أسطورة عتاب | The Myth of Etab. 2020- ongoing
The performer, singer, and diva, Etab , was an icon of the Saudi cultural shift during the1960s and 1970s. She rose to prominence at the tumultuous historical intersection between the introduction of the television, and the rise of pan-Arab nationalism. The Etab Myth is an unearthing of the forces that paved Etab’s journey into becoming Myth– a way to perpetuate a society’s cultural and moral system.
As a visual essay, this project will depict the unfolding of Etab ’s narrative during her metamorphosis into a mediated, televised ‘Image’ upon which the ideologies of a budding nation-state were painfully inscribed. This project aims to depict and juxtapose two features: the process of construction of the myth through the intersection of historical and sociopolitical forces; and to present an undoing of this myth by deliberately refusing to resolve the inherent tensions between myth, history, and perception.
Etab was not just a celebrity, she is an icon of a transformative cultural moment when social, political, regional, and global forces converged. By exposing the process of construction of Etab as an Image, we untangle the complex web of interconnections that not only came to be during her early years, but also persist in their transformational powers today. The Etab Image continues to be molded with every abrupt technological shift, whether it was the introduction of television, satellite, or the internet. The Etab Myth is an ever changing narrative that we utilize to situate and understand ourselves as part of a culture and a nation at any given time.
Through the intimate engagement with long-neglected images and sounds, I will be simultaneously extracting material for artistic use, while also adding new material to the audiovisual Saudi cultural heritage.
