The book looks at how the manifold forms of fractures in the fragile yet culturally vibrant Arab region are reflected by artists in fïlm and photography. This book examines selected works by Ali Cherri, Randa Mirza and Tanya Traboulsi in greater detail.
Ali Cherri addresses not only the question of how we can live with and in the wake of violence, pain and insecurity, but also the role played by the imagination. In his feature film “The Dam” he develops a universal approach to temporary, spatial and material fragments by interweaving them into a poetic narrative.
Rather than directly depicting violence, Randa Mirza follows the visual and emotional traces that it leaves on both the individual and the collective memory. Her work invites viewers to reflect on their own position as witnesses within a shared visual memory, where perception becomes an ethical and political act.
Tanya Traboulsi reflects visually on the very personal topics of identity, belonging and memory. Her works are more concerned with beauty than destruction. Her images are full of nostalgia and poetry as she points to the challenges of Beirut’s past, as well as to recent urban changes and infrastructural issues.
The book tells the stories of the people who (have to) deal with fractures and violence and commemorates losses and experiences of fragility but also opens up to imagination, poetry and dreams.