"Ten measures of beauty, only one is for the world, the other nine are for Jerusalem."
Extract from the Talmud

"I didn't choose to live in Israel, I chose to live in Jerusalem", Didier Ben Loulou likes to say. For him, to live in Jerusalem and make it his life is to attempt to question and understand this elusive city obsessed with the eternal and the notion of being the centre of the world. Even to visit Jerusalem is hazardous, let alone to live there. Didier Ben Loulou's choice was his commitment to a quest. But he does not want to penetrate the mystery of this city, coveted and dreamed of by so many over thousands of years. Far from it...Rather, to observe it, to question it, and to gradually and prudently record minute fragments extricated from it. And with humility. Ever on the watch, Didier Ben loulou captures the memory of the stone, a face, and that which a hand, worn by the sun and hard work, reveals of the life-force and imminence of death. And in so doing, he creates something which is far from simply a collection of images of Jerusalem; there is a totality and unity in his work. His mosaics reflect a singular image of this pluralistic city; the infinitely small as part of infinitely large.

The idea for this book was the result of several enthusiastic people coming together, each motivated by the work of Didier Ben Loulou. By dint of mutual will and determination, a bridge was built between Caen, Geneva and Jerusalem. Accordingly, I should like to take this opportunity of thanking Michèle Auer and Michel Auer, the creators of Photogaleries Collection, the publishers Ides et Calendes, and a long-standing partner of the Caen Atothèque, Jacques Py, whose watchful eye we have greatly appreciated.

This book, published to coincide with the Autumn 1996 exhibition in Caen, marks the tenth anniversary of the Caen Art Library. I am delighted that this event will be accompanied by the images of Didier Ben Loulou and the presence of Jerusalem.