341080/installation​/shovel & ink and photography/450cm x 200cm/2014

The work explores the concept of ready made objects, leaving only minimal physical intervention on them. Everyday items from Egyptian culture objects that carry strong social and historical meaning are re-contextualized to reveal their latent value and functionality.

The piece 341080 centers on an ordinary shovel whose wooden handle carries personal and political significance: it once served as a means of self-defense during the Egyptian revolution. Engraved into the handle are dates and statistics in Arabic that reference a major national project in Egypt. The title, 341080, corresponds to the number of laborers who lost their lives during its construction.