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INFOCUS

OnThreePosters2004,RabihMrou

InThreePosterstheaudienceneitherwitnessedJamalalSatisactofmartyrdomnordiditreceiveconcreteevidencethatalSatisdeathdidinfacttakeplace.AlSatisvideoisonlyarecording,mediatedforviewersthroughLebanesetelevisionortheauthorsperformance,ofaverbaltestimonythatreferencesdeathratherthanenactingit.Indeed,formanymartyrswhosebodieswereneverrecoveredaftertheirdeaths,thetapestheymadeweretheonlysurvivingremnantsof

theirphysicalstate. ThismediationservesasareminderthatthewarsinLebanonwereexperiencednotsimplyasidentifiableeventsinvolvingrealbodiesbutalsoasaseriesofvisualandlinguisticmanoeuvresplayedacrossvariousmedia.Inotherwords,theLebanesewarswerefoughtnotonlyinthestreetsofBeirutbyindividualmenandwomenbutalsothroughmediainwhichthediversecombatantscouldengagewithandpersuadetheirpublics.AsMrouhasexplained,ourbodiesduringthecivilwarwereinfactpassive.Wewereinshelters.Evenforthefighterstheywerebehindthebarricades.Itwasnotabattlebetweenbodies. Thewarfoughtonthestreetswasduplicatedandintertwinedwithtelevisionfootage,videotestimoniesbroadcastingalreadycompletedmissions,andmartyrposterscommemoratingactionsthatfewpeopleactuallywitnessedinperson.

Althoughitcouldbearguedthatambiguousandunevenmediacoverageisacommonfeatureofwarfaretoday,theLebaneseWarsmightbesaidtohaveprefiguredthekindofrepresentationalinstabilitythatthephilosopherThomasKeenanidentifiedinthemediacoverageofthesiegeofSarajevoduringtheBosnianWarintheearly1990s. TakingupNewYorkTimesjournalistRogerCohenspronouncementthattheBalkansconflictwasapostmodernwar,Keenanforegroundedtheapparentreordislocationofthefieldofknowledgeandactiontothescreenofamonitorandtheentryofthoserepresentationsintothefieldofthethingsandeventstheyoughtsimplyto

represent. Inotherwords,inasaturatedmediaenvironment,thedirectexperienceofwarcannolongerbeeasilydistinguishedfromitstelevisualrepresentations.

AlSatistestimonyispresentedasadirectaddresstotheviewerthatimpliesaonetoonerelationshipbetweenspeakerandlistener.Yetinactualitythereexistsathirdpartywhoremainsoffscreenthroughoutthevideo:thecameraoperator.Althoughthispersonisnotvisibleoraudibleonthetape,hisorherpresenceisregisteredindirectlybythemanipulationofthecamera.Mroupointedoutinadiscussionheldin2013thatthecameraoperatorwasnotlikelytobeamediaprofessional,becauseheorshefallspreytothetemptationofeverybeginner:overusingthezoom. ByzoominginonalSatisfacethecameraoperatorunwittinglyinvitesustopeekatthemartyrbeforehisdeath.Thismanipulationofthecamerahastheeffectofproducingakindofvoyeuristicgazethathassincecometobeassociatedwithrealitytelevision.WhatseemstointerestMrouhereisnotonlythesenseofintimacyproducedbytheamateurcameraworkbutalsotheemotionaldetachmentthattheactoffilmingpresupposes.Tothesameextentthattheoperatorremainsfixedontheframeoftheimage,heorsheisdistancedfromwhatishappeninginfrontofit:apersondeclaringhisdeath.ThismediationrevealsaquestionthatiscentraltoThreePosters:inthepresenceofthecamera,canJamalalSatiactauthenticallyordoesthesetupturnhimintoanactorplayingtheroleofamartyrdeliveringhisfinalwords?ThelatteroptionwouldseemtounderminethenotionofdocumentarytruthinapostmodernmediasaturatedagebutMrousperformancesuggestssomethingmorecomplicated:thatthereareeventswhichhappeninfrontofcamerasthatarenotsimplytrueorfalsebutrestonthesuspensionoftheseverycategories.Thislastpointnotonlyappliestovideosmadebymartyrsbuttotheposterswhichareusedto

MartyrdomandMediation

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commemoratetheirdeaths.

