Dreamy Day

Photo series / installation (2004-2008)

I use the medium of photography as a form for exploring social issues, focusing on mundane daily or occasional events. These visual representations can provide clues about people in a certain society and their lives, and act as a marker of their social and cultural background, often as non-physical embodiment of the identity people wish to display.

In many societies, preconceived ideas of what the self-image should be exist, and reinforce an idealized notion of social identity. This dynamic is extremely expressed in wedding parties, where bride and groom in a context like Egypt, are surrounded with flashing lights that reflect how much they are ready to give an exceptional performance for this showy dreamy day.

I began my research project about Cairo wedding parties in 2004, which focused on the representations of the cultural and socio-economic backgrounds of the families. Overall shots describe the wedding atmosphere, which differ according to social class or religion. Covering details of this ceremony, I focus on ritualized actions and gestures, as well as the appearance of the bride and groom.

More specifically, I focus on the intensive presence of media coverage as a vehicle for image creation, and often overwhelm the event itself. This media is personified in professional cameramen and photographers who are hired to cover this “exclusive” event. Their job is to record every tiny detail of the whole. The record produced of this ceremony often become more important than the event itself. Should the whole concern be about grasping and reducing these unique “sacred” moments into images?

Regardless of the social class they belong to, the composed appearance of the bride, groom, their family and friends stand as a testimony of a fantastic perfection that they wish to display, often at odds with reality. That is not only about how prefect the party preparation is, the attendants also compete in their clothing, jewelry, hairstyle and makeup, and who looks manlier than the other and who is more feminine than others. It comments on the performative and spectacle-driven aspect, which is intricately tied up to our contemporary existence.