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The fermentation process is as much about rebirth as reinvention. Take the much-loved Palestinian and Levantine staple, makdoos, for example. It starts with a small aubergine, salted to remove its bitterness. The flesh gradually softens, allowing it to be stuffed with walnuts, garlic and chilli, then packed into a jar and submerged in olive oil.
Over several weeks, the once raw and firm aubergine becomes tender and its former bitterness gives way to a new profile of funky and fiery flavours. This process may be informed by science but is deeply rooted in culture and heritage. Ancient civilisations, from the Chinese to the Egyptians, documented their methods of fermentation centuries ago.
In light of Palestine’s ongoing struggle for self-determination, maintaining these techniques has become an urgent matter of cultural survival.
This mindset infuses the work of Palestinian artist Mirna Bamieh in her exhibition Sour Things. The mixed media show – blending ceramics, drawings, text and video – highlights her homeland’s rich food fermentation and preservation techniques, responsible for dishes such as makdoos. In doing so, it draws unsettling parallels between nature’s ability to regenerate and the self-destructive tendencies of humankind.
Unveiled first at Sharjah Biennial, Sour Things is now running at Nika Project Space in Paris, the first international outpost of the Dubai gallery.
Speaking to The National, Bamieh explains how the Paris version differs from the one in Sharjah. While the earlier version was a creative step into the unknown, this new chapter is shaped by the grief of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
"Certain aspects of the exhibition are still too intense for me," she says. "When I was working on it, I remember taking my ceramic pieces out of the kiln, and they looked so raw and visceral – like my guts were on the outside. I couldn't even look at them because they felt so angry, which is what I've been feeling for a long time now.
"My emotions have materialised into these objects, and it is hard to share them with the world, especially in the context of everything happening in Palestine. After October … something broke in all of us. I didn’t know I could be this angry or this sad, but at least I was able to find a form for those emotions through my work."
Sour Things is an evolving exhibition designed to harness Bamieh's ongoing reflections on Palestinian displacement. The Pantry, one of three new installations in Paris, speaks of a life in sudden flux. Ceramic plates and glass jars hold items such as salt and lemons, while the pantry walls teeter dangerously on the brink of destruction. A series of accompanying videos features shards of pottery Bamieh collected from Palestine, being gathered and washed.
Bamieh describes The Pantry as the genesis of the Sour Things project. "The idea began organically during the pandemic when I was stuck in my apartment in Ramallah," she says. "I found myself instinctively creating a pantry – fermenting, freezing, and preserving food without even thinking about it. It felt like my body was preparing for an uncertain future. This practice made me reflect on the broader theme of preservation – what it means to protect what we have when the future is so uncertain."
That sense of dread is in full bloom in Grieving in Colours, another new feature of the exhibition, where a batch of gooey oranges hangs suspended on white walls. Rot has set in, rendering them a gloopy mess.
"That’s part of how I make art. From afar, my work looks colourful, full of life, but when you get closer, you see the sadness and heaviness behind it," she adds. "I think I hide very well behind colours and forms.
"My work is not overtly political, but everything I do is political because I am Palestinian. The stories, the recipes, the preservation practices ... they’re all a reflection of the struggle and resilience of our people."
Bamieh notes that exploring the fermentation process is an ideal canvas for telling the story of Palestine. "If you really consider it, fermentation is a metaphor for survival," she says. "It goes back centuries and down to indigenous practices because it is rooted in concern about the harm we are doing to the world.
"As Palestinians, it is especially meaningful because we always ferment and preserve things, from yoghurt to olives. In Palestine, the pantry remains extremely important. Every time there’s a strike or a roadblock – and that still happens frequently – we have to rely on the food we've preserved. When there's an announcement of a crisis or shortage, the first thing people do is rush to refill their pantries, and the shelves quickly empty because everyone understands the importance of having preserved items."
With the war raging on, Bamieh credits Sour Things as an outlet to express her rage and trauma. However, it has come at the cost of discontinuing her popular Palestinian Hosting Society series of dinners, held in cities from Vienna to New York, where she presents forgotten dishes reflecting Palestinian history and heritage.
"These dinner performances are meant to be places of celebration, and I don't feel like being a host and telling people Palestine's story when my people are at war, hungry and dying," she states. "Now I am angry, and my focus has shifted to working on things that are more solitary and contemplative ... this is what I need."
Sour Things by Mirna Bamieh is running at Nika Project Space, Paris, until October 27
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Teaching in coronavirus times
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
