RESEARCH

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I.D.entity Project

INTRODUCTION:

I.D.entity is a practical and theoretical research project that explores notions of identity through various perspectives. The crux of the research stems from an auto-ethnographical point of reference that spirals out into questioning the paradoxical issues of identity and placement in wider and multiple contexts.

The project’s starting point focuses on the geo-political and conventional aspects of identity as it attempts to formulate more cohesive understandings of how identity is shaped, constructed and transformed.

With this focus on nationalism and national identity, the research unfolds into questioning the complex relationship between the individual’s sense of origin and ‘borderlesness’; the sense of belonging and the cultural influences that inform and transform one’s identity , that has been shaped by pasts which the individual has not directly lived but is continuously experiencing as a result of our ever evolving trans-migratory world.

How does the dissolution of nation leave its residues in a person of a diaspora and how can they create  their own canvas of these residues as a carrier of their past, present and future placement.

What are the potentials that can emerge from such dissolutions and formations,  in regards to the realization of the common grounds that exist amongst us as citizens of this world.

Exploring and embodying these concerns , in theory and practice, this research project expresses the paradox of identity within a world of rupture and solid identifications.

WHY I.D.ENTITY? A personal note

The process of working on my research project has been like opening a can of worms. Researching in to so many aspects, of what identity is and how it is shaped, has been an intense procedure of trying to articulate my personal and wider concerns.

I was born in Greece to a Palestinian father and Lebanese mother. My own complexion has driven me to undertake such a vast topic, which unavoidably includes almost every aspect of what constitutes identity from a subjective viewpoint to the culture, religion, politics and history of my origin (Middle East); as well as exploring and understanding their meanings and functions in more general terms and in other contexts.

The origins and cultivation of my identity have so far fuelled a paradoxical enquiry, as the subjectivity of my own quest to question identity blurs and contrasts within the realms of a global political reality. Thus, the purpose of my research project is not in search for an identity, it is rather an attempt to communicate understandings of identity within the world we live in. 

Ultimately, this project can never come to draw a full circle and be complete. It is a project that exposes the processes of a struggle for clarity within a world of uncertainty and chaos.  Just as I am developing and evolving in this process, so is the very nature of this project constantly re-evaluating the conventional structures of our world order and its violent restrictions of understanding the Other; and is articulating the need for a universal solidarity.

Finally, I would like to stress that my need for articulating and sharing the outcomes of the I.D.entity project with other people and cultures, stems from my strong belief in the capacity we all have as human beings to develop our knowledge and awareness beyond the conventional knowledge of ‘objectivity’ that prevails in the realms of academic institutions. My main concern is to communicate my work and remain receptive to all ‘levels of knowledge’ ,  to keep learning from others people’s perspectives and their outlook on life through their struggles and concerns, which cannot merely be theirs only as they are  struggles and concerns that bind us all to our humanity.

APPROACH:

In understanding how identity is shaped , constructed and transformed, my subjectivity, the subjectivity of others and the questioning of political and historical facts, are at the core of most topics that I have continued to cover so far throughout this research project.

Subjectivity and objectivity ought to be considered as an entity rather than being perceived dichotomously as a polarization of fact versus emotion; truth versus false; and rational versus irrational.

Emotions constitute a reality that is one’s own subjective reality as one experiences it. However, it is a reality that draws from external circumstances and events that are factually proven to exist or to have taken place. The reality of external circumstances and one’s level and form of awareness,  impact to a large extent one’s experiences. In effect, these experiences inform and challenge these realities through a narrative that is able to articulate the entity of both the experience and the fact.

Because this research project is essentially being developed through the efforts of articulating clearer understandings of identity, it is therefore fundamental that objectivity and subjectivity be recognized as an entity which forms the basis for a dialogue of better understanding our past, present and future placement.

The development and critical exploration between the subject/the individual and the objective/ factual, is a relationship where both inform one another in the political and social responsibility for building efforts to communicate the common grounds we share in our struggles for freedom.

Furthermore, this entity is an entity of emotion and conscience and it is only through acknowledging this entity that we become capable of understanding our self and our Other; our individual and collective contribution to the ethics and order of shaping our world.

 Hence, identity becomes an I.D.entity–  as the project itself, develops through these values and through this approach of combining emotional/ experiential knowledge with objective knowledge, in the attempt to create more clarity in understanding the problematic, conventional constructions of identity and the nature of its fluid transformations.

METHOD:

It is through this acknowledgment of subjectivity and objectivity being equally regarded as Knowledge, that the methods of my practical work progress at the heart of this dialogical process. 

Connecting theory and practice

Thought and emotion do not function separately. My experiences are what determine and guide me to the issues that I choose to explore and not the other way round. The political, sociological, psychological, anthropological and philosophical theoretical frameworks support the skepticism of my practice, in the way that they give me the space and knowledge to develop my critical thinking, whilst also deepening my emotional stimuli in the practical process of my work. This process of dialogue between fact and feeling, guides my practical approach more intensely as I explore different mediums through creative writing, visual art, sound, singing, dance and theatre. 

