GIRLS LIKE US “Cairo Bats” // Vol. 2, No. 8 (2016)
WHAT DO WE DO ?
Cairo Bats are a collective of female artists based in Cairo who meet to stage photographs through playful interactions in semi-public spaces.
In the images the members of our group act as the cast in this urban stage equivalent to improvisational theater. Our performative interaction evolve in response to architectural features and objects we find in the chosen place; buckets, rugs, satellites dishes, furniture and metal bars. We usually meet at sunset, climbing onto Cairo roof-tops to take photographs.
WHAT'S BEEN YOUR HIGHLIGHT SO FAR ?
Act 1 : The roof is the first public exhibition of Cairo Bats' work and assembles a series of pictures spanning a period of two years.
WHO'S THE FORMAL BOSS ?
Bats don't have a leader. We are a bunch of individuals with very different ideas and likings. This means we usually spend ages figuring out what we all want if we have to make a group decision. Our best collaborations happen on rooftops- we just play in front of the camera and intuitively figure out what works best for us.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING IN THE COLLECTIVE ? AND THE DISADVANTAGES ?
One advantage of being a bat in Cairo is that you don't have the worry about the traffic. The city gets extremely congested but we just watch it all from high up above the ground and enjoy ourselves. Disadvantages ? too many predators!
