São Paulo – In February 2017, on completing his doctoral studies, the Brazilian photographer Marcelo Schellini will deliver a book and a documentary made in Africa and in Arab countries, mostly Egypt. Schellini is pursuing a doctorate degree in Visual Arts from the School of Communication and Arts of the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP) and both the book and the film are the outcome of his doctoral research work.
The photographer spent a year and four months in Egypt, in two separate stints between 2014 and early 2016. The film, entitled “Masar,” Arabic for path, is 18 minutes long and portrays interlocking stories in Egypt. A fictional documentary, it opens as a friend of the Brazilian’s, Nassuradine Adamou, of Niger, does research in an Egyptian library. Schellini met Adamou in Egypt.
The docufiction piece continues with Nassuradine telling the story of Mansa Musa, a 14th century Malian emperor. He explains that when the emperor went to Egypt on a pilgrimage to Mecca, he brought so much gold that the product’s price dropped on the local market. The Nigerien goes on to say that Musa spoke of another emperor, Abu Bakari II, who abdicated the throne to explore the Atlantic Ocean.
The stories unfold with related footage of the Atlantic, in Senegal, the Egyptian desert, etc.
Marcelo Schellini has even shown the unfinished documentary at an event in São Paulo, and wants to make it available to the public in cultural or literary activities, as well as online, following its presentation at ECA-USP.
Schellini’s book will be entitled “17janela18corredor” (17window18corridor), in a reference to a travel ticket. The photographer’s doctoral thesis, it’s a travel story including over 80 photographs. The purpose of its research is to showcase the elements of North African, Muslim and Arab cultures – especially Egypt – that Brazil has incorporated.
The book features photos of Arab and Muslim culture elements in Brazil, such as mosques, alongside similar pictures taken in Arab countries.
Elsewhere, the author includes photos of Egypt, with text-only references to Brazil. In addition to Egypt, Schellini added photos taken in 2010, 2011 and 2016 to other Arab countries, such as Mauritania, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
The initial print run will be modest, and the book will be made available on the USP website, but Schellini plans on eventually attempting bigger numbers and promotion.
A native of Botucatu, São Paulo, Schellini first began photographing in his teens. He holds a baccalaureate degree in Photography from Senac-SP and a master’s in Studies in Visual Culture from the University of Barcelona, Spain. Schellini first came into contact with elements of Arab culture while pursuing his master’s degree in Spain, from where he went to North Africa for the first time.
Part of the photographer’s stay in Egypt, from February 2015 to February 2016, was enabled by a grant from the Brazilian government’s higher education support agency Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes). He did the bulk of his research at the Aswan University, in Southern Egypt, but also went to other cities, such as Cairo.
As to photography, he does freelance work, teachers courses, and has held several group and solo exhibits. He also plans on pursuing a post-doctorate degree.
Contact information
Marcelo Schellini
Email: marceloschellini@hotmail.com
http://cargocollective.com/marceloschellini/Marcelo-Schellini
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
