declaration of flame

2011, gunpowder, charcoal, paper (75 x 110 cm)

On the surface of four sheets of paper, two white and two black, we can see the contours of a text reproduced with the help of a pattern: twice with gunpowder, twice with charcoal. The gunpowder and the charcoal have been placed directly on the paper, without any glue or adhesive. In this way, the ‘words’ are ephemeral and even the breeze or a slight movement could make them disappear. The text the pattern is based on is the poem ‘Hotel room’. written by Mahmoud Darwich in 1986.