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FATAMORGANA, PROJECT (2016/19)


    Fatamorgana is a multiform project realized between 2016 and 2019. It comprises the theatrical work Fatamorgana (2017), the film ©Fatamorgana (2018–19), the publication Fatamorgana (2018), the sound installation Affektenlehre (2018), the film What do we talk about when we talk about Fatamorgana (2018), and the publication Fatamorgana (2019).

   Fatamorgana is both a political parody and a speculative comedy, in which historical and contemporary personalities narrate post–World War II global history and geopolitics, through a web of references and direct citations. The undercurrent is one of sense, illusion, and truth.

    Hanan—a Muslim cousin of James Joyce’s Molly Bloom—finds herself, not sure how, in Beirut’s Hall of Fame waxwork museum after its closing hours. Like Homer’s most virtuous Penelope, this woman waits for her husband; she appears to have set a date with him, but he has not arrived—where can he be? While waiting, she begins interacting with the wax figures in the museum’s empty rooms, and the figures respond in turn.

    Blending and clashing sixteen differing languages, as well as a variety of fiction and nonfiction sources, Fatamorgana is a multidimensional space, a kind of experiment with truth, or a type of fiction that sets up a platform for the collision of multiple fragments, elements, stories, facts.

    The deity Fata Morgana is the goddess of illusion whose main role is to deceive humans: The key is to educate the mind to see the truth in the appearances, rather than imagining that these illusions exile truth to a sphere somewhere beyond it, unattainable by human cognition.

Fatamorgana (2016–2019) by Salomé Lamas, produced by Lamaland in coproduction with BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts, Les Films du Bal. With the support of: CCB – Centro Cultural de Belém, Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos, DGArtes – Direcção Geral das Artes, Fundación Botin; the development support of: CNAP – Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Marra.tein, Ashkal Alwan, 2017 Faliro House | Sundance Institute Mediterranean Screenwriters Workshop, Colectivo 84; and the additional support of: Colecção António Cachola, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Screen Miguel Nabinho, Walla Collective, Íngreme, Alexandra Moura, DB Studios, Hall of Fame, Escola das Artes – Universidade Católica Portuguesa, MacDowell Colony, Terratreme, Yaddo, Brown Foundation – Dora Maar House.




2017 – Fatamorgana
Theatrical play, 120min, Portugal / France
Commission: BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts Production: BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts
In coproduction with: CCB – Centro Cultural de Belém, Colectivo 84, Les Film Du Bal
Support: Ministério da Cultura – Direcção Geral das Artes Development support: Marra.Tein, Ashkal Alwan,
Cnap – Centre National Des Arts Plastiques
Additional support: Valorpneu, Screen Miguel Nabinho, Walla Collective, Ingreme, Alexandra Moura

    Fatamorgana (2017) is a theatrical play commissioned by BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts for performance at CCB – Centro Cultural de Belém. It transposes the research and text (first edition) of the project into a theatrical play for stage. Within the play, Hanan (Antónia Terrinha) performs an extended monologue, in dialogue with an ensemble cast of pre-recorded voices and a soundscape. Following a brief Pre-Prologue, the play begins with the projection of a filmed Prologue. The sections Development and Postface follow. Throughout the performance, subtitles, texts, and citations appear on screen to accompany the piece.







2018/19 – ©Fatamorgana
HD video, 2:39, color/black and white, Dolby 5.1 sound, 120 min, Portugal / France / Lebanon
Commission: Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos
Production: Lamaland
In coproduction with: BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Art, Les Film du Bal
Development support: CNAP – Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Marra.tein, Ashkal Alwan, 2017 Faliro House | Sundance Institute Mediterranean Screenwriters Workshop, Colectivo 84
Additional support: Colecção António Cachola, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Screen Miguel Nabinho, Walla Collective, Íngreme, Alexandra Moura, DB Studios, Escola das Artes – Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Hall of Fame, MacDowell Colony, Terratreme, Yaddo, Fundación Botín
Support: CCB – Centro Cultural de Belém, Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos, DGArtes – Direcção Geral das Artes
Video Installation Edition: Coleção António Cachola – collection, Portugal

    ©Fatamorgana (2018–2019) is a film commissioned by Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos. It transposes and transforms the research, text experience and production of the theatrical play Fatamorgana (2017) into a single-screen film, for projected installation. The film takes core elements from the original theatrical production of Fatamorgana (2017) and moves them, and Hanan (Caroline Hatem), into the space of cinema, through a dense interweaving of still and moving images, text (second generation) and sound produced in Lebanon and Portugal. The film is structured into five sections: Preface, Prologue, Text, Epilogue and Postface.




