P1.2 / project content — Manar Moursi

The exhibition was co-curated by Emily Fitzpatrick and Toleen Touq and co-presented with Trinity Square Video and South Asian Visual Arts Centre in Toronto. It was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, and the Ontario and Toronto Arts Councils.

Exhibition photos by Yuula Benivolski.

To read more, a review by Ahmed Hegazy.

The Loudspeaker and the Tower at TSV Co-presented with SAVAC and Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival, Toronto, 2019

Based on my research for A Light, a Loudspeaker, and a Parrot, and Storm Over Cairo, my 2019 show at TSV presented an immersive environment composed of colored lights, megaphones, masks, videos, photographs, and sculptures. The works prompted viewers to reflect on several questions: What if the singular, patriarchal voices of religious sermons were interpreted through mime? How do Cairo’s residents resist authoritative urban planning and create new meanings for public spaces? What are the environmental and political consequences of these acts of defiance in everyday life? These inquiries revealed the complexities and contradictions present in Cairo's urban landscape and daily practices.

A central piece of the exhibition was a metal sculpture inspired by minarets, emitting light to create an atmospheric presence. The sculpture was activated weekly through different programs. One such program was a workshop led by John Rage (alias Fan Wu), which explored translating prelinguistic sound experiences into language, through shared listening exercises and collaborative writing. Another activation was Kat Estacio’s Minaret Mix, blending field recordings with drone Kulintang sounds, reimagining the patriarchal symbolism of the minaret with a matriarchal influence. The exhibition also featured Circular Night Drive Zoetrope, an animation documenting my journey around Cairo’s ring road, capturing the city’s lit minarets. Additionally, two video works, The Parrot and Stairway to Heaven, expanded on the project's themes, alongside a zine that deepened the engagement with the viewer.