Cairo Trilogy, 2010 – 2013
These three large-scale kinetic sculptures are inspired by Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy, which maps the cultural evolution in Egypt and the breakdown and reconstruction of post-colonial Egypt. Fabricated in the shape of traditional Arabic jewelry, and constructed from materials similar to harem mashrabeyas, these decorative pieces and their rocking movements reference a woman's body as she walks down a public street. That they only function when interacted with by a viewer, fluctuating from passive and beautiful to flailing and threatening, the sculptures allude to the role each individual has in contributing towards established sexual mores. Qasr El Shoaq moves slowly and methodically on a single axis, rocking slowly back and forth; Bien El Qasrein twirls, rocks and spins erratically and is the most unpredictable; El Sokareya is completely static and deconstructed. Shifts in cultural and political paradigms are embodied in the objects’ formal language, both decorative and minimal, as well as the performative interactions.
Qasr El Shoaq, 2010. Plywood, aluminum and lead. 69 x 94 x 26 inches. Photo Credit: Panic Studio L.A.
Bein Al-Qasrein, 2010. Walnut, plywood and lead. 96 x 29 x 29 inches. Photo Credit: Joshua White
Untitled (el sokareya), 2013. Plywood. 84 x 84 x 88 inches. Photo Credit: Jeff Mclane