Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They May Appear
Synopsis
Through analog photography, text, video, and sound – this work foregrounds a seemingly improvised yet coordinated interplay between public dumpsters, stray cats, and humans of Bahrain. Deceptively complex, this dumpster ecosystem acts as a point of convergence between society, public administration, and commercial entities. Embedded within it are both virtue and a violence made mundane due to its very omnipresence. Being both a feature and signifier of Gulf rentierism and capitalism, this ecosystem’s metaphoric and speculative properties are invoked to discuss the current social condition, the causal circumstances that brought us here, and where we may be heading.
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ACT 1: MITIGATION
ACT 2: COLLAPSE
ACT 3: EXODUS
FINAL ACT: ERASURE
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The genesis of this work traces to observations made during doctor perscribed rehabilitation walks that followed a surgical procedure. These walks – which took place around my neighborhood in Bahrain – transpired into a two-year exploration, research, and production journey under the mentorship and curation of William Wells (Director, Al Riwaq Art Space, Bahrain; Prev. Co-founding director, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo).
The work is designed as a set of sequential acts and may be described as an act of guerilla futuring, wherein images of the Bahraini lived environment are collaged with speculative texts to speak of dark days ahead. At its core, it is my attempt at grappling with thoughts of the impending societal, economic, and ecological collapse of my home country.
This work signaled both my transition from music to a multidisciplinary practice as well as my debut as an exhibiting artist.