"One", A Letter to Eternity

“One”, A Letter to Eternity

Migration is at the heart of civilisation and the cycle of perpetual and eternal change and the ‘condition humaine’. Today’s refugees are the new settlers: Carriers of Hope. “One”, A Letter to Eternity, both film and spatial installation – as well film sculpture, is a poetic quest and exploration of compassion across the Mediterranean Sea. A love letter to diversity in an eternal arena of mankind in perpetual movement, where habitants of the Mediterranean co-create a lasting imprint, a ‘living’ sculpture and a vivid blueprint for eternity.

Two-way flow of exile and belonging, “One”, A Letter to Eternity, reflects a lyrical expression of life, vividly invoking the magnificent dynamic feeling with which the universe incessantly vibrates. In the nation states of the Mediterranean basin and the hinterlands, an entangling ‘Odyssean’ gaze creates yet another tale of Land peoples and Sea peoples, journeying since centuries in a quest for eternity. A cartography of concealing, unveiling, nurturing, forgetting, remembering, healing and letting go. Going through fierce transformations and turmoil, living in present times, evoked and told by locals living today on the Phoenicians historic route; be they heroic or tragic.

Inspired by Greek tragedy, archaeology and the Phoenicians’ ancient maritime routes, connecting the Levant to South Europe, North-Africa and with the southern coast of Anatolia (former Troy), the idea and research took shape during a three month artist-in-residence at Ashkal Alwan, from March 1st – June 1st 2016, in affiliation with the Mondriaan Fund in The Netherlands. “One”, A Letter to Eternity, is intended to be developed and realized the forthcoming year.

Filmstill, A Letter to Eternity - A Prelude

Photograph Archaeological site, Faqra, A Letter to Eternity - A Prelude

Photograph, Archaeological site, Faqra, A Letter to Eternity - A Prelude

Stills filmrushes, a first study for ‘A Letter to Eternity’ (2016, Lebanon). Directed by Ilse Frech. Cinematography and Camera: Talal Khoury and Ilse Frech. Music: Tony Elieh and Sharif Sehnaoui.

Filmstill, A Letter to Eternity - A Prelude

Filmstill, A Letter to Eternity – A Prelude

Photograph, Archaeological site, Utica, Tunisa

Stills filmrushes, study for ‘A Letter to Eternity’ (2018, Tunisia). Directed by Ilse Frech. Cinematography and Camera: Ilse Frech. Cast: Najwa Miled. Poetry: Samir Farhani.

Project

Migration is at the heart of civilisation and the cycle of perpetual and eternal change. “One”, A Letter to Eternity, both film and spatial installation – as well film sculpture, reflects a lyrical expression of life, vividly invoking the magnificent dynamic feeling with which the universe incessantly vibrates.

A philosophical and poetic quest for identity and belonging, on the crossroad of documentary, fiction and re-enactment, addressing our common heritage, as well as our heroic and brutal deeds, envisioning the ‘condition humaine’. Along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the historical and contemporary centrepiece of a tale, a modern mythology on the notions of exile rises, where people in exile arrive upon new lands and native inhabitants of cities, desert and grasslands shall embody and give voice to mythological characters anew; be they heroic or tragic.

In the nation states of the Mediterranean basin and the hinterlands, an entangling ‘Odyssean’ gaze creates yet another tale of Land peoples and Sea peoples, journeying since centuries in a quest for eternity. Going through fierce transformations and turmoil, living in present times, evoked and told by locals living today on the Phoenicians[1] historic route. Inspired by Greek tragedy, archaeology and the Phoenicians’ ancient maritime routes, connecting the Levant with the southern coast of Anatolia (former Troy) to neighbouring South Europe and North-Africa.

[1]

Phoenicians, to be more exactly, existed from the 2nd millennium BCE, setting up merchant enclaves in Egypt, whereas due to artificial terminology they’re now referred to as Canaanites. Probably the alphabet itself emerged out of the invention of turquoise slave miners of Semitic descent (who could have been Jewish) in the Sinai around 1700 BCE. Which is why this view of the alphabet, as being first invented by the Phoenicians, is currently being rewritten with more nuance (source 2017, Elefteria Pappa).

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