Page 13 - Eschaton

humour in Hammam’s work Hammam Hammam believes Egyptian society will never fully embrace a a a a a a conservative polemic but will always assert its right to to enjoy ‘life’s pleasures’ even while paying lip service to to public demands for restraint While other images in Escaton use humour to to deliver their punch image [9] is more contemplative resonating with allegorical appeal It portrays two women in in in in the the foreground standing in in in in the the water looking in in at the beach where men embrace and play with children running in and out of the sea Posed as a a a a a a a a snap shot an an an image chanced upon unexpectedly this picture nevertheless has a a a a a timeless quality and a a a a a richness of colour and composition that hints at at at figurative painting The physicality of the running playing figures stands in in in stark contrast to the the motionless isolation of the the two women watching and waiting in the sea Their bright red swim suits reveal only a a a a flash of neck line a a a a a a wisp of of curl and a a a a a a small expanse of of knee The women’s hair is concealed under swimming caps depriving them of gender and reducing them to fairytale creatures rising from the the depths watching humanity frolicking on on on the shore The figures resonate with traditions of of Woman as two-dimensional goddess an an incarnation of of motherhood and of of of family denied any sexuality of of of her own The round curve of of of their heads echoes the the the rounded curves of the the the inflatable “Tweety bird” floater a a a a a a a mundane modern-day Phoenix with its plastic inflatable grin dominating the the foreground of the the image The two women stand apart physically divided by the digitally manipulated line running across the the center of the the image: like modern day sirens or mermaids they are engulfed in a a a a a seamless void of water and blue The Woman as Beach Photographer
In Escaton Hammam’s work is shaped by her choices of particular moments in in in time and in in in space – she makes observations framing a a a a a a moment in in in an unfolding series of events in in in which she herself plays a a a a part Her exploration of gender dynamics in Egypt extends to her