Method

ThePilgrimPrj was founded in 2025 by Talissa Makdessi, a photographer, filmmaker, and researcher whose work explores pilgrimage as a cultural, political, and embodied practice.

Her approach is grounded in walking. Through extended journeys on foot, Talissa studies how sacred routes are shaped by power, patronage, and devotion — and how they continue to shape the people who move through them today.

With a background spanning art history, theatre, law, cultural studies, and current postgraduate research in global political economy, her work sits at the intersection of fieldwork, scholarship, and visual storytelling. ThePilgrimPrj approaches paths as living systems that require sustained attention and presence.

Having walked the Camino Francés, Via Francigena and Jakobsweg, Talissa continues her research along historic routes across Europe and Asia, including the Camino networks, St. Olav’s Way, and Shikoku Henro.

ThePilgrimPrj exists to document, study, and help preserve sacred paths through long-form research, data collection, documentary photography, and educational film.

Download the complete Theory of Change PDF