The Last Supper or a Class In History

A performance responding to the Palestinian artist Jumana Manna's film Wild Relatives which unfolds a matrix of plant lives, peasants' lives, and seed banks. Following a trip of seeds from Aleppo to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, back to Lebanon, and finally back to the Arctic.

"The Last Supper or a Class In History" performance was part of the program "To Carry The Sun" curated by Narges Mohammadi for IDFA Film Festival | 2021

Sir Minster, what do you prefer us to call you? Sir? or Minster? Or your Highness?

Since the last time you visited, nothing has changed in this house, except, this time we are more prepared for your visit. I saved a seed from each envelope to feed you, I raised the table from the ground to fit your highness.

Sir Minster last time you visited we realized that the ceiling was too low and the door was too narrow. They speak of the elephant in the room when something isn't being said. But sir Minster you looked like that elephant in the room last time you visited. But don't worry sir Minster we demolished the ceiling and now your limit is your highness.

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As we have been always late for history, we are curious sir minister, how did you manage to communicate with the future? If what Orwell said was true, then it is of its nature impossible to do so. He said either the future resembles the present in which case it won’t listen to you, or it would be different from it and your predicament would be meaningless.

To communicate to the future sir minister is to come back to us with a self-fulfilling prophecy, but on such a day like this one, a self-fulfilling prophecy could be a class-fulfilling one.  Because as far as I know doomsday in old English meant the day-dag of the judgment, where a law, decision, a sentence is made. And, here, allow me your Highness to ask you a question that holds the answer in it, who usually passes laws, takes decisions, and issue sentences? The one who sowed or the one who harvested or the one who accumulated?

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Written by Diana Al-Halabi, performed by Lama Aloul (the ruling Peasant) and Diana Al-Halabi (Sir Minister), music by Samah Boulmouna

Photos by: Sophia Maria Favela