"A Broken House" — Re-creating the Syria of His Memories, Through Miniatures | The New Yorker

Summary

In "A Broken House," a Syrian artist shares his journey of combating homesickness and loss by re-creating memories of his homeland through miniatures. Initially in the U.S. for architectural studies, travel restrictions post-9/11 left him stranded away from his family. Overwhelmed by distance and the Syrian war devastating his homeland, the artist resorted to using found objects to preserve his cherished memories of Syria. His art offers a poignant exploration of nostalgia, cultural obliteration, and the refugee experience, highlighting personal stories amid the broader Syrian tragedy. The artist's detailed creations transcend borders, inviting others to connect with the deep sense of loss and longing for a home that has been transformed irrevocably by conflict.

Highlights

• The artist transforms everyday objects into a miniature Syria. 🖌️
• Travel bans post-9/11 forced the artist to stay in the U.S., away from family. 🛂
• Art became a therapeutic refuge amid political and personal turmoil. 💔
• Miniature models reconnect the artist to home, offering solace and expression. 🏡
• Syrian narrative challenges onlookers to empathize with a war-torn story. 🌍

Key Takeaways

• Art can be a powerful medium for processing grief and nostalgia. 🎨
• Personal stories humanize the refugee experience beyond statistics. 👤
• Memory and identity are deeply tied to cultural artifacts and architecture. 🏛
• Distance and displacement can amplify the bonds of family and home. 🏠
• Creating a miniature world offers control in the midst of chaos. 🏗

Overview

In a moving portrayal, "A Broken House" delves into the life of a Syrian artist stranded in the U.S. due to post-9/11 travel bans. Far from home and family, he channels his longing and homesickness into art, crafting intricate miniatures to recreate the Damascus of his memories. With found objects and vibrant creativity, his work becomes both a sanctuary and a statement, telling stories of a homeland altered by war.

This poignant film highlights the deep cultural losses endured by Syrians, blending personal narrative with universal themes of displacement and memory. The artist's models are more than mere representations of buildings—they are preservations of historical and emotional landscapes, recognizing both the tragic obliteration of Syria's rich cultural heritage and the indomitable spirit of its people.

As he builds, the artist invites viewers into a deeply personal yet widely resonant experience, underscoring the importance of remembering and humanizing the refugee journey. His miniatures not only honor a city and its stories but also challenge audiences to look beyond the news headlines and see the human faces behind political conflicts.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Artistic Beginnings The chapter introduces the artist's workspace and creative process, focusing on the various found objects and materials they use. These items include dried plants, miniature furniture, Christmas ornaments, shells, paints, nails, stones, among others. The artist sees these objects not just for their surface value but for their potential to be part of a grander artistic expression. For example, a simple knob is envisioned as an exploded engine, hinting at the imaginative creativity that drives the artist's work. Additionally, the chapter might touch upon the artist's approach to integrating these materials into their art, showcasing the beginning of their artistic journey.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Broken Memories and Art as Therapy This chapter explores the therapeutic use of art, particularly in the context of repairing broken furniture. The narrator shares how they often encounter broken pieces, sometimes tied to personal histories and memories, such as remnants from a previous marriage. The broken items serve as metaphors for past relationships and experiences, offering a medium for healing and reflection through the process of restoration and creativity.
• 02:30 - 05:00: Homesickness and Adaptation in the USA The chapter explores the emotional journey of a Syrian artist coping with homesickness as he adapts to life in the USA. Before the Syrian war, art served as a therapeutic outlet for him, with a focus on recreating the Damascus of his memories. The narrative touches on the experience of multiple generations who have made similar journeys, highlighting the blend of nostalgia and adaptation amid cultural transitions.
• 05:00 - 07:00: War, Family, and Emotional Challenges The chapter delves into the intricate tapestry of war, family dynamics, and emotional struggles. The symbolism of painting and scraping walls serves as a central metaphor, reflecting the process of uncovering and telling personal stories. Through the layers of paint and the architecture of a home, the narrative reveals the life of its inhabitants, ultimately connecting it to a sense of belonging and homecoming.
• 07:00 - 09:30: Artistic Outlet and Humanizing Stories The chapter 'Artistic Outlet and Humanizing Stories' likely explores themes related to the role of artistic expression as a means of personal or cultural storytelling. It may delve into how stories told through art can humanize individuals and communities, offering a deeper understanding of diverse experiences. Without further text, it is unclear exactly which specific stories or examples are covered, but it potentially includes discussions on various forms of art, such as music, painting, or literature, and their impact on humanizing narratives. The reference to '[Music]' suggests a segment focused on the influence or importance of music.
• 10:00 - 14:30: Cultural Loss and Homesickness The chapter, titled 'Cultural Loss and Homesickness,' explores the personal journey of an individual who has long aspired to study architecture in the United States.
• 17:00 - 20:00: Conclusion and Reflection on War's Impact The chapter explores the impact of post-9/11 travel restrictions on individuals. The narrator reflects on their experiences of being unable to leave the country due to the travel ban, which was not officially termed as such. Their visa was restricted to a single entry, leaving them 'stuck' and exacerbating their feelings of homesickness. The narrator expresses deep longing and sadness over being separated from their family, including parents and siblings. The chapter serves as a reflection on the broader emotional and personal impact of political policies on individual lives, particularly highlighting the sense of loss and isolation provoked by such circumstances.

