We Began By Measuring Distance
Basma al-Sharif
SD video, 19’, 2009
P5303 Basma Alsharif2

Long still frames, text, language, and sound are weaved together to unfold the narrative of an anonymous group who fill their time by measuring distance. Innocent measurements transition into political ones, examining how image and sound communicate history. In We Began by Measuring Distance Basma Alsharif explores an ultimate disenchantment with facts when the visual fails to communicate the tragic.

Basma al-Sharif is a artist working in cinema and installation. She developed her practice nomadically between the Middle East, Europe, and North America and is currently based in Berlin. Her practice looks at cyclical political conflicts and confronts the legacy of colonialism through satirical, immersive, and lyrical works.