Jordanian photographer Nadia Bseiso is working on an extensive project across the border of her country. In this project Bseiso plans to investigate Jordan's geopolitical position in the Middle East through her photography. The first chapter is called Infertile Crescent and deals with the barren area on the border with Israel. In order to change this, Jordan proposed plans to build a ten-billion-dollar pipeline that would bring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. However, because of political tensions, the  pipeline will not be built anytime in the foreseeable future. Bseiso photographed the dry area and found a group of resilient people who lived there. "The inhabitants are as strong as thistles that can also defy desert areas."

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Bseiso has divided her project into four chapters, the first focusing on the 180 km long pipeline that must run from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. She has been working on this project since 2016 and expects to continue working on it over the next two years, after which a book about her discoveries is expected to be published. Currently, she is working on part two of her project, involving the Syrian border and Iraqi Border. For this stage she received the Aftermath grant to complete her investigation.

In the 19th century, the present land borders in the Middle East did not yet exist. Partly because of the European presence, the current states came into being. Jordan borders Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Bseiso: "After the British and French colonial period,  borders were built between Syria and Jordan. Before that time, the shepherds were able to move freely across the country with their flock. Now that's completely impossible.

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Drinking water shortage

The project  not only focuses on the water, but also the political relationships behind it. "It's about geopolitics to me. Jordan is in the middle  of turmoil and conflict. It is fascinating but also very difficult and complicated. As an Arab and Jordanian woman, I see the Middle East as a whole. Everything that happens to our neighbours affects us as well. For example, due to security issues, the borders with Syria and Iraq were closed for a couple of years. This greatly affected our transport and economy, especially agriculture. We also had a huge influx of refugees from Palestine, Iraq and Syria. We are always concerned about our economy, and what comes with it is the issue of water, the subject of my series Infertile Crescent."

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Jordan has had a shortage of drinking water for years. Worldwide, Jordan is one of the top ten countries with limited access to water. Due to this, plans have been put in place to build a pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. "The Dead Sea is very salty. That's why nothing can live there. However, it's water has always been in demand because of its healing power, despite the water being unusable. Climate change is causing the water to evaporate more every year, and factories are also drawing water from the sea. Due to many irrigation projects, the river Jordan now also provides much less water. As a result, the Dead Sea is shrinking dramatically. To save the Dead Sea, there were plans to drag water from the Red Sea and build desalination plants along the Dead Sea to provide Jordan with water. For a long time, they talked about this pipeline, but still nothing has been built . There are a lot of political tensions between Israel and Jordan, and as a result of this the project has now been shut down. Apart from the political issues, there were also many ecological concerns. They were going to bring a very different kind of water to the Dead Sea, and this brought the possibility of another species of algae growing."

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It was special to find common ground that confirms our connection with the land that once stood fertile.

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Man, and country

Nadia Bseiso travelled many times along the border where the pipeline would have been, observing the nature around the area and the people who lived there. "In the area with a length of 180 kilometres, I looked at the villages and met people. I wanted to document what that area looked like before the construction of the pipeline. Since biblical times, it has been a historically fascinating area. I have read a lot about Greek explorers in ancient history. I wanted to know more about the people who populated the area. The pipeline will be located exactly half way between the border of Israel and Jordan. I connected with the women in that area, and I saw their resilience. The current developments have put a heavy strain on their economy, and those living there  were able to adapt to their new, austere circumstances. The inhabitants are as strong as thistles that can also defy desert areas. There's great resilience in the people."

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Inertia

The Infertile Crescent project was very labour intensive. Bseiso travelled several times to the same area in order to gain people's trust and hear their stories. "Just by coming back regularly, I found the right people who wanted to tell their own story. I became connected to the places I visited. Although we are both Jordanian, I come from the capital, and they live in small villages. It was special to find common ground that confirms our connection with the land that once stood fertile." Bseiso took all her pictures analogue. "For the last six years, I've gone back to the analogue medium format. When I returned to Jordan in 2011, I wanted to work with film again; I felt alienated from the digital camera. The process of analogue photography, putting film in the camera and waiting until the rolls are processed, is very slow. It gave me and the project the chance to take our time. It released the work from a sense of urgency. With the fast paced life that we’re forced to keep up with, it felt right to slow things down."

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Nadia Bseiso is a Jordanian documentary photographer based in Amman. She completed a degree in photography from Florence, Italy in 2011, returning for a residency in Fondazione Fotografia in Modena, in 2015.

https://nadiabseiso.net

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Grants:

2020 – The Aftermath project, project: Infertile Crescent.

2016, 2017 – Arab Documentary Photography Program,  project: Infertile Crescent.

Recent Exhibions:

July, 2019 – Cortona Photo Festival, Cortona On The Move,  Solo Exhibition,  Infertile Crescent – Cortona, Italy.

May, 2019 – FOTOGRÁFICA BOGOTÁ – VIII International photography meeting, Solo Exhibition, Infertile Crescent – Bogota, Colombia.

January, 2019 – Gulf Photo Plus GPP Photo Week – The Shortest Distance Between us, Group Exhibition, Infertile Crescent – Dubai, UAE.

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