Pacific

The

Deconstructing Luay
Eljamals Symmetry
Doesnt Exist
Performance
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FEB 11, 2016

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Pacific

The

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Pacific

CULTURE

The

Luay Eljamal is back with new performance Symmetry Doesnt Exist, and yet
again, we will try to deconstruct it. Last time, we explored the ins and outs and
all the subtle imagery, influences and meanings behind Eljamals performance
Hunter-Hunted. His latest is just as controversial and confusingbut also
perhaps the most concept-driven performance hes done so far.
We were given a moment to chat with Eljamal following the end of his
performance to gain a better understanding behind his process for creating such
a piece as this. While Eljamals responses may not give us the exact meaning of
his performance, it gives us good theoretical bases to get started.
ELJAMAL: The initial idea came to me while watching the new Steve
Jobs movie. The one with Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender. It got
me thinking about binaries. Initially in the digital sense, and then with
more time, I thought of it in terms of dualities, or oppositions. The idea
of symmetries in the real world, really intrigued me. Not in the
aesthetic sense of the word, but metaphorically speaking. Is there such
a thing as social and biological oppositions in the real world? That
was one of the questions I sought to explore through this performance.

The Pacific Daily

Eljamals performances are often rooted in philosophical or performative theories. In Hunter-Hunted, he commented
on his use of Lawrence Halprins RSVP cycles (Halrpin 1970). We were curious to know what Eljamals influences
were for Symmetry Doesnt Exist.
ELJAMAL: I think Symmetry Doesnt Exist has the heaviest research base compared to my other
performances, where my focus has primarily been on the technology and aesthetics. In terms of performance
philosophy, I looked a lot at mask theory; not just the use of mask in performance, but the use of mask in our
day-to-day lives. I was particularly interested in Pochinko, Lecoq and Hendersons methodologies on how
the study of neutral mask affects different parts of our personal identity and public personas. I also drew
from Brechts distancing techniques. I sort of thought How can I use his techniques in a way that
encourages audiences to critically think about a performance in todays technology-infused world? And of
course, a lot of my stylistic choices came from watching contemporary pop culture artists, as I believe that,
like it or not, they are a huge driving force behind challenging the status quo in mainstream society.
In terms of social theory, I looked at child psychology and theories on categorisation. Whittlesea has some
interesting things to say on the subject. I looked at feminist theory, of course. I looked at the gender binary
and the counterarguments that exist within the idea of a gender spectrum and how pop culture has shaped
the overall perceptions of these issues.
When asked what it all meant, Eljamal responded with a cheeky:
ELJAMAL: Well thats up for you to decide, isnt it? Everything has meaning.

On Eljamals Mise-en-Scene
Eljamals mise-en-scene mirrors his Symmetry Doesnt Exist
motif before the performance even begins. Although the
stage set appears to be equally balanced and symmetrical at
a quick glance, a closer look shows that it is far from being a
mirrored image. In a very Brechtian fashion, Eljamal makes
sure that the stage and auditorium [are] purged of
everything magical (Brecht in Hurstfield 2014), opting
instead to show us what would usually be left behind the
scenes: the tools that went into putting the performance
together. An upright piano is umbrellaed by a large pair of
canvased eyeglasses, hung by visible strings to the ceiling
grid. A pair of scissors, a roll of tape, a can of spray paint and a notepad are dressed on the piano, suggesting that what
we are watching is part of an ongoing rehearsal process; these dressings being the tools with which he has been
experimenting. To his left, Eljamal places a laptop slightly angled so that the audience can see the software programs
that make the performance work the way that it does, as well. It is evident Eljamal wants us not to focus on the
aesthetics of the piece like he has done with his performances in the past. At one point, Eljamals performance, which
up until that moment had been filled with sound,
falls silent, and we watch him fiddle with a few
cables in order to engage a webcam that he has
preset on the piano. He shows us a performance
that appears less than perfect, inviting us to
decipher it for themes within its aesthetics, and
the way that his aesthetics are interacted with. For
example, the piano is decorated with a soccer ball
on one end, and a flower vase on the other; two
symbols that are commonly associated with
opposite ends of the masculine-feminine gender
spectrum pull your focus from one end of the
instrument to the other. Outside of Eljamals
performance, these may serve no other purpose than to fill a bare set, but Eljamals manipulation of the rest of his
props is what suggests that there is more to his mise-en-scene than meets the eye.

