OSTERLANDET: A Photographic Journey 100 Years Later
Adventure photographer Mark Smith decided to step out of the norm of big mountain winter photographs and participate on an excursion through Egypt and Jerusalem in the winter and spring of 2006/07.
Smith’s friend, Mattias Satterstrom, found a box from 1903 containing a journal, letters, and old glass-plate negatives from an excursion Satterstrom’s great-grandfather had when he moved from Sweden to Egypt and Jerusalem in the early 1900s. Satterstrom decided he would follow in his great-grandfather’s steps with the help of Smith and photograph present-day Egypt and Jerusalem to juxtapose with the photos his great-grandfather took in 1903. After about a year, Satterstrom and Smith published a photo essay of their trip titled Osterlandet. This is Smith’s second photography book. He is currently working freelance and in the planning stages for a third book.
POWDER sat down with Smith to learn about his experiences from shooting and editing Osterlandet, which is currently available at bookstores and can be previewed and purchased on Osterlandet.com.
POWDER: What made you decide to work on this photo book [Osterlandet]?
Smith: When Mattias asked me to collaborate on the project I immediately said yes because the idea of traveling through Egypt to span one hundred years of heritage sounded like an adventure.
A shoulder surgery helped my decision as well. I knew I was going to miss the winter season so I didn't have the internal struggle of weighing snow against sand.
What was your favorite destination? Why?
Smith: The top of the Cheops Pyramid because getting there was fun.
Mattias's great-grandfather, Algot, had stood on top of Cheops so it was natural that Mattias wanted to get there too. In 1904, you could pay and be short-roped up and down the world's tallest pyramid, but at some point, a bunch of tourists fell and it became illegal.
We found a way to get by the guards and climb Cheops at night, but Mattias wanted to take a photograph, which required daylight. That made things difficult because the obvious route was to climb one of the four corners and they are heavily guarded during the day.
We decided to create a diversion and when I managed to lure the guards a few feet from their post, Mattias didn't waste any time; 425 feet later he was on the top. It was a bit of a scene at the base of the pyramid, sirens blared as if there was an air raid coming, military trucks appeared out of nowhere and soldiers cordoned off the area. There were French and Italian tourists applauding, however, but the soldiers and police chief didn't look amused.
Two days after Mattias was arrested and released from jail, we went back and I climbed it at night. The moon and stars were casting giant shadows of Cheops and Chephren into the pitch black of the Western Desert. It was really beautiful.
Although this adventure was the idea of Mattias’s due to his discovery of his great-grandfather's letters and photos, do you think the experience was life changing? More for Mattias?
Smith: I'm not sure.
I think travel has a way of changing the way we view life. And in a subtle way, makes us evolve emotionally. In the case of Egypt and Jerusalem, I experienced people and events that broadened my outlook.
For instance prior to arriving in Cairo, I thought I knew what the Muslim way of life was all about. I didn't. Arab culture is made up of layers that books can't illuminate, and even after living in the space between those layers the culture remains veiled in mystery and contradictions.
The half of a year we spent in Egypt definitely effected Mattias more than me. The chance to connect with a former generation the way he did is rare, and some of the revelations he experienced were significant, arguably life changing. He discovered things like this: By all accounts Algot's grandmother was a mistress to the King of Sweden, a relationship that produced Algot's dad. To suddenly realize that your veins are coursing with blood that's tied to a 1,000-year-old monarchy is a wild contemplation.
The book shows a wonderful juxtaposition of black and white and color photos. Although generally the two aren’t supposed to be together in an essay, Osterlandet is a wonderful exception to this rule. What made Mattias and yourself use both?
Smith: At certain places in the book, the use of color was necessary to bridge time, to create transition, and sometimes color was needed to express the humor or tension of the subject matter. I can't say, however, that the use of color was a conscious decision.
Mattias works in an intuitive way. His imagination is drawn to narrative elements that eventually create structure. If he were to build a house, I can see him crafting the doors and windows first. They'd be sized different and built from various materials he finds interesting. Then he'd frame the house around the doors and windows; and in the end, it would appear balanced.
It was a style that encouraged me to take risks. It was a fun way to work.