Jahimu As-suwari

This is a place where now is an eternity and waiting never ends. Where a being constantly falls at the inflection points of existence. Where night never falls. Where vision is blind in a white sleep populated by empty dreams. Where blankness evokes death anxiety. Where the other is cannibalized to preserve one’s own image. Where the world is constituted by its images. Where eyes remain incredulous before such images.

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter the hell of images.” — Abel Gance

Elie Mouhanna will be performing a selection of his old and recent writings, in collaboration with Anthony Sahyoun. The diverse texts are gathered under the title of jaḥīmu ‘ṣ- ṣuwari (“The Hell of Images”) as an invitation to reflect upon the nature and role of images across various contexts. The texts oscillate between the personal and the collective, the intimate and the public.

The performance will be in Arabic and English.