Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige
Zig Zag Over Time | 2017
Photographic work on paper, drawing and handwriting.. 35 x 385 cm. Ed.1/10 +2 AP From the project "Unconformities"
Where the Time Capsules sculptures show the cores in a vertical manner, Zig Zag Over Time plays with the notion of representing history in a linear – and horizontal – fashion. The notion of the timeline is the structural basis for these works, which combine photography, drawing and text.
Ultimately, however, this notion – where history is fixed definitively as a series of factual events following each in chronological order – is subverted. The idea of historical linearity is questioned first and foremost in the idea of the zigzag, defined as ‘a line or course having abrupt alternate right and left turns.’ This relates to the core displayed in the works, where the course of geological time changes abruptly with the advent of wars, natural disasters and cycles of destruction and reconstruction.
The idea of timeline as a fixed historical document is also subverted by the drawn and textual elements in the Zig Zag. Hadjithomas and Joreige asked people from various disciplines – natural museum illustrators, prehistorians, and archaeologists – to draw sections of the cores of their choosing, introducing artistic interpretation into their timeline. In addition, Hadjithomas and Joreige wrote ‘possible narratives’ for each section of the core, allowing a space for other interpretations – including the fictional and poetic – to emerge over time.
"Zig Zag Over Time" is part of the ongoing project "Unconformities". From 2014, the artists have been collecting a series of core samples that reveal the subterranean worlds of three cities omnipresent in their personal imaginaries: Athens, Paris and Beirut.
In October 2017 Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige won the largest contemporary art prize in France, the Marcel Duchamp Prize, for 'Unconformities' when it was presented for the first time at the Centre Pompidou, Paris.
Reference JHKJ-WP-2017-A
Biography of the artist
Born in Beirut, Lebanon. 1969
Works and Lives in Paris and Beirut
Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige collaborate as filmmakers and artists, producing cinematic and visual artwork that interwine. For the last 15 years, they have focused on the images, representations and history of their home country, Lebanon and questioned the fabrication of imaginaries in the region and beyond.
Together, they have directed documentaries such as "Khiam" 2000-2007 (2008) and "El Film el Mafkoud" (The Lost Film) (2003) and feature films such as "Al Bayt el Zaher" (1999) and "A Perfect Day" (2005).
Their feature film, "Je Veux Voir" (I Want to See), starring Catherine Deneuve and Rabih Mroue, premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2008. The French critics Guild chose it as Best Film Singulier 2008.
Their films have been multi awarded in international festivals and enjoyed releases in many countries.
They have created numerous photographic installations, among them "Faces", "Lasting Images", "Distracted Bullets", "The Circle of Confusion", "Don’t Walk", "War Trophies", "Landscape of Khiam", "A Faraway Souvenir" and the multifaceted project "Wonder Beirut".
Their artworks have been shown in museums, biennials and art centers around the world, in solo or collective exhibitions and are part of important public and private collections, such as Musee d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; FNAC France; the Guggenheim, New York; the Centre Georges Pompidou, France; V & A London, the Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE, etc. They are recipients of the 2012 Abraaj Capital Art Prize with "A Letter Can Always Reach Its Destination" and won the price Marcel Duchamp, 2017 for their work "Unconformities" (2017).
In 2012 they presented their feature documentary "The Lebanese Rocket Society", the strange tale of the Lebanese space race » and a series of artistic installations around the space project of the 60's.
They are the authors of numerous publications and university lecturers in Lebanon and Europe, members of the board of Metropolis Cinema, and co-founders of Abbout Productions with Georges Schoucair.
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