Mawtini (2020)

Participatory public installation    

MATERIALS

wax nails, heated metal plates, 6-channel sound.

Mawtini - motherland - is a sensorial participatory installation by artist Hratch Arbach in collaboration with Sivan Eldar (sound) and Francis Kurkdjian (perfume), with the support of Cultural Services French Embassy in the United States , Brooklyn Public Library, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Maison Cire Trudon, and Silvana K Designs.

Exploring the collective memory of trauma, Mawtini aims to unite people around a universal ritual. The installation invites visitors to pick up one of 20,000 wax nails placed on the ground and melt it on the heated altar, releasing one of three scents embedded in the nails: blood, earth, and jasmine. The public's participation in this ritual transforms the installation into a collective celebration of life.

Read more about the project HERE.

FIRST SHOWING

Night of Ideas, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY, February 1-2 2020.