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An enigmatic exploration of love and sensuality, steeped in Arab culture.Summary
Rating
Ok
Another Lover’s Discourse sees creator Riham Isaac delve into what love can be. The show opens with some adventurous staging, including a screen, a projection, and a real-time camera shot. For the first few minutes we are shown a montage of Arabic-language film clips discussing women and love, setting the tone for what is to come.
This show is a multimedia performance combining song, dance, music and film, and is certainly innovative in its presentation. One particularly interesting element is the use of live recording to present Isaac’s movements from an alternative angle. Clips of hands performing crafts and the artist’s own body create a tactile, haptic effect, giving this work a deeply sensual air. There are some beautiful visuals, including Isaac donning a veil of paper hearts, and clips of dance stitched together into an ensemble. There are also moments which evoke discomfort, including the smearing of lipstick and biting of teeth. These are presented without attachment to any particular comment or event, leaving the viewer to interpret their significance.
For the first 20 minutes or so I found myself wondering at what point the introduction would move into the main show, before realising that the multi-media montage was the whole show. In the final moments of the performance Isaac reads out her manifesto for love: the production would have benefitted from a similar summary or message nearer the start to give some direction. Nonetheless, this is a lovely sentiment and a view to a healthy, fulfilling kind of romance.
The effect of this amalgamation however results in a rather disjointed production with little diegesis, and it is difficult to understand what is happening. Certainly the theme is love, and these various media orbit that topic. The show is, however, lacking in tangible plot onto which the viewer can anchor. I found myself wondering if a knowledge of Arabic would benefit me in terms of understanding song lyrics and the cultural context of the film clips used. Given that this show’s venue was in an area where English is the lingua franca, it is likely that many potential viewers would face a similar struggle in understanding.
The passion that Isaac demonstrates for her art is evident, and I wish I had been better able to understand and find resonance in what took place on stage. This is an intriguing and multifaceted performance, however one which veers a little too far into disorientation to know what to take away from it.
Written and Directed by: Riham Isaac
Video Artist: Simon Clode
MusiccComposed by: Faris Ishaq
Lighting Design by: Firas Abu Sabbah
Set Design by: Bashar Hassuneh
Costume Design by: Hind Hilal & Atya Altaweel
Another Lover’s Discourse has completed its current run at VAULT Festival 2023.