Whilethetermmartyrisusedconventionallytodescribeindividualswhosufferpersecutionanddeathforareligiouscause,inLebanon,almostanyonewhoiskilled,anyonewhodiesanunnaturaldeath,iscalledamartyr. ImagesofthesedeadmenandwomenpopulatethewallsofLebanesecitiesandtowns(fig.1),staringbackatthelivingwhomoreoftenthannotbehaveasthoughtheyareoblivioustotheirghostlypresence.PostersofmartyrscanbeencounteredinalmostanyneighbourhoodofBeirut,regardlessofthesectarianorpoliticalidentityofthelocation.YetdespitetheirubiquitywithinLebanesepubliclife,postersofmartyrsarenotatopicofopendiscussion.Theirsilentpresencegivesthemaparadoxicalstatustheyarebothcommonplaceandtaboo.

InherstudyofpoliticalpostersoftheLebaneseWars,graphicdesignerandwriterZeinaMaasriarguesthatintheirmostbasicsense,imagesofmartyrsfunctionaspublicobituaries:

ItisacommonpracticeinLebanontopostobituariesinpublicspaces,primarilyaroundwherethedeceasedlivedandworked,toinformneighboursandacquaintancesofthedeath,condolences,andfuneralproceedings.Asacontinuationofthispractice,themartyrposterisissuedbyapoliticalpartyactingasthefamilyofthedeceased,toinformtheircommunityaboutthelossofoneofitsmembersandtohonourthemasamartyr.

Furthermore,beyondtheirsimplecommemorativefunction,martyrpostersinLebanonhavetraditionallyservedastoolsfortheconstructionofgeographicallydefinedcommunitiesofwitnessing. InhisessayImage,Body,Medium,thearthistorianHansBeltingnoteshowinpremodernsocietiestheproductionofcultorreligiousimageswaslinkedtoritualsbywhichthedeadwerereintegratedintothecommunityoftheliving:

Images,onbehalfofthemissingbody,occupiedtheplacedesertedbythepersonwhohaddied.Agivencommunityfeltthreatenedbythegapcausedbythedeathofoneofitsmembers.Thedead,asaresult,werekeptaspresentandvisibleintheranksofthelivingviatheirimages.Butimagesdidnotexistbythemselves.They,inturn,wereinneedofanembodiment,whichmeansinneedofanagentoramediumresemblingabody.Thisneedwasmetbytheinventionofvisualmedia,whichnotonlyembodiedimagesbutresembledlivingbodiesintheirownways.

Insocalledprimitivesocietiesbodilyremnantssuchasskullsarepaintedandtransformedintoobjectsimbuedwithmagicalpowers.AnimatedthroughcultritualstheseartefactsbecomethemeansthroughwhichthelivinginteractwiththeirancestorsinwhatthephilosopherJeanBaudrillardhascalledasymbolicexchangeofsigns. Here,then,therepresentationofthedeceasednotonlymakespresentwhatisabsentbuttakesonalifeofitsown,servingtostructurethebeliefsandactionsoftheliving.Incontrast,modernsocietiesgovernedbyrationalmaterialistvaluestreatimagesnotaslivingentitiesbutasinertobjectsintheworld,inotherwords,things.Thuswhilethedevelopmentoftechnologiesofmechanicalandelectronicreproductionhavecreatedevermoreimagesofdeath,theseimageshavebeenstrippedofthesymbolicvaluethattheyoncepossessed.Theresultisamediacultureinwhichthereligiousorspiritualrecognitionofdeathisreplacedbythedeadeningeffectsofimagesthatattempttodisavoworrepressmortality.ThisisoneoftheprincipalinsightsmadebytheGermancriticSiegfriedKracauerinhisrenowned1927essayonphotography:Whatthephotographsbytheirsheeraccumulationattempttobanishistherecollectionofdeath,whichispartandparcelofeverymemoryimage.Intheillustratedmagazinestheworldhasbecomeaphotographablepresentandthephotographedpresenthasbeenentirelyeternalised.Seemingly

Fig.1MartyrandpoliticalpostersonawallintheBashouraareaofBeirut1997Photo:ZeinaMaasri.