On Defining Symmetry
Eljamals performance begins almost in the same way that an essay would: with a definition of the word symmetry.
Only in this case, the definition is presented through a series of images projected onto his canvassed eyeglasses. He
uses short film Symmetry by collaborative filmmakers Everyone to establish his definition of symmetry in order to
later dissect it through his piece (Everynone 2011). In a blog post titled Analysing Symmetry by Everynone
published to his website in 2014, Eljamal has the following to say about this film:
I came across this video a few years ago and
instantly knew it would be a lifelong favourite.
Symmetry by Everynone highlights a grand
selection of dualities in the forms of oppositions
(i.e.: policeman vs thief, light vs dark), pairings
(i.e.: salt & pepper, peanut butter & jelly), and
homonyms (i.e.: "sound waves" & "ocean waves)
just to name a few. In a world where things rarely
seem to be black and white, the video beautifully
presents these dualities, and encourages us to be
more self-aware of the way that we interpret the
relationship between two particular words, concepts
or ideas. For example, the shot with the interior of a
church on the left and the interior of a science lab on
the right (01:22) could be interpreted in numerous
ways. Is it a statement on how one must choose to
believe in science over religion or vice-versa? Or is
it a statement on their coexistence, and how faith in
religion allows us to comprehend what we cannot
yet understand through science?
The video opens up a line of conversation between its viewers by asking questions, but not answering them. Are
you a 'glass-half-full' or a 'glass-half-empty' person? (01:16) Ultimately, the way the viewer chooses to interpret
the subject matter tells more about themselves than it does about the creator of the video, and I believe that this
effect is intentional. What better way is there to prove this than by looking at the name of the artists themselves:
Everynone. A portmanteau of the words "everyone" and "none", the name further supports this idea of looking to
yourself for answers, as opposed to the creator. In a very The Death of The Author by Roland Barthes manner,
the author's opinion needs not be considered in order for you to interpret the art. It is put together both by
everyone and also by no one at all.
(Eljamal 2014)
Eljamals reference to Barthes essay at the end of his post tells us that he is clearly very interested in presenting
material in such a way where his audiences critical participation with a piece is crucial to its success. Not too different
from Brechts initial intentions. Today, he creates a performance that gives us clarity of action, but ambiguity of
meaning. Theres no denying, for example, that Eljamal presents to us a ritual of getting dressed and ready for the
public at the start of his live performance. However, the reason behind why he chooses to get ready by putting on
deodorant, an earring and then lipstick is left for us to decide. Perhaps he is embodying an androgynous character.
Perhaps he is criticising the fashion choices we make and use to identify someone as male or as female. In either case,
he wants us to refer to our own interpretations in order to decipher the meaning behind the performance.

