Migrant Bodies and Capitalism
Judith Naeff of Leiden University will give a guest lecture titled 'Visualizing Migrant Bodies, Narrating Global Capitalism', followed by a screening of Taste of Cement (2017) by Ziad Kalthoum.
This lecture discusses the difficulties of capturing something as abstract as global capitalism and its very tangible effects on real lives. It does so by analyzing two essay films focusing on the systemic exploitation of migrant labourers: Remote Sensing (2001) by Ursula Biemann and Taste of Cement (2017) by Ziad Kalthoum. The lecture addresses the ethics of representation, the usage of surveillance technologies and amateur footage, gendered geographies, narrative voice, and the embodied and sensual.
The lecture is followed by a screening of Taste of Cement by Ziad Kalthoum and an online Q&A with the filmmaker. Shot on a construction site in Beirut, the film captures the daily life of Syrian migrant workers while their home country is ravaged by war. With stunning cinematography by Talal Khoury the film weaves together the stories of Beirut and Aleppo, past and present, and the lives lived among the dust of their concrete.
Thanks to everyone for joining!
