Pyramids Plateau // Giza, Egypt
October 21, 2021 – November 7, 2021
Forever is Now
“Here I Have Returned” is a site-specific sculpture installed in 2021 at the Pyramids Plateau in Giza, Egypt as Part of the Forever is Now Exhibition. The sculpture’s form is inspired by that of an ancient sistrum, a sacred musical instrument used by the priestesses of Hathor during sacred rituals and processions. Engraved with pharaonic inspired patterns and excerpts from a poem by Egyptian feminist Doria Shafik. The indigo fabric elements are embedded with Jasmine oil sourced from local Egyptian farms, honoring the work of the women who harvest the delicate flowers in the dawn hours.
The sculpture is both shelter and monument - a site of connection with the sacred burial grounds – it is positioned to refocus the gaze onto the lesser-known queen’s pyramids. The sound and scent are activated by the gusts winds that regularly sweep through the plateau and act as an ethereal echo of rituals performed there many centuries ago. Serving as both a remembrance of history and an invitation to connect these narratives to the present, the work sets out to make the invisible work of generations of under-recognized women visible once more.
“Forever is Now” is an exhibition by Art D’Egypte in partnership with UNESCO Heritage Sites. The piece was produced entirely in Egypt, in collaboration with Meuble El Chark and supported by bardoLA.
Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021. Installation view. Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021 (detail). Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021 (detail). Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021 (detail). Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021. Installation view. Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021. Installation view. Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021. Installation view. Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021. Installation view. Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi
Here I Have Returned, 2021. Installation view. Photo Credit: Hesham Saifi