I “met” an artist who specialises in installation art. I use quotation marks because our meeting was virtual – as are all our meetings during this global isolation. We enjoyed many a conversation about art and expression, freedom and the Arab world, revolution and hope. His installations to date, all very engaging and thought provoking, have been in his native Egypt. He’s now imaging his next work in the city of Beirut, to where he moved at the beginning of the crisis, a true adventurer.
He has inspired me to create installation pieces, to be publicly displayed in my new hometown of Larnaca. I’m not rebellious enough to deface another person’s property with graffiti, and so they’ll take more sculptural forms.
I had planned on installing my first piece in one of the many derelict houses in this glorious seaside city, which I have enjoyed exploring and photographing in recent months, but Maya* quite rightly notes that installations are there to be seen, to provoke thought and discussion in the real world, not only the virtual one.
And so it is likely that a bench along the Finikoudes strip – a vibrant and lively space that for much of April was all but secluded – will be the backdrop of my first piece. The ideas are there, but the execution is a tad challenging. I’m announcing it as a way of ensuring that I don’t give up on it.
Thank you Amor for inspiring me.
*Maya is my inspired and inspiring child. Their name appears frequently in these pages, as they are not only my greatest love, but also my muse and my teacher.
