{"id":980,"date":"2010-07-13T08:34:00","date_gmt":"2010-07-13T08:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/?p=980"},"modified":"2023-08-08T11:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T11:45:23","slug":"the-sea-is-a-stereo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/index.php\/2010\/07\/13\/the-sea-is-a-stereo\/","title":{"rendered":"The sea is a stereo"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"980\" class=\"elementor elementor-980\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fe00b8a elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-content-top elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fe00b8a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4659c6f9\" data-id=\"4659c6f9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb0c909 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"eb0c909\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c6f8d77 carouseljustified elementor-arrows-position-inside elementor-pagination-position-outside elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-carousel\" data-id=\"c6f8d77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;slides_to_show&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;navigation&quot;:&quot;both&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_hover&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_interaction&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;autoplay_speed&quot;:5000,&quot;infinite&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;effect&quot;:&quot;slide&quot;,&quot;speed&quot;:500}\" data-widget_type=\"image-carousel.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel-wrapper swiper\" role=\"region\" aria-roledescription=\"carousel\" aria-label=\"Image Carousel\" dir=\"ltr\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel swiper-wrapper\" aria-live=\"off\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"1 of 7\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sea1.jpg\" alt=\"Sea1\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"2 of 7\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sea2.jpg\" alt=\"Sea2\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"3 of 7\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sea4.jpg\" alt=\"Sea4\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"4 of 7\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sea5-e1689237625302.jpg\" alt=\"Sea5\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"5 of 7\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sea3.jpg\" alt=\"Sea3\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"6 of 7\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sea6.jpg\" alt=\"Sea6\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"7 of 7\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/mounirasolh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Sea7.jpg\" alt=\"Sea7\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-prev\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"eicon-chevron-left\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-next\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"eicon-chevron-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6708cb22 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6708cb22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The sea is a stereo\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-375d494 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"375d494\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\"><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\"><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\"><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\"><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-description\"><div class=\"field field-name-field-description field-type-text field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\">videos, collages, nivea cream jar, and other, 2007-2010<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-body\"><div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\"><div class=\"field-items\"><div class=\"field-item even\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a9cb684 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a9cb684\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>The sea is a stereo\u00a0<\/em>is an on-going series of reflections on a group of men who swim everyday at the beach in Beirut no matter the circumstances: rain, wind, war, etc.\u00a0Even as we read this, the men might be swimming or preparing themselves to do so.\u00a0The work consists of different elements: a number of videos, photo-collages, a lecture and other materials.\u00a0I see these elements as different possibilities for making\u00a0<em>the sea is a stereo<\/em>, which seems to me a never-ending work; like the men in Beirut who will never stop swimming.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8859b65 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8859b65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Paris without a sea<\/em><\/p><p>video n\u00ba 2, 12mns, 2007-08<\/p><p><em>Paris without a sea<\/em>\u00a0focuses on interviews that I did with the men. Usually, making an interview presupposes that there should be an interviewer and an interviewee, and that the two stand on different sides. This video tries to question this presupposition:<\/p><p>the interviews begin by asking very basic matters that seem to be banal but that in fact touch on critical sociological and anthropological issues such as most of the men\u2019s nick names for instance. Sometimes the exaggerated fast rhythm of the video, and these surprising questions and answers make the video slide into the absurd, where appropriation and performance constitute underlying strong components, since we will soon notice, I have lip-synchronized my voice over the men\u2019s voices. So I become one with them, and I become the interviewer and the interviewee, while we are surprised to hear their soft and feminine voice. Thus now all men have the same voice, and that is mine. I of course had to practice and learn each man&#8217;s accent, and this allowed me to embody each character that I so much admire. As a result we wonder how does a voice represent a person? And how does that affect our expectations to hear others&#8217; voices, based on our voice that we never manage to hear like we hear others\u2019 voices?<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b573651 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b573651\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Let\u2019s not swim then!<\/em><\/p><p>video n\u00ba 3, 90mns, 2007-09<\/p><p><em>Let\u2019s Not Swim Then!\u00a0<\/em>is a video based on different scenes of the swimmers filmed individually or in groups as they are on the beach or going there. These scenes were filmed between 2006 and 2008 at different locations on the public beach in Beirut, and during different times of the year. Each of the scenes is followed by remarks that some of the men have made after watching a playback. The remarks clarify the relationship of the men with each other, as well as their relation with the coastline in Beirut and the shrinking public beaches where they swim. These scenes intimately show us the daily engagement of the men: how they struggle daily to find the right spot for swimming in Beirut, and where each one of them prefers to swim. During some days, conflicts were rising in the city while the men on the beach purposely ignore what is happening, in these scenes, we could feel the tension, but we are never directly told what is happening. However, it becomes obvious how diverse the backgrounds of the men are, and how sometimes they really have conflicting or tensed relations.<\/p><p>This video however, in an open and loose way, allows us to get a closer look at the men\u2019s daily diverse activities on the beach, while it also keeps them almost silent, since what they say is not translated, and since we are not sure if the remarks we read are real or fictional.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-602a8a5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"602a8a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Linking<\/em><\/p><p>Hand-cut photo-collage on wooden white painted shelf, hand-written notes with pen, pencils, ballpoint pens and markers, 6,60 m. x 2,20 m., 2009 &#8211; ongoing<\/p><p>Linking the first spot in the city that the men might see from the sea as they swim parallel to the coast line in Beirut to the last one, this photo-collage is made of photos that I denuded from the sea and from the sky, focussing on the almost interlace-like relationship between endless threatening buildings from all times.<\/p><p>Around the collage, I hand-wrote personal notes and general ones commenting on the Corniche and the buildings, mostly in relation to the swimmers, and to myself.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-53e8270 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"53e8270\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Nivea jar<\/em><\/p><p>Silk screen and airbrushed enamel on original Nivea jar<\/p><p>4 x 5 x 3 cm, 2008<\/p><p>This Nivea jar is made by reflections on a sentence Abu Wahid says in video\u00a0<em>Paris without a sea<\/em>\u00a0and the repetitive and conscious act of excessively using Nivea by Abu Sakhra.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The sea is a stereo videos, collages, nivea cream jar, and other, 2007-2010\u00a0 The sea is a stereo\u00a0is an on-going series of reflections on a group of men who swim everyday at the beach in Beirut no matter the circumstances: rain, wind, war, etc.\u00a0Even as we read this, the men might be swimming or preparing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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