Nonprofits & Activism

The infinite alchemy of storytelling | Zahra Al-Mahdi

Visit to watch more groundbreaking talks from the TED Fellows. TED Fellow Zahra Al-Mahdi was raised by screens — “storytelling machines” like TV and the internet that shaped her sense of self and reality. Now a multimedia artist and filmmaker, she challenges common historical narratives and brings a multiplicity of perspectives to the surface. In…

Published

3 years ago

June 30, 2021

CYBER TECH TV

Visit to watch more groundbreaking talks from the TED Fellows.

TED Fellow Zahra Al-Mahdi was raised by screens — “storytelling machines” like TV and the internet that shaped her sense of self and reality. Now a multimedia artist and filmmaker, she challenges common historical narratives and brings a multiplicity of perspectives to the surface. In this dynamic talk, Al-Mahdi traces her development as a storyteller using satire, dark humor and tactile collage techniques to expand what we think we know about ourselves.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

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[SHAPE YOUR FUTURE]

I grew up in Kuwait in the early ’90s,

where I was raised by screens.

The main windows to reality for me
were television and the internet.

Not because of their accuracy,

but because there were
storytelling machines.

These machines told stories
that contradict one another,

but all somehow seem true.

The Arab region knew Kuwait to be
one of the leading voices in media,

specifically for comedy shows and theater.

The rest of the world knew Kuwait
to be a small country

that was located between Saudi Arabia,
Iraq and Iran during the Gulf War.

Both stories are true.

These screens that I drive
my sense of reality from

told me different and sometimes
contradicting stories

about who I am and where I come from.

And that was the only way
I understood anything around me:

By placing it into different
sets of stories.

When social media came around,

it changed the way screens worked for me.

It wasn’t only a window
for observations anymore,

but an interactive one,

one I could use to identify
everything around me

in even more varied in multiple ways,

and to know myself better

and actually participate
in the storytelling process.

It started with these drawings,

mostly crosshatched on photographs
that I took with my iPhone.

With time, I started
to animate them onto videos

that told stories
from different perspectives

in a mocumentary series
titled “Bird Watch.”

It consists of scripted interviews
by imagined minority voices

discussing a general issue
or one of common interests.

The title of the series
is meant to ponder the idea,

What if birds were watching back?

What would they think
of our obsession with speed and oil?

Would they think we were dumb
for standing under the rain?

The second episode, for example,
is an interview with a little girl

that tries to explain
her definition of health,

where she says she wants
to be like her father,

be strong, smoke and tell children not to.

And also like her grandmother,

cook good food, be loved by everyone

and have diabetes.

She also introduces us
to the stomach animal.

It’s the head of an animal
that’s connected to our stomachs

and its objective is to continue eating
even after we’re full.

You see, Kuwait has one
of the highest rates of childhood obesity.

Presenting it in an amusing story

while pointing out that children
are themselves a minor voice

is a great way to really
put the statistic into perspective.

Another episode is an interview
with a horse breeder

who talks about the rules
of making sure your well-bred horse

is taken care of.

She, the horse,
must not be seen by others,

must only mate with the same breed,

must not be ridden by other men

and must be veiled.

Making a story about a parameter
of repression towards women funny,

especially when it has
animation or live action,

is a great way to walk clear through walls

of censorship, intolerance
and political correctness.

I tried to implement the ideas
behind these two episodes

before or during my first
art solo in 2014,

but I still had to put it into a story
to both be understood and accepted.

By speaking in someone else’s voice,

I was experimenting
with detachment from ideas

I grew up thinking where axioms.

We’re in a strange place

where our problem
is the abundance of information,

where the majority of people
have a platform to be heard,

but representation is still an issue.

Representing a certain group,
giving them justice.

All of these stories
can naturally contradict,

even if they differ slightly.

We as humans are not merely
the shape of body that we occupy

or the specific description of behavior.

We’re a multiplicity of stories,

stories that often come
in repetitive patterns

that can be rewritten and reread.

Having been raised by screens

that told me different stories
about who I am and where I come from

confused me in the best way possible.

I saw that history
is not as static as we thought,

that stories can be told, retold,

read and reread.

A change of context,

change of perspective in hindsight

can assign different values to everything
and everyone around us.

The way I see it,

that’s where artists are most important.

To present metadocumentations
of our history,

to give villains their origin story.

Nothing and no one can be said
to be good or bad

in isolation of the story around it.

It’s much like learning a new word.

You have to use it in a sentence
for it to make sense.

And then to challenge its meaning,

you begin to use it
in an infinite amount of stories.

Thank you.

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33 Comments

Muslim Scholars

June 30, 2021 at 3:11 pm

Wow that is great. I invite you to listen Muslim Scholars please

Reply
chas ames

June 30, 2021 at 3:11 pm

So good. And I can’t put my finger on exactly how.

