Who’s the “Greatest” of them All?
The Magic Mirror Project
The concept
‘Who’s the “Greatest” of Them All?’ will be the first edition from the Magic Mirror Project; a series of works that rely on smart mirrors as a medium to generate digital copies of archival material. The concept of the magic mirror is used for technical and symbolic purposes. The reflective surface of the mirror allows the audience to engage in an intimate experience as they face themselves while thinking about the images and texts that appear in front of them. The magic mirror is also used strategically to evoke our childhood memories of that enchanted tool, which will always answer one’s questions and shows us glimpses of the past, the present, and consequently help us predict our future.
The Magic Mirror never lies, so one must always be prepared to accept its response. It will show us images of what we have achieved but also tells us what others are saying behind our backs. We may hate what they say, but the mirror is trying to help us grow a thicker skin, and know our worth once we reassess the sources of our success. The mirror will guide us through this journey, as it shows us various moments that are somehow connected to a particular accomplishment. For examples, Saudis’ ability to travel to outer space in 1985, is an extension to their early dream of defeating the hardship of the desert and challenging the power of nature. In between these moments/images, as the mirror shows us how others try to underestimate our will and worth, it reminds us that, just like beauty, ‘greatness’ lies in the eyes of the beholder. Thus, one should never define their value based on others’ opinions!
The main aim of this series is to retrieve the agency of Saudis, as well as GCC citizens, against the voices that marginalize their histories in two narrow moments: the birth of Islam and the discovery of oil. Therefore, to create an alternative narrative for the past, and subsequently the future, the work uses public and personal archival images related to many other historical achievement aided with directed questions that pop between pictures and documents.
The main focus of this edition
This edition celebrates the deployment of Arabsat-1A as a historical event that marks a moment in which Saudis took control over their image. The space mission that carried the first Arab-owned satellite also had on board the first Muslim Arab Saudi astronaut. Imagine all the historical moments we witnessed afterward due to the deployment of Arabsat and the following Arab satellites.
Thanks to telecommunication technologies that were brought to us by satellites, the entire world observed that famous phone call between a father, who happened to be a king and his son who happened to be an astronaut; turning this scientific achievement into a globally relatable intimate moment. ‘Who’s The “Greatest” of Them All?’ tries to link the dots but in an organic non-scripted way. It shows images of what falls between that moment and our present day, and others that may have led to it. In other words, it attracts attention to how the success of this space mission has shifted the dynamics of power and allowed Saudis to see and be seen. They are no longer represented through the lenses and the tales of Orientalists and expats, and their histories are no longer confined to the brief moments that others decide to transmit or remember. The Arab-satellite has literally become the magic mirror. It helped others see images from the Arab world at different times, giving them a voice of their own and the power to decide how to be represented.
‘Who’s the “Greatest” of Them All?’ will be the first edition from the Magic Mirror Project; a series of works that rely on smart mirrors as a medium to generate digital copies of archival material. The concept of the magic mirror is used for technical and symbolic purposes. The reflective surface of the mirror allows the audience to engage in an intimate experience as they face themselves while thinking about the images and texts that appear in front of them. The magic mirror is also used strategically to evoke our childhood memories of that enchanted tool, which will always answer one’s questions and shows us glimpses of the past, the present, and consequently help us predict our future.
The Magic Mirror never lies, so one must always be prepared to accept its response. It will show us images of what we have achieved but also tells us what others are saying behind our backs. We may hate what they say, but the mirror is trying to help us grow a thicker skin, and know our worth once we reassess the sources of our success. The mirror will guide us through this journey, as it shows us various moments that are somehow connected to a particular accomplishment. For examples, Saudis’ ability to travel to outer space in 1985, is an extension to their early dream of defeating the hardship of the desert and challenging the power of nature. In between these moments/images, as the mirror shows us how others try to underestimate our will and worth, it reminds us that, just like beauty, ‘greatness’ lies in the eyes of the beholder. Thus, one should never define their value based on others’ opinions!
The main aim of this series is to retrieve the agency of Saudis, as well as GCC citizens, against the voices that marginalize their histories in two narrow moments: the birth of Islam and the discovery of oil. Therefore, to create an alternative narrative for the past, and subsequently the future, the work uses public and personal archival images related to many other historical achievement aided with directed questions that pop between pictures and documents.
The main focus of this edition
This edition celebrates the deployment of Arabsat-1A as a historical event that marks a moment in which Saudis took control over their image. The space mission that carried the first Arab-owned satellite also had on board the first Muslim Arab Saudi astronaut. Imagine all the historical moments we witnessed afterward due to the deployment of Arabsat and the following Arab satellites.
Thanks to telecommunication technologies that were brought to us by satellites, the entire world observed that famous phone call between a father, who happened to be a king and his son who happened to be an astronaut; turning this scientific achievement into a globally relatable intimate moment. ‘Who’s The “Greatest” of Them All?’ tries to link the dots but in an organic non-scripted way. It shows images of what falls between that moment and our present day, and others that may have led to it. In other words, it attracts attention to how the success of this space mission has shifted the dynamics of power and allowed Saudis to see and be seen. They are no longer represented through the lenses and the tales of Orientalists and expats, and their histories are no longer confined to the brief moments that others decide to transmit or remember. The Arab-satellite has literally become the magic mirror. It helped others see images from the Arab world at different times, giving them a voice of their own and the power to decide how to be represented.