Great Mosque, Abu Dulaf, Iraq 1996

Editor: Langlands and Bell’s "Great Mosque, Abu Dulaf, Iraq" presents this historical site with minimalist elegance. The subtle embossing renders a ghost of the mosque's plan. What symbolic weight does this pared-down depiction carry? Curator: The ghostliness speaks volumes. Consider the mosque's ground plan, its foundational importance. This impression echoes the idea of cultural memory—how structures, even in ruin or representation, maintain symbolic power. What emotions does the work evoke? Editor: A sense of loss, perhaps, but also resilience. This almost-invisible symbol persists. Curator: Precisely. The artists distill the essence, suggesting that even when physically diminished, the cultural imprint remains, echoing through time and space. Editor: It's fascinating how absence can be so powerfully present.