Abstract Art Collage and Original Poem

The Importance of Storytelling to Middle Eastern Cultures and the Relationship Between Abstract Art and Oral Storytelling

Presenter: Morgan Moeller

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Fall

Faculty Mentor: Razzan Zahra

Department: English

Funding Source/Sponsor: SYRCE Symposium

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=124nHyAaSTdU5l_8i6WjQ28uTPYsvq7EQ

Abstract:
In Middle Eastern cultures, Storytelling was a popular community activity in which families would gather in coffee shops and listen to a storyteller weave tales that emphasized themes of humanity, emotion, adventure, intrigue, and mystery. As we learned, warfare in the Middle East during the 1980s spread malicious generalizations that led to cultural appropriation and westernized prejudices that were oppressive and inaccurate. Meanwhile, the rise of abstract art in the Middle East led to a visual art form that focused on the importance of colors and lines that tell a story within a story. The idea of a "story within a story" is prevalent in Middle Eastern culture, most notably in the Arabian Tale "A Thousand and One Nights" and Rabih Alameddine's novel "The Hakawati" which features stories within stories.

For this assignment, I wanted to showcase Middle Eastern artists in a way that accurately represented their culture. Because storytelling was so important, the inclusion of a poem felt necessary to add an oral element to this creative project that allowed viewers to pause and listen. The word "listen" is repeated frequently throughout Middle Eastern stories and the intentional useage of this word in the poem is related to the 1980s and how these voices were often silenced by oppression and ignored due to racism. I also chose to highlight some of the artists that were critical to this art movement of the 1980s. This collage, in PowerPoint form, is a blend of what I have learned from both ENGL 273 and SYRCE 273 this semester.