Page 9 - Eschaton

about about about the the the abandon of the the the body it is about about about water about about about the the the wetness and and the sand It is all very sexual” says Hammam “Our memories of the beach are like a a a a a collective history where our bodies take shape once you go to the beach a a a a new language is is devised ” In In this state of abandon gender stereotypes gradually unravel In In her work a a a a a woman and a a a a a young boy frolic in in the the waves: the the feminized movements of of the boy stand in perfect symmetry to those of of his female companion [image 1] Any outward difference in in gender disappears in in this spontaneous moment of exhilaration and and abandon The ubiquitous Coca Cola logo and bottle in in the the lower part of the the image remind us that modern day advertising feeds on rigidly defined gender stereotypes as an an inherent part of its appeal and in in in doing so perpetuates them A man man lies on his beach towel legs wide open as the woman sits fully clothed engrossed in conversation on on on on on her mobile phone Ironically it it is the the man who adopts the the feminine position of childbirth or sex the towel slung across his forehead In an explicit act of voyeurism we we are invited to enter this image from between his his legs His body hair in in the the the foreground of the the the image stand in in contrast to the the the floral design of the the woman’s shirt that obscures her body and echoes the the decorative wallpaper imposed across the the surface of the the image There is is a a a humorous overtone to to this scene where gender signifiers are as fluid as the the waves lapping on the the shore In Escaton [image 3] the the shape of the the modern-day family unit posing for a a a a a holiday photograph closely mirrors that of the family fifty years earlier A cursory glance reveals a a a a a a a a fundamental change in outward aesthetics: the the woman in in 1950s Egypt is dressed in in western clothing while in in 2008 the woman is veiled and wears traditional garbs Yet closer inspection reveals these differences to be paper- thin: the the central position of both women in in in the the photographs remains unchanged across generations In both images the woman’s gaze is direct confident and and commanding: indeed we enter each image through her her gaze and with her her permission Superficial stereotypes