On the Gender Spectrum

Eljamals performance challenges gender stereotypes as soon as the performance switches from the projected film to
his performed ritual on stage. Text from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies Tedx Talk, We Should All Be Feminists is
intertwined between the interlude from Beyoncs popular song ***Flawless:
We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls: You can have ambition, but
not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful, otherwise youre reflecting the man
Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. Im expected to make my life choices always keeping
in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual
support, but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we dont teach boys the same? We raise girls to
see each other as competitors. Not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the
attention of man. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are Feminist: a person
who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.
(Adichie, 2013)
This speech spells things out very clearly, and raises new questions when juxtaposed against Eljamals performance.
We see him take out a black marker and draw a three-pronged symbol on his arm. Having been established as a
symbol for transgender pride this symbol combines and modifies elements of the male and female gender symbols,
with a combined symbol jutting from the top left (Petronizo 2014). He
outlines this hybrid symbol with an upside-down triangle: the second most
popular LGBTQ symbol after the rainbow flag. While Adichies speech
highlights how social expectations have imposed certain characteristics on
what we perceive to be masculine and feminine, Eljamal reminds us that
gender is not a binary, but a spectrum.
Eljamal also cites Bruce Whittlesea as one of his major influences for this
piece, a psychologist who conducted experiments on how we interpret and
categorise general knowledge. In his article Preservation of Specific Experiences in the Representation of General
Knowledge, Whittlesea deduces that people tend to use exemplar memories to make categorical decisions
(Whittlesea 1987). For example, if someone were to see a dog, they would compare it to previous dogs that they have
seen in order to come to the conclusion that the animal in front of them belonged within the canine category. While
this innate trait in all humans can be very beneficial at times, it can also be quite restricting when it comes to the
understanding of new categories that they have not yet come across. For the majority of people today, the ability to
place people within the categories of male or female has been enough to satisfy their personal representations of
gender, but recent studies show that in terms of identity, gender is not so much a binary, as it is a spectrum. While
the biological gender is usually manifested in the physical appearance, the individual identity is not immediately
discernible and [is] primarily established in the psyche of a human being (The Huffington Post 2015) says a report
from the Medical University of Vienna.
There is some early evidence that science is catching up with something many of us already assume, and for
good reason: Gender identity exists on a scale, rather than in narrow dichotomised groups. In essence, trans
people have brain chemistry approaching the middle of the gender spectrum inherently different from their
biological sex and closer to their identified gender.
(The Huffington Post, 2015)
Eljamal caters to this concept in his piece. There is no such thing as only male and only female. Symmetry Doesnt
Exist. Throughout his ritual, Eljamal attempts to blur the lines between the expectations we would typically associate
with polarised gender identities. Towards the end of his ritual, we see a masculine man, with a hairy chest and
armpits, who has applied feminine makeup, and worn a metrosexual earring in his left ear. He leaves us to question:
Is this person a man? A woman? Transgendered? Androgynous? There would be no way to tell, outside of
approaching them and asking them how they would like to be personally identified. In setting it up this way, Eljamal
mirrors the way society should behave around this type of issue in an ideal world.

On Mask Theory
The three influences Eljamal cites as having piqued his interest in the world of masksRichard Pochinko, Jacques
Lecoq, and Jan Hendersonhave a unique approach, in that they approach mask with Clown as their medium of
performance. Hendersons definition of a mask is the easiest to understand in conjunction with Eljamals
performance. Masks conceal in order to reveal, and thus help us to access our deepest wisdom and truths, our
personal mythology (Henderson 2015). With this in mind, it only makes sense that Eljamal discusses the idea of
self-gender-identification through the exploration of masks. With Hendersons definition in mind, Eljamals character
seeks to reveal its true gender through the deodorant, earring and lipstick that is applied throughout the ritual.
The concept of Hendersons mask materialises
itself in many places throughout Eljamals
performance, if you know where to look. The
image of the sunglasses on his face, for example
a strong symbol of something being used to
conceal in order to reveal (conceals light, in
order to reveal sight). He creates an interesting
image near the end of his ritual, where he places
his sunglasses on top of his eyes, and then places
three eyeglasses in places commonly associated
with the male and female erogenous zones. In
other words, the sunglasses, which obscure our
vision and ability to see and understand life
clearly are placed on Eljamals eyes acting as a
mask, and contrastingly, the objects with which
we usually try to clarify what we see in front of
us are placed on the external regions of the body
where people usually look to determine a
persons gender. If the eyes are the windows to
the soul, and masks conceal to reveal then
perhaps Eljamal is suggesting that we look more to a persons soul in the interest of identifying their gender, as opposed
to the sexual organs that they may biologically possess on their bodies. In another reference to mask, he dresses his set
with two versions of a half-white half-black mask; raising the question of whether life is as simple as black-and-white
with no grey areas in between. Lecoqs take on masks also gives us interesting insights into Eljamals performance.
There are 3 masks: the one we think we are, the one we really are, and the one we have in
common. Neutral mask is the one we really are, the one that allows us to take off all the
other masks. Neutral is holding the centre - moving with grace, dignity, power and
direction. To relax our attention into the present moment is extraordinarily simple, but for
most of us, it demands a lifetime of practice.
(Richardpochinko.com n.d.)
Lecoq categorises the masks that we all tend to put on in our day to day lives. Among them are the ones that we wear in
public, when we interact with others. Generally, this mask seeks to help others understand our identity and what kind of
a person we are. A businessman, for example, will most commonly be seen wearing a mask in the form of a full-piece
suit, signifying that he is successful, distinguished, and masculine (Brain n.d.). Contrastingly, a woman wearing a dress
and makeup puts on a public mask that signifies beauty, and femininity. It isnt until we go from a public space to a
private space that those masks can come off, and we can begin to explore life through the neutral mask that Lecoq
speaks of. The one we really are (Richardpochinko.com n.d.).
Eljamal explores the neutral mask at the end of his
ritual, where the screaming voices of a crowd are
muffled by the slamming of an invisible door,
creating the illusory shift from a public space to
private space. In his private space, Eljamals
character strips off the masks that he uses in public
the ballcap, sunglasses and the remaining eyeglasses
and approaches a piano to sing a song by pop
culture singer Sia called Bird Set Free.

