Food for thought
Al-Muallaqat
The work ‘Al-Muallaqat’ attempts to create a global universe where visual and oral traditions are both celebrated and presented as counterparts. The original and rustic aged aluminum pots used in ‘Al-Muallaqat’ were collected from various flea markets all around Saudi Arabia. They were specifically used throughout history by women and families as cooking vessels. These pots are, therefore, an anthropological testimonial. A celebration of Arab history and Arab hospitality traditions, they also serve as a visual metamorphosis of the history of the nation.
This installation was named ‘Food for Thought- Al-Muallaqat’, as a reference to the great Hanging Odes (Muallaqat). These were famous canonical Arabic poems by great pre-Islamic or Jahili poets from Arabia that once were exhibited in the Ka’ba in Mecca. Nowadays, those canonical Arabic poems are studied and read as a part of a lost heritage, of a past golden age of Arab culture.
‘Al-Muallaqat’ calls out for reconnection with global heritage. This strong contemporary anthropological proposition tells the world the story of Saudi cultural identity.
Reflecting the current need for visual and aesthetic culture these family pots are the voices of revived archaeological search for visual heritage, for the buried culture that stayed in the shadows of Arab literary heritage for so long.
Without dismissing the symbolic message and aesthetic beauty of the original Muallaqat, ‘Al-Muallaqat’ reinforces the position of poetry in Arab culture and heritage, whilst simultaneously engaging a visually significant universal dialogue.
