The Incidental Insurgents, Part 1: The Part about the Bandits, Chapter 2, 2012/2013
Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme
Still: Courtesy the artists | Carroll / Fletcher, London
Collection
Single-channel video installation, color, sound
6 min 10 sec
In their three-part work, The Incidental Insurgents, Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme investigate the intricate network of histories, geographies and revolutionary moments that write, and rewrite, the narratives of resistance. The three parts of the series are each made up of an audiovisual work within a larger installation.
In The Part About the Bandits, Part 1 of The Incidental Insurgents series, the duo embarked on an introspective investigation of the role of the artist in times of crisis. Research began in 2011 when they delved into the histories of “incidental insurgents,” including Victor Serge and his contemporary anarchist-bandits in early 1900 Paris; Abu Jilda and Arameet and their gang involved in a rebellion against the British in 1930s Palestine, the artist-poet as the quintessential bandit in Roberto Bolaño’s novel The Savage Detectives set in 1970s Mexico, and the artists themselves in present day Palestine. Following the thin narrative threads that were available to them lead Abbas and Abou-Rahme to discussions with experts on the bandit’s individual histories, as well as to national and international archives containing forgotten clippings on these seemingly disparate individuals. What they discovered reveals the nature of the narratives of revolution – including what is omitted and the deep significance behind these exclusions.
In their practice the duo undertakes a rigorous form of research, which includes visiting the locations, interviews, and discussions with academics, as well as the intensive examination of historical documents, maps, photographs, films, and music from their area of focus. Drawing on this information, they weave between real and potential narratives to achieve a dramatic exploration of what might have been. – Alicia Reuter
*1983 in Nicosia, Cyprus and Boston, USA | Living and working in Ramallah, Palestine and New York, USA
6 min 10 sec
In their three-part work, The Incidental Insurgents, Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme investigate the intricate network of histories, geographies and revolutionary moments that write, and rewrite, the narratives of resistance. The three parts of the series are each made up of an audiovisual work within a larger installation.
In The Part About the Bandits, Part 1 of The Incidental Insurgents series, the duo embarked on an introspective investigation of the role of the artist in times of crisis. Research began in 2011 when they delved into the histories of “incidental insurgents,” including Victor Serge and his contemporary anarchist-bandits in early 1900 Paris; Abu Jilda and Arameet and their gang involved in a rebellion against the British in 1930s Palestine, the artist-poet as the quintessential bandit in Roberto Bolaño’s novel The Savage Detectives set in 1970s Mexico, and the artists themselves in present day Palestine. Following the thin narrative threads that were available to them lead Abbas and Abou-Rahme to discussions with experts on the bandit’s individual histories, as well as to national and international archives containing forgotten clippings on these seemingly disparate individuals. What they discovered reveals the nature of the narratives of revolution – including what is omitted and the deep significance behind these exclusions.
In their practice the duo undertakes a rigorous form of research, which includes visiting the locations, interviews, and discussions with academics, as well as the intensive examination of historical documents, maps, photographs, films, and music from their area of focus. Drawing on this information, they weave between real and potential narratives to achieve a dramatic exploration of what might have been. – Alicia Reuter
*1983 in Nicosia, Cyprus and Boston, USA | Living and working in Ramallah, Palestine and New York, USA
Unforgiving Years (Extract from Part 2 of The Incidental Insurgents)
Lopud 2012 - Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme