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Wael Shawky's (Egyptian, b. 1971) multidisciplinary practice explores transitional events in the politics, culture, and religion of the Arab World. Following a screening of his video Cabaret Crusades: The Path to Cairo (2012)—the second of four planned installments inspired by Lebanese author Amin Maalouf's seminal 1983 book The Crusades through Arab Eyes—the artist will discuss the project. In this installment, which covers the 46 years from the end of the First Crusade, in 1099, to the beginning of the Second Crusade, in 1147, a cast of more than a hundred 200-year-old string marionettes from the Lupi collection represent actual historical figures. The project was filmed entirely in a church in Aubagne according to a cinematic shot breakdown. Structured in acts, the work translates historical documents and facts into musical numbers and Grand Guignol performances, creating a surreal, mythical atmosphere. Held in conjunction with Mapping Subjectivity: Experimentation in Arab Cinema from the 1960s to Now, Part III. Organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film and Rasha Salti, Independent Curator

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