bus used as a barricade at the entrance to Tahrir Square, Cairo, Feb. 7, 2011. Moises Saman—Magnum
LIBYA. Tripoli. 2011.  An armed female supporter of Colonel Qaddafi chants pro-regime slogans during a demonstration in favor of the Libyan leader in Tripoli's Green Square.
An armed female supporter of Colonel Qaddafi chants pro-regime slogans during a demonstration in favor of the Libyan leader in Tripoli's Green Square, Libya, 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
Egypt. Cairo. January 2013. Young protestors take shelter behind a barricade during clashes with Egyptian police on the second anniversary of the Revolution.
Young protestors take shelter behind a barricade during clashes with Egyptian police on the second anniversary of the Revolution. Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
SYRIA. Aleppo. March 22, 2013. Rebels shoot at a regime warplane during an air raid of rebel positions in the Al-Amiriya district.
Rebels shoot at a regime warplane during an air raid of rebel positions in the Al-Amiriya district. Aleppo, Syria, March 22, 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
TUNISIA. Tunis. October 21, 2011.  Two women look out from the window of a city train as it passes through downtown Tunis.
Two women look out from the window of a city train as it passes through downtown Tunis, Tunisia, Oct. 21, 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
EGYPT. Al Nazla. 2013. Burned chairs inside a churchdamaged during an Islamistmob attack.
Burned chairs inside a church damaged during an Islamist mob attack. Al Nazla, Egypt, 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
Tripoli, Libya. 2011.A meeting room in an underground bunker used as a command center by Qaddafi’s security forces.
A meeting room in an underground bunker used as a command center by Qaddafi’s security forces. Tripoli, Libya, 2011.Moises Saman—Magnum
SYRIA. Marae. July, 2012. The back of Zakariyya Gazmouz, a suspected Shabiha prisoner, his body covered in pro-Assad tattoos that he later defaced with a razor.
The back of Zakariyya Gazmouz, a suspected Shabiha prisoner, his body covered in pro-Assad tattoos that he later defaced with a razor. Marae, Syria, July 2012.Moises Saman—Magnum
TUNISIA. Gafsa. 2013. Bags caught on a tree along a desert road on the outskirts of Gafsa, Western Tunisia.
Bags caught on a tree along a desert road on the outskirts of Gafsa, Western Tunisia. 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum
IRAQ. Kirkuk. 2014. Destroyed vehicles litter a hill at the eastern entrance to Kirkuk.
Destroyed vehicles litter a hill at the eastern entrance to Kirkuk, Iraq, 2014.Moises Saman—Magnum
IRAQ. Fishkhabour. August, 2014. A family of displaced Yezidis from Sinjar fleeing the advance of the Islamic State arrive in Iraqi Kurdistan.
A family of displaced Yezidis from Sinjar fleeing the advance of the Islamic State arrive in Iraqi Kurdistan. Fishkhabour, Iraq, Aug. 2014.Moises Saman—Magnum
SYRIA. Aleppo. March, 2013. The rebel-held Salahaddin district of Aleppo.
The rebel-held Salahaddin district of Aleppo, Syria, March 2013.Moises Saman—Magnum

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