{"id":86503,"date":"2025-07-23T17:40:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T17:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/86503\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T17:40:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T17:40:09","slug":"a-sacred-moment-at-a-dried-up-oasis-mhammed-kilitos-best-photograph-art-and-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/86503\/","title":{"rendered":"A sacred moment at a dried-up oasis: M\u2019Hammed Kilito\u2019s best photograph | Art and design"},"content":{"rendered":"

I travelled to Merzouga in east Morocco<\/a> three years ago, hoping to photograph some wall drawings and writings I had seen there earlier \u2013 markings that showed the distance from the village to Timbuktu, in Mali, by camel. But when I arrived, the markings had vanished. Faced with this absence, I found myself seeking a new story, something unplanned.<\/p>\n

Mustapha was my guide that day. At first, he took me along the typical tourist trails, which didn\u2019t speak to my photographic interests. Then he suggested we explore the sand dunes. Initially, I wasn\u2019t particularly interested in these either, but then we came across this old well. I set up my camera, a 1972 Hasselblad 500, and my tripod. As I started to photograph the well, Mustapha stepped forward, instinctively leaning in to look inside. I hadn\u2019t imagined him in the picture but he didn\u2019t pay attention to me. That spontaneous gesture \u2013 part ritual, part desperation \u2013 transformed the scene completely. It felt sacred, as though he were praying for the return of something essential: water.<\/p>\n

This unplanned moment encapsulates the core of my wider project, Before It\u2019s Gone: the fragility of ecosystems, the human struggle for survival, the quiet persistence of memory in the face of environmental loss. I began the project in 2018, driven by my growing awareness of how dramatically oasis environments were changing in Morocco. I started noticing patterns: rising temperatures, shrinking water sources, abandoned palm groves and increasing rural exodus. What was once a source of life and resilience for entire communities was slowly being erased. I felt an urgent need to document this transformation \u2013 not just ecologically but socially and culturally.<\/p>\n

People are being forced to leave the only homes they\u2019ve ever known, not because of war but because water is disappearing<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Over the years, the project has taken me to dozens of oases and expanded to include Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania. It has unfolded through travel, extended conversations and long-term engagement with the people who live in these spaces. What drives me is the conviction that these are not just local stories \u2013 they are global warnings. The climate crisis is often framed in abstract or future terms. Through this work, I want to make it visible, human and grounded in the present.<\/p>\n

Including the human figure was essential. Oases are not just geographic features: they are homes, livelihoods and cultural reservoirs shaped over centuries. In this photograph, Mustapha embodies that deep connection. His gesture of looking into the well is both literal and symbolic \u2013 it speaks to dependence, resilience and vulnerability, but also to hope and remembrance. This reflects my work, which explores the complex relationship between people and their environments. Whether I\u2019m documenting oases\u2019 decline, Moroccan youth, or the sociology of work and migration, I\u2019m interested in how individuals navigate change.<\/p>\n

Water scarcity is no longer just an environmental issue. It\u2019s a humanitarian crisis, especially in regions such as the Sahara, where life has always depended on fragile water sources. I hope images like this can serve as visual testimonies \u2013 simple, powerful reminders of what is at stake.<\/p>\n

Photography has taught me to slow down and pay attention to people, landscapes and silence. This shot is a portrait of loss but also of quiet resistance. Communities are being forced to leave the only homes they\u2019ve ever known, not because of war but because the water is disappearing. I hope the image evokes empathy and awareness. I want viewers to connect emotionally \u2013 to see the climate emergency not as a distant headline, but to recognise the urgent need to protect natural resources and the cultures and communities that depend on them.<\/p>\n

This was a fleeting moment, entirely unplanned, yet it now speaks to so much. Seeing it enlarged today as a poster in underground stations across London, advertising the Wellcome Trust exhibition Thirst<\/a>, is humbling. It shows the importance of staying open, of letting the story find you.<\/p>\n

M\u2019hammed Kilito. Photograph: Mark ThiessenM\u2019hammed Kilito\u2019s CV<\/p>\n

Born:<\/strong> Lviv, Ukraine, 1981
Trained:<\/strong> Master in Political Science, University of Ottawa
Influences:<\/strong> Alec Soth<\/a>, Hakim Belabbes, Carlos Reygadas
High point:<\/strong> \u201cBecoming a National Geographic explorer, having my photo on the cover of Nat Geo magazine, and winning the World Press Photo prize.\u201d
Low point:<\/strong> \u201cAt a time when I was experiencing financial hardship, a gallery in Marrakech with which I\u2019d planned an exhibition let me down.\u201d
Top tip:<\/strong> \u201cBelieve in yourself, do your research, understand your niche, carve out your own path.\u201d<\/p>\n

The free exhibition Thirst: In Search of Freshwater is at the Wellcome Collection, London<\/a>, until 1 February. See more images from Before It\u2019s Gone at www.kilito.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I travelled to Merzouga in east Morocco three years ago, hoping to photograph some wall drawings and writings…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":86504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[648,1032,1033,171,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-86503","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-design","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}