On Pop Culture
Eljamals performance has numerous references to pop culture icons, whether it be through the music he uses to
underscore his piece, or the references to public performances made by well-known artists today. Perhaps the most
obvious references are the artists that he has chosen to sample in the ritual portion of his piece. Intertext from equalitypreaching songs by Lady Gaga [It doesnt matter if you love him / or capital H-I-M (Stefani Germanotta and Laursen
2011)], Macklemore and Ryan Lewis [When I was in the third grade / I thought that I was gay / Cause I could draw,
my uncle was / and I kept my room straight (Lambert, Lewis and Haggerty 2012)], and John Lennon [Imagine theres
no heaven / Its easy if you try / No hell below us / Above us only sky / Imagine all the people / Living for
today (Lennon 1971)] are remixed into an underscore supporting Eljamals ritual. By referencing their hits, Eljamal
brings popular culture into the equation, highlighting their importance in catalysing movements towards a more
peaceful, just and equal society.
But Eljamals pop culture references dont stop at subtle nods
towards popular artists. He also makes references toward
numerous online equality campaigns. At one point in his
performance, Eljamal takes off his shirt to reveal that both of
his nipples have been taped over in the shape of an X. In
addition to creating another form of symmetry when
compared against the spray-painted Xs on the canvas behind
him, Eljamal references the #FreeTheNipple campaign that
has recently taken the online community by storm. Free The
Nipple is an equality movement, and a mission to empower
women around the world [to] stand against female oppression
and censorship, both in the United States and around the
globe (Free The Nipple, 2014). Eljamal then takes a moment
to pose for an instagram photo, which he then uploads with
the caption Symmetry Doesnt Exist #FreeTheNipple #Fkh8
#equallove #brunel50. This sentiment echoes many artists
nowadays who take to social media to promote their
philanthropic campaigns through the use of hashtags, and
public performances.
Nearing the end of his performance, Eljamal mimics a common practice by modern artists, which is to sing an acoustic
version of their hit songs alongside a piano. This method of performance has been practiced numerous times on stage by
performer Lady Gaga, who would strip down her music in order to personalise the performance and showcase
her strong vocals. Eljamal puts his fingers to the piano keys and
passionately sings the chorus to Sias late-2015 single Bird Set Free.
No I dont care if I sing off-key / I find myself in my melodies / I sing
for love, I sing for me / I shout it out like a bird set free (Furler and
Kurstin 2015). Its worth noting that both Sia and Lady Gaga make use
of various masks in their performances, as well, and that Eljamal was
most likely aware of this fact when selecting artists to reference in his
piece. Eljamal sings this with his back turned to usyet another sign
that he is in a private spaceand we are forced to watch his solo
through a digitally-altered symmetrical live projection on the wall
furthest away from us. He ends his performance in traditional Gagafashion, standing up on his chair and belting out a series of Ohs and
Ahs, and by doing so, gives us one last glance at the self-tattooed
symbol of transgender pride he had previously marked himself with.
The performance ends in the dark, with a sly feminine curtsy in
response to the audiences applause.

