“There is now in existence a literary form known as the poom. A poom is a poem that is one syllable long. This exhibition has many iterations of the poom that include an eleven volume boxed set of accordion books, seven limited edition prints of poomagrams and poom embroidered baseball caps. There are even pooms that you can eat.” -Bonner
Jonathan Bonner’s website
Images and the following text from Nafas Art Magazine, article by Juliet Cestar
…Subsequent drawings, installations and photographs have continued to use the metaphor of the mashrabiya to play on the notion of what is hidden and what is seen. Mashrabiyas traditionally protected the inside world from the outside world; filtering the light and allowing one to observe without being seen. The mashrabiya creates separation – inside from outside, women from men, family from outsider, haram from hallal. Traditionally, the mashrabiya only allowed one-way vision – from inside to out, but Hefuna has incorporated words into her mashrabiya sculptures, which, significantly allow the viewer to read from both sides. “The mashrabiya became for me a symbol that operates in two directions with the possibility for dialogue, rather than closure.”
The sculptures incorporate words in Arabic, English and German – Patience is Beautiful, Smile, Enta Omri (You are my life). Interpretation depends not only on understanding the language in which the words are written but also on which side of the screen the viewer is standing. From the back, the text is reversed and difficult to decipher…
language as image 