From Rivers to Dust

Mary Sarsam

Artist, Researcher

Contact

Thesis

My inherited lens of migration has situated my body in places of friction. I practice embodying bridges by creating monuments and maps of the “in-between” places, which transgress border imperialist understandings of land. Critical engagement with mundane digital tools that have shaped our virtual experiences of land, such as satellite imagery and mapping platforms, are inherent to my work. Tapping into the historical, poetic and mystical layers of localities creates new ontologies; countering the flattened and stigmatised narratives presented by media and politics. Through a range of mediums, including storytelling, performance, installation and film I visualise and map out the stories I encounter. I aim to create links across borders and bring attention to topics such as environmental degradation, displacement and cultural heritage. My academic background lies in social and ecological studies, which I aim to broaden with alternative forms of research and communication through the arts. Through my interdisciplinary work, I seek to make connections between people and places tangible, in the hopes of nourishing empathy and addressing dissociations.

From Rivers to Dust

This film documents my research process over the past two years looking into connections between Iraq and Tunisia. I find meaning in uses of language, the experience of displacement, pollution, stigmatization and the shared emotions of grief and loss. Based on conversations with farmers, friends and activists, this work blends my field documentation with archival material and visualizes webs of meaning present between the explored places.
15’ Tunisian and Iraqi Arabic, English, subtitles in English

Just like Fallujah in Tunisia, Iraqi Fallujan farmers are displaced from their lands and forced into “hollowed- out modes of being” (Rubaii, 2018, p.285).

Iraqi Internet Archives
This work gathers my favorite videos collected while researching about Iraqi music, dance and food on various online platforms. It manifests the importance of archives for diasporic and displaced communities who have often lost material memories and access to culture. Through these archives, I want to share and celebrate sides of Iraq that are often overlooked due to dominant narratives of war and conflict. The creators of the videos are cited at the end of the work.
41’

Reviewing Parallel 36
This Instagram page acts as an archive of my collection of online reviews and ratings. I find elements of humor and moments of resistance while virtually traveling the 36th parallel north of the equator on online mapping platforms. Within this geographical line many parallels unfold. With “Reviewing Parallel 36” I explore the stories that are told through the on-the-ground realities exposed through online reviews.
www.instagram.com/reviewingparallel36

For more information about my work visit my website (www.marysarsam.com) or reach me at @sarsammary