Ala Younis

Al Frensawi (The Frenchman) 2009
Convexo-concave
Austrian Hospice

Born in Kuwait in 1974, Ala Younis graduated in architecture from the University of Jordan in 1997; she lives
in Amman. Her work springs from personal experiences tied to researched collective conditions, thereby
touching on the position of individuals in a world that is politically driven.Al Frensawi (The Frenchman) is a series of photos of the wooden puppet of a Crusader that the artist found  in an antique shop in Cairo. Starting there, she depicts the unfolding relationship between this object and history, coming across unexpected discoveries. The installation also includes a video based upon animated medieval manuscripts illustrated with soldiers in similar costumes, thus building stories about the armies that aimed to capture Jerusalem over time, starting with the first Crusade. Convexo-concave is an attempt to politicize the social effects of what can be diagnosed in the lines of a syndrome in the subconscious of Arab inhabitants of Jerusalem. Starting with the way the Jerusalem Syndrome affected the tourist who tried to burn the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the artist will wander in the Old City recording texts, posters, stickers, slogans and logos, researching their context and bringing them all in a short film. The film puts oneself in the position of a receiver living in Jerusalem: what imagery and text can do to one’s mind. The film installation will re-interpret and reinstall hegemonic texts, hypnotizing patterns, repelling posters and distasteful objects.