Marrakech

This series followed a 2016 trip to Morocco, where Seaton was particularly inspired by Marrakech’s medina, souks and spectacular foothill setting, and by the harbour life of Essaouira.

“In Marrakech everything and everyone seems framed by rose and ochre. It’s the city’s red sandstone walls and buildings, of course, but it’s also the effect of the Moroccan sky, ‘the blue depths above’, as Paul Bowles wrote.”

“Then there’s the almost unreal backdrop of the High Atlas, some of the oldest geology on the planet. Some peaks are snowcapped almost year round, and depending upon the light the mountains seem to hug the cities, or loom over them.”

On the coast at Essaouira, Seaton was fascinated by the traditional fishing boats in the town’s ancient harbour. “[Essaouira] seemed the complete opposite of Marrakech because here, everything was blue and white: the sky, the sea, the stucco houses, and especially the boats.

“In fact, everything wooden was painted blue and it’s a very distinctive blue, a kind of accretion of indigo, ultramarine, cobalt, smalt, all the way to cerulean and even Majorelle. You can almost read Essaouira’s history in this one colour.“