Reply
Mohamed -Khaled

June 30, 2021 at 3:11 pm

” لعن الله المتشبهين من النساء بالرجال “

Reply
- irum nageen
  
  June 30, 2021 at 3:16 pm
  
  May she be guided
  
  Reply
- Mohamed -Khaled
  
  June 30, 2021 at 3:18 pm
  
  @irum nageen yes maybe 👍👍♥️
  
  Reply
- Hamba
  
  June 30, 2021 at 3:34 pm
  
  I thought she was boy until I read the comments
  
  Reply
🌟 Your unknown friend

June 30, 2021 at 3:12 pm

Dear person that’s reading this, we don’t know each others but I wish you all the best in life ❤️ don’t ever blame yourself, accept things and go forward. Your smile is precious and a key for happy life.

*I believe in you, Love from a small YouTuber!* 🖤.

Reply
- Steve Perks
  
  June 30, 2021 at 4:56 pm
  
  Thank you dear friend. If we never meet in this world, know that I love you and wish you well. May you have a life full of joy and meaning, and of making things brighter for those near you.
  
  Peace.
  
  Reply
Live RPG

June 30, 2021 at 3:15 pm

This is my kind of jam

Reply
S.Richani

June 30, 2021 at 3:21 pm

I’ve been following Zahra on Instagram forever, definitely one of the most intriguing and refreshing voices from the gulf region and Middle East at large. So glad to see her on TED. Her art represents so much of the nuance millennial Arabs find themselves interacting with on a daily basis. Keep doing up the great work! Excited to see where your growth takes you Shukran Zahra

Reply
- Someone U dont know
  
  June 30, 2021 at 3:59 pm
  
  Same, i was surprised to see her on the TED channel, a very welcomed surprise😊
  
  Reply
amanatee27

June 30, 2021 at 3:24 pm

well done

Reply
A R

June 30, 2021 at 3:30 pm

Kill your TV if you want to wake up from the ultimate lie

Reply
TRIBE OF MENTORS

June 30, 2021 at 3:45 pm

*Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong*

— Mandy Hale 🌺🙏

Reply
- Steve Perks
  
  June 30, 2021 at 4:53 pm
  
  “Life IS pain, Princess. Anyone who says different is selling something.”
  
  – The Dread Pirate Roberts.
  
  Reply
Sandra Davies

June 30, 2021 at 4:36 pm

Thank you for such a truthful & unique perspective-got me thinking in another direction!🙏🌎🤗

Reply
أقرأ لك iqraa4u

June 30, 2021 at 5:39 pm

great content and great way to deliver it , thank you , i hope we have more voices like that in the middle east because we absolutely need it

Reply
Sakır EL Arap

June 30, 2021 at 6:02 pm

you are ignorant , and i don’t know if you a man or girl your shape is like gay ,why are you crazy

Reply
Rushikesh Kale

June 30, 2021 at 6:10 pm

To challenge the meaning of word used in sentence, we begin to use it in an infinite number of stories.
Word is like container holding juice of Meaning inside it and that juice changes by context/ perspective in which a Word is used.
After all, through stories, We conjures our World View.

Reply
allurain

June 30, 2021 at 6:46 pm

Nice thought

Reply
TackerTacker

June 30, 2021 at 7:46 pm

Amazing!

Reply
Brian Lannoye

June 30, 2021 at 8:29 pm

TED: Totally Exaggerated Drivel. TED is nothing more than Social Justice Warriors masquerading as philosophers of technology.

Reply
Leo Yambao

June 30, 2021 at 9:36 pm

😳

Reply
- Isaac odunayo
  
  June 30, 2021 at 10:19 pm
  
  My dear let me recommend you to Dr okeke who help me restore back my ex
  
  Reply
- Isaac odunayo
  
  June 30, 2021 at 10:19 pm
  
  Message him on WhatsApp
  
  Reply
- Isaac odunayo
  
  June 30, 2021 at 10:20 pm
  
  +2 3 4 9 0 7 5 7 1 2 9 8 3
  
  Reply
- Leo Yambao
  
  June 30, 2021 at 10:46 pm
  
  No thank you
  
  Reply
Atalla Khercha

June 30, 2021 at 10:46 pm

Wow why do I find my self so related to this video i didn’t regret watching ❤️❤️❤️

Reply
Irene Astrero

June 30, 2021 at 11:00 pm

This kind of persons gave us challenges to do good….

Reply
アルバスダンブルドア

June 30, 2021 at 11:19 pm

Machines are convenient, but it is important for people to make them.

Reply
SodyPopInSpace

July 1, 2021 at 12:40 am

Kind of amazing how smart you can sound without saying anything of substance.

Reply

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