Revelation is a video work that oscillates between the gestures of concealing and revealing the Arabic word Iqra, the first word revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. I re-imagine this Quranic story and place my own hands as the subject to receive and bury the word. In our present day the words of the Quranic revelation however variably and ornately written in calligraphy have been homogenized by dogmatic authorities and pushed towards a single interpretation.

Iqra is a powerful commandment, encouraging followers to read and gain knowledge. Many stories of revelation become calcified into rigid structures. I deconstruct the single story in this video loop. By using crushed brick I reference buildings and ancient holy sites being blown up, whether by North Americans or the Taliban. In burying the word I enact the targeted dismantling of Islamic influence in Europe and North America as well as my own vacillating relationship with Islam. The residue of brick marks my hands like henna. Formally the video is composed to mimic the Canadian flag and I question notions of home and nationhood and the ground on which national identity is formed.