Lady Gaga playing the piano by standing

on up the piano bench.

Lady Gaga sporting a pair of sunglasses

that mask her face during an acoustic
performance.

Sia performing her song Bird Set Free on

Saturday Night Live, featuring a wig that masks
her face.

Conclusion
Towards the end of his performance, it seems that Eljamal disapproves of Everynones interpretation of the word
Symmetry. Thinking that everything in life has an equal and opposite equivalent can be very destructive, especially
when it comes to defining gender-based identities, and categorising social and cultural expectations. Eljamals
performance asks: what is it that we, as a society, have to do to abolish this dualistic mentality; this archaic perspective?
Do we rebel in the likes of Lady Gaga, who has constantly pushed social boundaries in an attempt to free marginalised
people from being unable to express themselves and share their true identities with the world? Or do we comfort
ourselves behind masks especially created for the public eye, and enjoy our true selves in the safety of our own private
spaces? Eljamal encourages us to reflect on these questions for ourselves, as ultimately it is up to us to decide whether
or not we agree that Symmetry Doesnt Exist.

References
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TEDx Euston. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc [Accessed 19
Feb. 2016].
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www.tbook.constantvzw.org/wp-content/death_authorbarthes.pdf [Accessed 15 Feb. 2016]
Brain, Marshall. (n.d.). Suits Send Signals. Bygpub.com. Available at: http://www.bygpub.com/
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Eljamal, Luay (2014). Analyzing "Symmetry" by Everynone'. Luay Eljamal. Available at:
http://www.luayeljamal.com/blog/analyzing-symmetry-by-everynone [Accessed 21 Feb. 2016].
Everynone (2011). Symmetry. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEQskIsHKT8
[Accessed 20 Feb. 2016].
Free The Nipple (2014). What is Free The Nipple? Available at: http://freethenipple.com/whatis-free-the-nipple/ [Accessed 19 Feb. 2016].
Furler, Sia. and Kurstin, Greg. (2015). Bird Set Free. Inertia.
Halprin, Lawrence (1970) The RSVP cycles: Creative Processes in the Human Environment.
New York: G. Braziller.
Henderson, Jan (2015). Corporate Training. Jan Henderson's Fool Moon Productions. Available
at: http://www.foolmoon.org/corporate-training/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2016].
The Huffington Post (2015). Neuroscience Proves What We've Known All Along: Gender Exists
on a Spectrum Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ravishly/neuroscience-proves-what_b_6494820.html [Accessed 20 Feb. 2016].
Hurstfield, Tuirenn (2014). Theatres of Revolution - Brecht & Artaud. Life in the Theatre.
Available at: http://www.lifeinthetheatre.com/theatres-of-revolution-brecht-artaud/ [Accessed 19
Feb. 2016].
Lambert, Mary, Lewis, Ryan. and Haggerty, Ben (2012). Same Love. Macklemore LLC.
Lennon, J. (1971). Imagine. New York: Apple Records.
Petronzio, Matt (2014). A Storied Glossary of Iconic LGBT Flags and Symbols. Mashable.
Available at: http://mashable.com/2014/06/13/lgbt-pride-symbols/#sD7KAWbXNOqs
[Accessed 20 Feb. 2016].
Richardpochinko.com, (n.d.). Pochinko False Face. Available at: http://richardpochinko.com/
mask1.html [Accessed 21 Feb. 2016].

Germanotta, Stefani and Laursen, Jeppe. (2011). Born This Way. New York.
Whittlesea, Bruce (1987). Preservation of specific experiences in the representation of general
knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 13(1), pp.
3-17.