Confluence

Hajitek Majitek (Once upon a time)

I met recently with professional photographer Houssain Belabbes and Storyteller Mehdi El Ghaly in their home city of Marrakech, Morocco.

The meeting was to discuss ‘Confluence’, a new project which through storytelling and photography will seek to bridge cultures and highlight common links within the Arabian and Celtic storytelling traditions.

In a separate meeting in Scotland I met with storyteller Anne Errington to discuss the project. As a Celtic storyteller with a passion for Arabian tales Anne was the perfect choice to complement the Confluence team and I was delighted she decided to come on board.

Last week while taking part in a seven-day artist residency with Upland (more on this in the next blog post) Houssain traveled from Marrakech to Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. Together with Anne we spent time researching and working on the project looking into the common themes which link the stories and cultures.

                              Houssain with Anne at The Stove, Dumfries.

Here are just some of the ideas that flowed from our initial meetings:

New perspectives, links, legacy, storytelling, humanity, photography, unity, videography, culture, flow, flexible, social media, blogging, rhythm, collective, new experiences, journey, connections, team, once upon a time, unexpected, knowledge, force, the beauty of the differences, spirituality, travel, collide and sparkle, diversity, bridge, communication, spread love, morals.

An exciting journey has begun and you can follow the story on this dedicated blog.

#CONFLUENCEUPLAND

• Creating Stories

• Crossing Cultures

• Constructing Influence

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