Unusual Behavior
By Abdo julani
On 15/03/2020, every educational or recreational institution decided to close its
doors and trap everyone in their homes due to the coronavirus. Thereby, I was
forced to take an indefinite leave of absence from my job at a hotel, this came after
a period of productive work in numerous aspects of my life, such as my artwork and
my studies. After a number of hectic weeks, where I was submitting my final paper
for my BA and applying for scholarships for my MA, I found myself completely
available, unoccupied by anything.
Quickly, I began to realize the change that occured in my priorities and the burdens
I carry around each day. The sanitizer bottle became one of the most comforting
objects I carry, I even started sanitizing my hands every ten minutes: after using the
bathroom, before eating and after, after using my computer and after returning
home. I began to notice that everyone is obsessed with these tiny bottles; we even
brag about having this kind of sanitizer or that one. I started to reflect about where
we are at this moment, and how a small bottle can define us. Using a sanitizer can
both discriminate between us, but it also connects us in our desire to survive and
fight this illness that surrounds us.
In the small space I dedicated to my artwork in my room, I began photographing
myself with different kinds of cleaning products, where I place the product on my
face and replace it with my features; I have always regarded the face as a distinctive
feature in people, unique in every person.
I soon had the idea to photograph others in the same position, but I found great
difficulty in executing this project, since the studio was in my house and people
were not fond of the idea of coming to someone’s home. I decided to abort the
project, go back to my despair and never leave the house.
With the continuous lockdown, I began noticing the development of certain habits
across society in order to fight the virus and boredom such as my mom’s new
cleaning rules and spraying everywhere with clorox. Everybody in the house now
has a dedicated towel and water bottle. We began using vinegar and water mixture
to clear our throats, buying huge quantities of bread for no reason, listening to
mom’s stories about the Naksa of 1967, and my grandmother’s home baked bread.
We formed a new routine of playing board and video games to overcome the
boredom, listening to the radio and the news, my asking about the number of
infected people today, making pastries, irregular sleep hours, finishing tv series,
cleaning, drinking chamomile and tea. My mom is also investing her time in spiritual
activities such as reading the Quran and praying.
I decided to document all of those new activities over the course of two weeks, in
my small studio. The idea became less of who are the people in the photograph
and more of what are the new habits they developed during this qurantaine. I use
the black background in order to emphasize my facial expressions and the merging
between these features and the products held up close. These features are more of
society’s features during this difficult time, in all of its simplicity and its generality.

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Abd-Al-Rahman Julani

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