British-Sudanese Architectural Designer, Rayan Elnayal shared how she used her architectural skills to visualise fictional spaces inspired by her diasporic background & ethnocentric ideas.
She explored the artistic journey and the conceptualisation of her latest project, A Magic Realist Afrabia, and discussed relevant themes in her work such as Magic realism, Afrofuturism, the portrayal of western media narratives, identity and ethnic hybridism.
Watch this talk
This event was produced for you by our super Team of Volunteers. Lots of shine to: Mishelle Brito, Cristina Brooks.
►► Music jingle by Samm Anga
Nora Al-Badri and Jan Nikolai Nelles, The Other Nefertiti (2020) via @ucl_mal © Courtesy of the artist.
The Other Nefertiti’
3D print of an illicit scan by the artists Nora Al-Badri and Jan Nikolai Nelles of the bust of Nefertiti held at the Neues Museum in Berlin. The project was intended as a virtual repatriation of Nefertiti and draws an analogy between the subversive collection of the data and the original collection of the object, considered by the Egyptian government as illegal tomb-raiding.
Discussed by our keynote speaker Haidy Geismar in her book, Museum Object Lessons for the Digital Age, The Other Nefertiti demonstrates how issues of the authenticity of data, of museum sovereignty, of distribution and access have been extended into the digital domain.
Haidy’s research asks vital questions, such as: “How do digital practices engage with pre-existing museum practices of collecting, curating, conserving and exhibiting? What new communities and skills are being brought into the museum? What exclusions are extended and maintained?”
This project exemplifies how a focus on multimedia technologies can start to unpack base assumptions around the production of knowledge, and we’re looking forward to hearing her speak at our conference!
What did we learn?
- The third-space is not only related to ethnicity, it encompasses a wider range of in-between states.
- We learn more about Rayan hybrid identity
- Rayan included in this project not only magic realism and futurism but also symbols in each work that connect London and Khartoum
- How Rayan works in 2D and 3D and the tools she uses
- We have to read Tayeb Salih’s novel “Season of Migration to the North” that inspired Afrabia
- We definitely should check-out Alfayez Antique Store in Edgware Road (Paddington, London area, UK).
More info
- Magic Realism and Afrabia by Mishelle Brito, Curator and Moderator for this talk.
- Podcast available soon on Apple, Anchor, Breaker, Castbox, GoogleCast, Overcast, RadioPublic, Spotify, Vrubl
Additional info:
- Rayan Elnayal Interview with Scene Arabia
- Ending Sudan’s identity crisis from The Guardian (2011)
- Magic Realism from Tate
- Recommended novel by Tayeb Salih “Season of Migration to the North”
Artist’s Portfolio
For Rayan Elnayal go to 32:05
© Courtesy of the artist.
© Courtesy of the artist.
What’s next?
Rayan Elnayal will explore more 3D and video.
The prints and the book of “A Magic Realist Afrabia” will be available on the artist’s website.
© Courtesy of the artist.
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