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Aleppo Soap – the oldest soap in the world – shifts from the refined gesture of the civilized man to become the symbol of a destructive and brutal force.
The process of soap-making was developed during ancient times in the Levant region where Aleppo was one of the main city. Following the decline of the Roman Empire, soap was reintroduced and spread in the West by the Crusaders as soon as the 12th century. Emmanuel Tussore transformes this fragile, malleable and organic material into a series of sculptures, installations, photographs and films. In his hands, Aleppo Soap – the oldest soap in the world – shifts from the refined gesture of the civilized man to become the symbol of a destructive and brutal force. The ruins tell absence, missing, loss, exile and questioned the fundamental notions of humanism. Highlighting the remains of an intimate story as part of the collective memory, they allow all hopes for a possible reconstruction.