Photographer Xavier Roy Takes Us Behind His Viewfinder into Re:viewing Egypt 

If French photographer Xavier Roy had to choose another title for his recent illustrated book he would have called it Egypt Face to Face so as to really accentuate what he calls the “extraordinary symbiosis between Egypt’s past and present” that captivated his eye while photographing the country.

In his new book Re:viewing Egypt: Image and Echo, published this month by the AUC Press, Roy seeks to capture this very coexistence by skillfully juxtaposing the world of the living with that of the dead, repeatedly contrasting stolen moments from today’s daily life with bits and fragments of the country’s once illustrious past.

Roy may focus his lens on a boy running in a bucolic countryside and then zoom in on a weathered antiquity half buried in the sand, or snap a shot of a dog stretching in front of a pyramid and then of an elongated afternoon shadow of a felucca on the Nile bank….

His 145 astonishing black-and-white photographs are accompanied by a profoundly contemplative introduction by Gamal al-Ghitani, in which the acclaimed Egyptian writer reflects on the country’s duality of origin and shadow, while praising Roy for capturing “the essence of the spirit of Egypt.”

In a recent interview, Xavier Roy talked more about his passion for photography, and for Egypt.

AUC Press: Gamal al-Ghitani, in his essay, talks about the “duality,” the “infinite,” and the “gradation” associated with the elements of Egyptian reality. Is this what touched you about Egypt and what you try to convey in your images?

XR: When I read the text of Gamal al-Ghitani, I was happily surprised and proud that such a famous Egyptian author would translate into words the feelings that I had myself experienced.  It reassured me about my vision of Egypt as a foreigner.  It is true that in this wonderful country I have the very strong impression of an eternal rebirth, that everything that disappears is continually reborn, like the phoenix from its ashes....  I hope that my photographs express the emotions I felt while taking them.

AUC Press: What emotions were these?

XR: Depending on what I was photographing, they could vary from tenderness to melancholy, or to joy…. When I have the impression that I took a “beautiful” photograph, it takes my breath away.

AUC Press: Would it be fair to say that there is an intentional visual “echo” in your photographs, either through the dialogue created by the composition in the image itself or through the arrangement of the images in the book layout?

XR: It is only when I saw my whole work that it became obvious. This "echo", this contrast, is the image of Egypt.

AUC Press: How do you ‘construct’ the duality or the contrast in your photographs? Do you take one photograph and then go look for the ‘echo’, either waiting for it to just happen or actually setting it up?

XR: No, I never did set up the photographs. I must say that strangely enough and contrary to all the other countries I photographed (Cuba, Brazil, France, Morocco, Madagascar ....), I just had to put the photographs of Egypt together and the duality in the pictures was in evidence.

AUC Press: Is this duality or resonance specific to Egypt or is this how you see the world as a photographer, made of contrasts, combinations, reflections?

XR: Generally when I take my pictures I never think about how they are going to be shown in a book. I capture them with my head, my eyes, and my heart.... It is only at the end of my work that I can have a global impression and the end result is different for every country that I photograph.

AUC Press: Which ‘echo’ catches your eye first when you look through the viewfinder of your camera – the light, the form, the texture, the subject?

XR: The four echoes at the same instant.

AUC Press: How would you describe your favorite photograph in this book?

XR: I have many favorite photographs but the one that moves me the most is the one of the little girl with a scarf on page 123: her very big eyes are full of shyness but at the same time there is curiosity, hope and tenderness.

AUC Press: Why do you think the book title Re:viewing Egypt is fitting for this collection of photographs?

XR: Because books about Egypt usually only show the ancient Egypt, as if contemporary Egypt was not so interesting. Often photographers are only interested in its glorious history.

AUC Press: You have photographed in many parts of the world. What is particular about taking photographs in Egypt?

XR: Everything is fascinating in Egypt. It is a paradise for photographers!

AUC Press: What do you prefer about black-and-white photography?

XR: Color is for me anecdotic because it distorts my photographic vision. Photos don't show reality: they are an adaptation, or a translation of reality made by the photographer. Black-and-white brings me pureness, it is more intimate and it emphasizes the lines, the composition and the attitudes. Black-and-white enables me to go to the essential: it is a different language than color.           

AUC Press: Would you say your work is influenced by photographers such as Henri Cartier–Bresson?

XR: No, I admire him very much, but I would say that André Kertesz was my master: he gave me the desire to become a photographer.

AUC Press: How did you to decide to move from a successful career in marketing to becoming a full-time photographer?

XR: I always liked art. When I worked for the music company Vogue I always took photos whenever I could.... Today, more than a hobby, photography is a passion.

To view some of the photographs from Re:viewing Egypt: Image and Echo, click here.

To read more about the book and order it, click here.