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rippedfromtheclutchofdeath,inrealityithassuccumbedtoit.

Ifthecultimagewasonceameanstoacknowledgetherealityofdeath,theendlessbarrageofphotographicimagespointstothedeathofreality.Whileitcanbearguedthatimagesofmortalityhavebeenprogressivelyemptiedoftheirontologicalweightinsecular,capitalistsocietiesaclaimthatisalreadycounteredbytheglobalreturnofreligionsinLebanon,theconvergenceofpreorantimodernreligiouspracticesandcontemporaryelectronicmediaservestocomplicate

assumptionsabouttechnologicalprogressandtheassociateddisenchantmentoftheworld.

InOnThreePostersthiscontradictioncentredontheuseofvideoasamediumofmartyrdom.WhatdoesitmeantoutterthewordsIamthemartyrJamalalSatiif,astheLebaneseartistandwriterJalalTouficpointsout,suchastatementcanonlyissuefromsomeonewhonotonlyisunawarethatheorsheisalreadydeadevenasheorshelives,butalsowantstoextendhisorherlifeevenintodeath?

MrousvideoperformanceinThreePosters,inwhichheactedasaresistancefighterrecordinghisvideotestimony,playedontheaudiencesbeliefthatwhattheywerewatchingbelongednottothepresentbuttotherecentpast.Asopposedtothepresenttenseoftheatreandlivetelevision,Mrousapparentlyprerecordedtestimonyseeminglyaffirmsthepasttenseofvideo.TheparadoxicalstatementIamthemartyrwithwhichMroubeganthethreerecordedversionsofhistestimonyservedtounderlinethefactthathewasalreadydead.Accordingly,inOnThreePosters,helikenedthetemporalityofvideotothethathasbeenofphotography:

Becausewehavebeenconditionedtobelievethatavideoisarecordingofamomentinthepast,adeadmoment,themediumrepresentstherecoveryofsuchmomentsmomentsthatbydefinitionhavealreadypassed.Thisisexactlywhatusedtohappen:oneday,suddenly,wewouldseetheposterofafriendhungonthewallsofBeirut,oraphotographorvideoontheTVannouncinghisorherdeath.Theredundancy,createdintheperformance,helpedtheaudienceacceptthisidea.

ThreePostersthrewintoquestionthestatusofvideoasanindubitablerecordordocumentationofimmanentdeath.ThehesitationsthatmarkalSatisspeecharenotthesignsofabadactorstrivingtocreatethemostidealimageofhimselfbeforehisimminentdeath.Instead,whattheypointtoisalSatisdesirebothtodeferdeathandtowithdrawfromlifeinasocietywherethedesiretoliveisconsideredashamefulbetrayaloftheState,theNation,andtheHomeland. Intheperiodspanningtherecordingofthevideoandthecompletionofhismission,alSatioccupiedaliminalspacebetweentwodeaths,thatis,betweenhissymbolicdeathonvideoandhisphysicaldeath.

If,ascriticaltheoristandphilosopherSamuelWebersuggests,theabilitytoreproduceandperhapsredeemthelivinghasalwaysbeencentraltothepoweroftheatre,intelevisionandotherformsofdigitalmediatheliveimagefrequentlyonlyservestounderscoretheghostlynatureofthescreen.Veryoftenwhatthesemediashowarenotlivingpersonsbutpersonsbroughtbacktolife.ThisquestionofreanimationtakesonanexplicitlypoliticaldimensioninMrousperformancesdealingwiththecontemporaryimagesofdeathinLebanon.

