Curatorial team at Al Serkal: Nada Raza supported by Diane Mehanna and Mariam abdel Aziz.
Photos by Ismail Noor, Seeing Things.
A light, a loudspeaker, a parrot
Loudspeaker and Tower at TSV
Loudspeaker and Tower Zine
Loudspeaker at KAG
Mud, Minarets and Meaningless Events
Stairway to Heaven
Storm Over Cairo
In the context of The Loudspeaker and the Tower at Al Serkal's Jossa Space in Dubai in 2022, I presented , the choice of the newspaper is significant because the project explores themes of surveillance, control, and resistance, and the newspaper format—with its intimate, tactile quality—invites viewers to physically engage with the material, leaving their mark on it and becoming part of the narrative. Moreover, the association of newspapers with state media and propaganda adds another layer of meaning. By hacking this format to create an artist publication, I draw a parallel to how mosques, particularly those informally developed, use their loudspeakers to project their narratives, subverting official channels and creating alternative spaces of discourse. This choice underscores the project’s exploration of how public spaces and media can be co-opted to serve both hegemonic and counter-hegemonic purposes. Displaying the photographs printed in newspaper format and installed as towers of zines arranged in piles encourages viewers to physically interact with the work, take copies, and engage with the content in a direct, tangible way. This method not only makes the art accessible but also emphasizes the collective and participatory nature of the project, inviting the audience to become active participants in the exploration of these themes.