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On Refrains, Sets and a Backdrop, 2006. Installation (wallpaper, curtains, assorted chairs, and single channel video We're by the Sea Now).
We’re by the Sea Now is of and about the city, a subject inextricably woven into the work of Hala Elkoussy. Here, centre stage is given over to the Cairo inhabitants through the presentation of an array of disparate anecdotal events, personal accounts, tales and hearsay. The piece makes no attempts at producing macro narratives. The fragmented structure – thirteen vignette-like chapters – further disrupts the production of a unilateral, stable meaning.
Overall, the piece delves into intimate, seemingly banal and overlooked sides of community life. Fact and fiction mix and filmic forms are exploited with liberty: What presents itself as documentary is in some instances fiction and vice-versa. (Text: Hala Elkoussy)
* 1974 in Cairo, lives and works in Amsterdam and Cairo
