5anees

A performance piece that explores performative cultural practices and gestures that are historically used to affirm one’s gender. The piece unpacks notions of gender envy in relation to national pride and ways of representing symbolic elements of the Syrian heritage through an androgynous and non-binary body expression.
Using a combination of Arabic poems on the khanees identity (a word that is used as a slur, addressing trans, intersex and gender queer individuals) and personal stories and memories of immigrating to Europe, the narration weaves the experience of fleeing both Syria and the gender binary and unpacks the intersections of longing, homesickness, body dysphoria and land diaspora.

2023 Commissioned by SIGN projects - Groningen, NL.

After decades of variant coloured stars the Syrian eagle hides behind its armour bunch of silver stars left undigested in its stomach. Khanees al 3issam consists of poems, sonic and choreographic arrangements led by a sword and military exercises from teenage memories, a father's T-shirt in full drag and a beautiful song about the end of times.

The work explores nationality under decoratorship and how the regime with its men, claimed Syria the land, its eagle and manhood.
In a patriaric culture, how can the non-binary presence represent this land? What do you do with a dagger when you’re not a man enough to fight, how to utilize your feminine hips against the enemy?

(The title translates to “the queer of the robe” khanees refers to androgynous entities and is culturally used as a slur. 3issam is a popular male name that refers to a robe or any object used to tie or hang something up. (in meaning what you rely on to keep something in place, 3issam the reliable being)

:When a threat approaches your tent, scream into the ground, as loud as you can قف مكانك
The voice will travel faster near the ground, making the threat unable to identify where the scream comes from, and it freezes in it’s place.

This territory defense exercise which I learned when I was 12 at the SSNP camp in Anjar, Lebanon, was the start of Khanees Al 3issam project. It felt so powerful to bring it alive with our voices before it slowly became a song and the set went on.

Now I enjoy catching all the screaming faces from that night @sign.projectspace The tent was ours!!

_Ps: back at the camp, they set up an ambush for me while I did my guarding night shift, to test if I will scream or not… I didn’t…

Khanees Al 3issam was realised with a clay/silicon sculpture of the Syrian eagle, an ipad sword prop, a custom Shirt designed by Wajeb Azouz and a performance set [20 minutes] of poems, songs and exercises choreographed by Cara Wittenhaus.