2018 – Affektenlehre
Sound installation, Dolby 5.1 sound, 20 min, loop, neon 25 × 188.4 cm, black rubber granules, Portugal
In collaboration with Miguel Martins
Commission: Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos Production: Lamaland
In coproduction with: BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Art Support: CCB – Centro Cultural de Belém, Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos, DGArtes – Direcção Geral das Artes
Additional support: Colecção António Cachola, Walla Collective

    The doctrine of the affections was an elaborate theory based on the idea that the passions could be represented by their outward visible or audible signs. This sound installation was first developed for the exhibition Fatamorgana at Culturgest, Porto (October 27, 2018–January 13, 2019) where it was installed inside a former subterranean bank vault in surround sound.



2018 – Fatamorgana
Publication, offset printing on Inaset 70gr. paper, format 34 X 24 cm, 44pp., Portugal
In collaboration with Isabel Ramos
Printing: Gráfica Maiadouro
Commission: Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos
Production: Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos

    Fatamorgana (2018) is a publication dedicated to the graphic translation of the project’s text (second edition), alongside a variety of related material. It was produced to accompany ©Fatamorgana (2018–2019) for the exhibition Fatamorgana at Culturgest, Porto (October 27, 2018–January 13, 2019)

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2018 – What do we talk about when we talk about Fatamorgana
HD video, 2:39, black and white, dolby 5.1 sound, 40 min, Portugal / France / Lebanon
Production: Lamaland
In coproduction with: Les Film du Bal
Development support: CNAP – Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Marra.tein, Ashkal Alwan
Additional support: Colecção António Cachola, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Screen Miguel Nabinho, MacDowell Colony, Walla Collective, Íngreme, Fundación Botín
Support: Culturgest – Caixa Geral de Depósitos

    What do we talk about when we talk about Fatamorgana is a film that extends the prologues of Fatamorgana (2017) and ©Fatamorgana (2018–2019).What do we talk about when we talk about Fatamorgana reflects the casting sessions conducted in Beirut in 2016 during the research and development of Fatamorgana (2016–2019). Before being attributed excerpts of Fatamorgana’s text in Arabic, interviews were conducted with each one of the actresses.

    Questions inherent to the text and to the psychology of Hanan, the leading character of Fatamorgana, were discussed. Christine Choueiry, Roula Hamadeh, Caroline Hatem, Nada Abou Farhat and Claude Baz talk openly about their background and upbringing in Lebanon as well as their careers. They share their memories and their viewpoints on politics, religion, society and culture.





2019 – Fatamorgana
Publication, offset printing, format 15 X 20 cm, 288pp., Portugal / Italy
Language: English
Text: Salomé Lamas, Isabel Ramos, Delfim Sardo, Joost Smiers, Maria Palácios Cruz, Maria Filomena Molder, Pascale Cassagnou, Sara Magno.
QR-code extras: Fatamorgana (2016-2019) complete audiovisuals available online.
Design: Matteo Guallandris

Production: Lamaland, Mousse Publishing
Printing: Gráfica Maiadouro
Additional support: Escola das Artes – Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Support: Fundación Botin
Distribution: Mousse Publishing, DAP | Distributed Art Publishers, Vice Versa Distribution, Les Presses du Réel, Antenne Books

    Fatamorgana (2019) is the last production of Fatamorgana (2016–2019): a publication dedicated to the graphic translation of the text at the heart of the longtime endeavor (third edition), alongside a variety of related materials, including project notes and contributions from Pascale Cassagnou, María Palacios Cruz, Sara Magno, Maria Filomena Molder, Delfim Sardo, and Joost Smiers.

The publication also provides online access to photographic, video, and sound materials, along with technical specifications for all of the project’s component elements.