A Book by Sara Sallam
This book offers a critique of how ancient Egyptian mummies are often portrayed in photographs as archaeological artifacts, not as human remains. It comprises a selection of archival photographs exemplifying this kind of portrayal together with monologues written from the perspective of the depicted mummies. To reject the duplication of their undignified representation in the collected photographs, I cover their unwrapped remains first under linen, then I re-bury them in the sand. In the monologues, I imagine their voices commenting on their treatment as objects of scientific study, being unwrapped, catalogued, photographed, and displayed. In doing so, they get to hold and return the archaeological gaze arrested on them for so long.
12×18 cm, 64 pages
Special Limited Edition of 50, signed and numbered
Hand-sewn and swiss bound then wrapped by hand in gauze
Includes: 22 photographs, 6 monologues, 5 archival images
Self-published in January 2020