Journey Around My Living Room
an exhibition by Egyptian artist Hala Elkoussy
May 2013
Mashrabia Gallery, Cairo
This project by Hala Elkoussy borrows its title from Xavier De Maistre`s book "Journey Around My Bedroom." In the book, the author undertakes a two-week journey in his bedroom, experiencing and describing it as if seeing it for the first time. Elkoussy attempted a similar approach to rediscover her own neighborhood of Downtown Cairo.
For five months, she walked the neighborhood with camera in hand, spontaneously capturing the ways residents and street vendors interact and reshape their surroundings. As she explains in this video interview, the visual culture of her hometown is constantly changing, mixing old with new, and the temporary with permanent fixtures. Through her exhibition of photography, objects, and paraphernalia, she attempts to engage viewers in on how she sees this environment and tries to understand it.
[This video is produced by Medrar TV and is featured as part of a new partnership with Jadaliyya Culture.]