"A Broken House" — Re-creating the Syria of His Memories, Through Miniatures | The New Yorker Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] this is where i source all my found objects my dried plants my miniature furniture christmas ornaments shells paints nails stones this knob here is a radio switch but what i see in it is an exploded engine this is my stash of miniature toys
• 00:30 - 01:00 sometimes the furniture i find is already broken and the shop owner says well i can't tell you that it's broken what are you gonna do with this is from my previous marriage wedding cake that's what's left of the marriage
• 01:00 - 01:30 before the syrian war my art was very therapeutic was very cathartic [Music] i was just making making making i wanted to build the damascus of my memories a lot of generations came here a lot of
• 01:30 - 02:00 paint happened on these walls [Music] so it's exactly what i'm gonna do paint scrape paint scrape [Music] before you know it the architecture was telling the story of the human that lived within [Music] and that would bring me home
• 02:00 - 02:30 [Music] a boy uh [Music]
• 02:30 - 03:00 um take care [Music] i always wanted to come to the united states to study architecture here
• 03:00 - 03:30 after 9 11 happened there was a travel ban in place that wasn't called the travel ban my visa was stamped a single entry only and i realized that i was stuck here i was extremely homesick i was given up being with my parents being with my older brother my sisters
• 03:30 - 04:00 i missed my sister's wedding and the birth of her children i was very close to my grandmother and i couldn't go to her funeral it felt horrible i would say to my parents okay this is it i'm coming home i say no don't do this don't jeopardize your career it was one of those nights it might have been thanksgiving break
• 04:00 - 04:30 nothing's open where is everybody they're at home they're with their families and i was in this open architecture studio space i was the only person in there i remember i was so frustrated and i had a photograph of an old tennessean facade that was on a candy wrapper and i think a little bulb turned on in my head
• 04:30 - 05:00 and it told me well stop whining if you can't get home why don't you make home and i would collect all the wood scraps that my peers would throw away on the floor the plastics the styrene that's when it really kind of clicked like
• 05:00 - 05:30 okay this is me this is where i'm from it's hard to pin down when exactly the
• 05:30 - 06:00 war started my parents hesitated to leave home it's not until the clashes broke off 100 meters away and shook our whole house they realized okay the conflict is now on our doorstep and we need to leave they came and lived in my small
• 06:00 - 06:30 apartment [Music] i was a very young designer pitching 200 300 400 million dollar buildings i had to keep a straight face at work and still perform but i was very troubled extremely troubled
• 06:30 - 07:00 i had a monitor literally on news channels 10 hours a day i'm working and i'm seeing the arab world blow up i lost my appetite i didn't do any art for maybe two years straight and i've internalized it internalized it
• 07:00 - 07:30 and i'm boiling [Music] i took to my models like an explosion if something did not look right i took a hammer to it and i broke it and i snapped it i would throw ash at it and burn it
• 07:30 - 08:00 people were so sick of seeing blood and bodies as a way to build empathy and i get that i was sick too i mean how many dead bodies can we see you just go like oh my gosh not another syrian kid washing off the shores swipe away to the next story there was this fire inside me to start humanizing
• 08:00 - 08:30 refugees and to tell their stories [Music]
• 08:30 - 09:00 foreign
• 09:00 - 09:30 i was interviewing a refugee one time and the man started crying
• 09:30 - 10:00 and he said i'm very grateful for their help but the night we arrived here the lady welcoming us was teaching me how to turn a light switch on could you please translate to her that i had a very beautiful house in syria with a lot of appliances and a lot of things in it and i really know how to switch a light on
• 10:00 - 10:30 we come from established lives we had a life you can't explain millions of people with one step refugee full stop urieth is a welsh word without a direct translation into
• 10:30 - 11:00 english it describes a state of extreme homesickness to a homeland that is no longer existent or has never ever existed i have certainly fallen in love with the idea of damascus in syria i only had a moment there
• 11:00 - 11:30 when i opened my eyes i was swept away
• 11:30 - 12:00 the syrian war resulted in a lot of marriages failing
• 12:00 - 12:30 my mom moved back to damascus because she became extremely homesick she was saying in arabic whatever happens to everybody will happen to me as well i can't go to syria because i will get drafted to the military going and seeing my mom in lebanon is the closest i can be to home
• 12:30 - 13:00 my nice lemon growing and growing i love my living
• 13:00 - 13:30 the news was not showing what we were losing culturally undoubtedly the most expensive price being paid in conflicts is the human life no question but also there's something to weep over when you see a thousand-year-old minaret being bombed out of existence [Music]
• 13:30 - 14:00 you wipe a nation's history you wipe their architecture two generations later it's as though they've never existed [Music]
• 14:00 - 14:30 what does a civilization leave behind when they live there for thousands of years how many layers do they leave of paint and stories [Music]
• 14:30 - 15:00 i was painting a picture so that people can fully understand the magnitude of destruction [Music]
• 15:00 - 15:30 for a split second you are transported to a different place [Music]
• 15:30 - 16:00 sure
• 16:00 - 16:30 um
• 16:30 - 17:00 [Music] okay [Music]
• 17:00 - 17:30 wars tend to change people they change souls [Music] the memories that i have could very well not exist today
• 17:30 - 18:00 the grace and warmth [Music] could very well have vanished [Music]
• 18:00 - 18:30 we don't have a full family portrait
• 18:30 - 19:00 that is newer than 1999. the four siblings of us and the two parents have not been under single roof in 14 15 years i stopped counting and i miss it i miss home i miss home [Music]
• 19:00 - 19:30 so [Music] [Music]
• 19:30 - 20:00 [Music]
• 20:00 - 20:30 so [Music]
• 20:30 - 21:00 you