Reviving the Monstrous: An Analysis of Morehshin Allahyari’s The Laughing Snake and Its Critical Intervention

Abstract

She Who Sees the Unknown (2017) is an ongoing artistic research project by Iranian multi-media artist Morehshin Allahyari in which she recreates monstrous female figures of Middle Eastern origin (jinn) through 3D printing technology and her own concept of ‘re-figuring’. The latter refers to the conscious reclaiming and re-appropriating of the stories of feminized or female figures of jinn. The Laughing Snake (2018) is an artwork that reveals the potential of Allahyari’s re-figuring in practice as it most clearly demonstrates how re-figuring can be used for empowerment amongst the series of artworks in She Who Sees the Unknown. The aim of this thesis is to understand the critical intervention performed by Morehshin Allahyari’s hypertext narrative in The Laughing Snake. To do so, this thesis analyzes the artistic tools, methods and figures that are used in the production of The Laughing Snake. It focuses on what these artistic tools and methods offer in terms of performing a critical intervention in future imaginaries, as well as the monster’s necessity and significance for these artistic and political practices. Chapter One of this thesis provides a historical background of 3D printing technology, focusing mainly on 3D printing art and how such a technology is entangled with the artistic aims and critical interventions Allahyari makes through her artistic practices. Chapter Two is dedicated to exploring the concept of re-figuring, Allahyari’s artistic research process that involves re-appropriating the stories of Middle Eastern monstrous figures. Chapter Three focuses on The Laughing Snake in detail, looking at the significance of the monster in this critical intervention and how the storytelling elements and style contribute to its message and effect. Together, these chapters provide the context and analysis necessary for understanding the importance and potential of Allahyari’s critical intervention in The Laughing Snake specifically, as well as She Who Sees the Unknown more generally.