Ayman Ramadan
08 - 30 Jun 2008
AYMAN RAMADAN
"Hekaya"
June 8th– June 30th
Opening at 8:00 pm, Factory
The swing as collective memory; the swing as the symbol of childhood; the swing as solace, security and the limitless sense of possibility. In Ayman Ramadan's newest installation, Hekaya, he presents the swing as a universal idiom encapsulating the collective memories of childhood, yet simultaneously deconstructing it as an allegory for the state of the world.
The installation's central piece, a 5m x 2m high rusted swing, speaks for the past in its symbolism as a vehicle of childhood blithe, and for the future as a testimony to how the current geopolitical turmoil is fragmenting for future generations the mere possibility of childhood security and whimsicality. A video-installation in the background captures a swing, swaying, alone in a children's playground. Its hinges creak like an un-oiled machine.
The swing as the vehicle for childhood exhilaration, as it takes one higher and higher, becomes with its rusted bolts, joints, protruding wires and sharp edges, the mirror of the conflict, natural disasters and misconceptions that plague the world. Ramadan appeals to the collective memory with the urgency of his message, layering in his work the links between collective symbolism, international politics, and the obliteration of the childhood innate.
Inspired by a year living in San Francisco, Ramadan's use of the swing reflects his search for global connectivity, moving beyond his unravelling of the psyche of the socioeconomic Cairene street, to a work that speaks to a global audience.
"Hekaya"
June 8th– June 30th
Opening at 8:00 pm, Factory
The swing as collective memory; the swing as the symbol of childhood; the swing as solace, security and the limitless sense of possibility. In Ayman Ramadan's newest installation, Hekaya, he presents the swing as a universal idiom encapsulating the collective memories of childhood, yet simultaneously deconstructing it as an allegory for the state of the world.
The installation's central piece, a 5m x 2m high rusted swing, speaks for the past in its symbolism as a vehicle of childhood blithe, and for the future as a testimony to how the current geopolitical turmoil is fragmenting for future generations the mere possibility of childhood security and whimsicality. A video-installation in the background captures a swing, swaying, alone in a children's playground. Its hinges creak like an un-oiled machine.
The swing as the vehicle for childhood exhilaration, as it takes one higher and higher, becomes with its rusted bolts, joints, protruding wires and sharp edges, the mirror of the conflict, natural disasters and misconceptions that plague the world. Ramadan appeals to the collective memory with the urgency of his message, layering in his work the links between collective symbolism, international politics, and the obliteration of the childhood innate.
Inspired by a year living in San Francisco, Ramadan's use of the swing reflects his search for global connectivity, moving beyond his unravelling of the psyche of the socioeconomic Cairene street, to a work that speaks to a global audience.