Side Effects
Side Effects by Hassan Elnrgc in collaboration with the Institut für Raumexperimente with support from AFAQ is a contemporary installation artwork that talks about the side effects of the butterfly effect on people’s understanding of issues.
graphics installation based on Kursi calligraphy, which wrap around the sides of an upturned cobblestone resting on a pedestal in a public park. Kursi means chair and, for the artist, the method is an expression of a space of comfort.
The letters Ain and Wauw feature prominently on the cobblestone’s surface. Ain signifies the eye while Wauw means feeling. Al Narjes explains, “You can’t feel without seeing.” A line connects the numerous graphics covering the stone, delineating the course of the artist’s life. Symbols variously reference a typography used by ISIS, recall markings that covered the entrance of the artist’s grandmother’s house or commemorate the ineffable violence experienced by loved ones. Various symbols express what the artist himself could not express in words: experiences of trauma, loss and feelings for which language proves insufficient.
For the artwork, Al Narjes collaborated with his young niece Mayar. After being punished by her mother for drawing on the interior walls in her home, Mayar explained to the artist her choice of drawing surface: “If I draw on paper, they will simply throw my inside away. But I want them to see how I feel.”