Notes

ChadEliasFebruary2014

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Insomeinstancestherewasnoevidencethattheresistancefighterhadinfactcarriedouttheoperation.Ina2013lectureattheWhitechapelGalleryinLondonMrousharedananecdoteaboutthetestimonyofamartyrbroadcastontelevisionin1986.Thedayafterthemartyrsvideowasbroadcastarumourcirculatedthattheoperationhadnottakenplaceandthatthefighterwasstillalivethefightersubsequentlydisappeared,andtothisday,thereisnorecordofhiswhereabouts.ForMrou,itsnotimportanttoknowwhetherthisstoryistrueornotbutratherthematteritpointsto.LikeJamalAlAlSatisvideo,whatisatissueisthemediationoftruthormoreexactly,howtruthandfictioninterminglewith

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Howtocite

ChadElias,MartyrdomandMediation,February2014,inChadElias(ed.),InFocus:'OnThreePosters'2004,RabihMrou,February2014,https://www.tate.org.uk/art/researchpublications/rabihmroueonthreeposters/martyrdomandmediationr1144502,accessed17September2014.

eachother,RabihMrou,ArtistsTalk,WhitechapelGallery,London,19July2013.

RabihMrou,1000Words,Artforum,vol.48,no.3,November2009,p.194.2.

SeeJeanBaudrillard,TheGulfWarDidNotTakePlace,Bloomington,1995.3.

ThomasKeenan,PublicityandIndifference(SarajevoonTelevision),PMLA,vol.117,no.1,2002,p.110.4.

RabihMrou,ArtistsTalk,WhitechapelGallery,London,19July2013.5.

Mrou2009,p.194.TheArabicnounformartyrisshahid.Thewordisoftenusedtodescribeawitnessandonekilledinbattlewiththeinfidels.SeeHansWehr,DictionaryofModernWrittenArabic:ArabicEnglish,4threvisededn,Urbana,1994,p.489.Similarly,theEnglishwordmartyr,whichcomesfromlateGreekmartur,meaningwitness,alsoreferstoonewhochoosestosufferdeathratherthanrenouncereligiousprinciples.ForafullerdiscussionofthissharedetymologyseeIgnazGoldziher,MuslimStudies,vol.2,ed.S.M.Stern,trans.C.R.BarberandS.M.Stern,NewYork1971,pp.2504.

6.

ZeinaMaasri,OfftheWall:PoliticalPostersoftheLebaneseCivilWar,London2009,p.88.7.

FormoreonthisseeMaasrischapterCommemorationinOfftheWall.SeealsomyreviewofMaasrisbookinwhichIdiscusstheuseofposterstomarkterritoryinwartimeBeirut(ChadElias,ReviewofSignsofConflict:PoliticalPostersofLebanonsCivilWar(19751990),PlanetDiscoveryExhibitionHall,Beirut,1220April2008,JournalofVisualCulture,vol.8,no.1,2009,pp.11620).

8.

HansBelting,Image,Body,Medium,CriticalInquiry,vol.31,no.2,Winter2005,p.307.9.

SeeJeanBaudrillard,SymbolicExchangeandDeath,London1993.10.

SiegfriedKracauer,Photography(1927),CriticalInquiry,vol.19,no.3,Spring1993,p.433.11.

ThetermdisenchantmentwasusedbytheGermansociologistMaxWebertodescribethecharacterofbureaucratic,secularisedWesternsociety,wherescientificunderstandingismorehighlyvaluedthanreligiousbeliefandmagic,andwhereprocessesareorientedtowardrationalandmaterialgoals,asopposedtotraditionalsocietyinwhichtheworldremainsagreatenchantedgarden.SeeMaxWeber,TheSociologyofReligion,London,1971,p.270.OnthesocalledresurgenceofreligioninrecentdecadesseeJrgenHabermas,SecularismsCrisisofFaith:NotesonPostSecularSociety,NewPerspectivesQuarterly,vol.25,2008,pp.1729andHentdeVries,LawrenceE.SullivanandIanWard,PoliticalTheologies:PublicReligionsinaPostSecularWorld,JournalofChurchandState,vol.17,no.50,2008,pp.1501.

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JalalToufic,IAmtheMartyrSanaYusifMuhaydli,inRabihMrou,ABAKCriticalReaderinArtistsPractice,eds.MariaHlavajovaandJillWinder,UtrechtandRotterdam2012,pp.12643.

13.

MrouandKhoury2006,p.184.14.

Ibid.,p.184.15.

SamuelWeber,TheatricalityasMedium.NewYork,2004,p.181.16.