Crude Eye (2022)

Overview

Monira Al Qadiri uses myth-making and fantasy to excavate dormant alternative worlds and potential futures. Crude Eye (2022) brings to life her childhood memory of witnessing a sprawling metropolis composed of lights, metal, smoke and fire, akin to the imagery of the cartoons and science fiction films. The imagined city turned out to be not a city but an oil refinery. Al Qadiri transposes her memory of the hyper-technological cityscape into a miniature model then filmed to compose this video work, which is reminiscent of an opening sequence for a post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The video of this sculpture is accompanied by music evoking a soundscape of video games and cartoons, alongside a whispered reading in her voice detailing her secret childhood fantasies of the city.