My thesis project interrogates how western media often obscures the realities of middle eastern conflicts. Threads of memory centers around a series of double-sided posters that critique the ways media simplifies complex narratives, specifically human tragedies in the middle east, into numbers and generic headlines. Inspired by the powerful voices of arab writers, this project seeks to reclaim the depth of these narratives, contrasting lived experiences with the often reductive language of western media.
Along with threads of memory, my thesis project will include an interactive website. Upon visiting the website, users are prompted to answer a selection of questions with numbers. After answering the questions, the website generates a selection of New York Times snippets about Lebanon. Each new user session presents a different combination of snippets, with the user’s answered numbers filling in gaps that correspond to casualties, displacement, or other conflict-related statistics—revealing the detached language often used to report on traumatic events. As a final step, users are invited to print their results.
The results, printed as double-sided, light-readable pages, become tangible artifacts of dehumanization. Together, the projects critique the reductive portrayal of middle eastern conflicts, emphasizing the repetition of war and resistance across time.
Installed as a part of the 2025 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition exhibited in The Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU. Curated by Misa Jeffereis (Associate Curator, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis), Egbert Vongmalaithong (Assistant Curator, ICA at VCU), and Chase Westfall (Head of Gallery and Exhibitions, VCUarts Qatar), the 2025 exhibition reveals a cross-section of emergent practices that are rooted in collaboration, experimentation, and the urgency to make meaning in an ever-changing world.
