Bedu

‘Bedu’ addresses issues of misrepresentation through the photographic medium, the circulation of the technology and images produced. Building on the history of the Western orientalist photographic representation of the Middle East, I worked with the Bedouin men of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan as the prevalent symbol of the Arab man through the 19th century to address issues of identity, portrayal and the role of photography in shaping both. The orientalist gaze often placed the Bedouin at the forefront of the camera, and a region rich in cultures, traditions and religions, with different paths to progress, was reduced to a romanticized representation. I build on the history of the production of the Bedouin image, and involve the Bedouins as active performers and contributors within the frame. Through their dance within the landscape they shift from being passive members blending into the landscape to active members returning the gaze to the viewer.