Theory

My ongoing reading and creative writing which has stemmed from various reading material, is so far based on an accumulation of the following topics:

·        The Nature Vs Nurture Debate

·        The Chicken or the Egg of Religion: In Search of a History Unwritten in pre-Columbian Societies and Ancient Cultures.

·        The Ontology of War and its Psychological Mechanisms

·        Imperialist Expansionism: The Middle East and a General (Global) Overview

·        The Invention of the Nation State: National Identity and Nationalism

·        The Invention of Israel: A Zionist Experiment

·        Defining Terrorism and Resistance: The Palestinian – Israeli 'Conflict' 

·        Defining Culture: Resisting the Myth of the Clash of Civilizations

·        Displacement and Re-placement of Origins: A Mapping of Memories

·        Cultural Fluidity in the Diaspora

·        Feminism in the Middle East and in the ‘West’: A Comparative Analysis

Furthermore, literary texts and poetry from a variety of regions and cultures also enrich the creative process of my practical work, as themes of colonial history, racism, displacement and power struggles (systematic as well as gender based) are at the core of reflecting on identity and inspire my own creative writing, respectively.

Encounters and Dialogues:

My engagement with other people from a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds is equally important to create a dialogue on one or some of the issues that I may be working on at the time. In some cases, it has either been through sending a set of questions in written form for each person to answer freely and anonymously(if preferred); and in other cases it has been through discussions and conversations – of which some have been recorded, as raw documentation of data - enriching the research project’s topics with different subjective responses and perspectives.

 Researching in to other artists and performers, who are also engaged with issues of identity, has been inspiring and challenging for my critical thinking in the differences and similarities that emerge within different cultural and socio-political contexts.

 Overall, my method is a creation of dialogue through the accumulation of theoretical/academic texts, world literature and poetry, and engagement with people who are stimulated to converse about topics of the project ,who in effect stimulate interesting challenges in both the theoretical and practical processes of the I.D.entity research project.

*Creative outputs of the research project: See Choreography & Performance Section and Videos Section

Topics and Practice

Please contact me directly if you would like to see documentations of my performance or video work: dianasabri@hotmail.com

Performance

No Tabula Rasa 

Routes

Peace Process #20

Sound Installation

 Nation Glory

Nation Glory is a sound installation consisting of extracts of national anthems that gradually turn into sounds of warfare, by strictly using the musical compositions of national anthems without the accompaniment of sound effects. The motive behind this piece was to acoustically convey the violent invention of nation states that were established throughout centuries of war and yet they continue to symbolize national pride in the glorified tones of brass; in the rhythms of marching drum beats and cymbals that dictate the almighty strength of the army; and in the overwhelming string melodies that glorify the martyrs of the nation. Where is the glory in such a brutal invention? Are national anthems representatives of cultures?  Nation Glory asks the listener to question their national pride, by listening to the real story behind the making of his/her national anthem.

Video

Musical Irony

A compilation of images from the Sabra and Shatilla massacre, that took place in the Palestinian refugee camp of Beirut in 1982, during the Lebanese civil war. The massacre was carried out by the extreme right-wing militia of Phalangists in collaboration with/by the initiative of the Israeli military. The series of images play with the Israeli national anthem playing throughout this short screening. The objective for this video, was to expose the brutality of the massacre to those who may not be aware of what took place, as the images strongly speak for themselves informing us of what really happened. Choosing the Israeli national anthem - that speaks of redemption and peace for a homeland -  which is a musical representation of an Israeli, non-existent democratic state, was to convey the irony of such a claim by a military state that continues to be a terrorizer in Palestine and in the Middle East. As most people are not familiar with the Israeli national anthem, at the end of the video the music credits are revealed to the audience. Of course, it is more than a musical irony….it is a tragic one.

Roots and Routes (Locating Home & Looking Back To Move Forward) 

Twisted Tongue

Twisted tongue is a creative protest of poetry text in which I  address my voice to the colonizers of the past. It is an emotional account of my relationship with the English language as a person of the diaspora and the need to articulate how my 'tongue' is twisted in the mosaic of the three languages I speak fluently: Greek, Arabic and English. Expressing an internal conflict of feeling free whilst at the same time feeling restricted. A poem that unties my tongue to speak of a ‘broken’ language, of an ‘occupied’ tongue  that addresses the past to the present colonial powers and the formations of their present governments in the wars that have been waged in the Middle East. The use of broken mirrors reflecting throughout the spoken text of poetry, was an interesting exploration for me to convey this emotional account on the languages of my tongue.

Work in progress

Visual Art/Collage :Telling War Like the Weather