SAGA – Mythology of Departure

2025
6-channel video installation
HD-Video, 15 min (loop), color, sound

The film questions the construction of individual and collective identities, the sense of belonging, and familial claustrophobia. It is based on interviews conducted in Cairo since 2015 with Egyptians from different generations and socio-economic backgrounds. The life stories gathered during these interviews were interwoven to create the six members of a fictional family. All six characters in the film are performed by a single actress, Malika Khatir. The filming relied on a specific technique: The actress, hearing the lines for each character through an earpiece, immediately repeated them in front of the camera. This method allowed to explore the idea of the body as a space of resonance — the text literally passing through the actress before being captured by the camera. Unfamiliar with the script beforehand, the actress followed the reading moment by moment, guided by the inflections and cues conveyed through the voices of Mokhtar and Suliman. The film deconstructs family structures to better understand the power dynamics that run through them, while also inviting a deeper reconsideration of the relationship between "I" and "we."

In collaboration with Sahar Suliman.

The exhibition Saga – Mythology of Departure at Halle Nord, Geneva, is curated by Elise Lammer.
Exhibition views: ©Thomas Maisonnasse | Halle Nord