I Feel Nothing began as a multi-faceted investigation into the sense of touch; detachment; the relationship between the body and memory; between land and its “spiritual” history/presence; superstitions; wives’ tales; sacred stones and votive offerings as once deeply lived and practiced within Palestinian heritage.
The folk tale that undergoes Abboud’s disassembly is a tale about a brother who wrongfully judges his sister to be a ghoul (evil spirit/shapeshifter) after the disappearance of his new-borns. He later realizes that his estranged spouse – who is in fact a goblin – is responsible for their deaths. It is too late to undo what he has done by the time of his realization – for he has already taken his sister to the outskirts of the village and abandoned her without her hands and feet. Eventually, an enchanted snake restores the girl’s limbs and she continues to live a long and fulfilling life.
Over ten variants of folk tales about handless maidens exist around the world. Inspired by such tales, I Feel Nothing is a metaphorical video-poem, where a relationship is recounted, though remains ambiguous if it is between a man and a woman, the past and the present, or an individual and a homeland.
The work was commissioned for the exhibition Points of Departure, resulting from a year-long partnership between Delfina Foundation, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Art School Palestine and British Council. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
