Working originally with individual portraits, the artist moved to a larger format, repeating and layering a variety of stenciled images to suggest the richness of the urban Egyptian visual landscape. Avedissian drew his subject matter largely from the billboard advertisements and popular media of 1950s Cairo, a period of great cosmopolitanism and political and social change. These works are nostalgic, whimsical and, at times, satirical commentaries upon the strength of the visual in public culture. He freely mixes symbols of ancient political and religious power—the hieroglyphs and monuments of dynastic Egypt—with portraits of popular politicians, singers, movie personalities and colorful, local characters. He relishes the use of double entendre, recognizing that visual icons of popular history are subjected to multiple, diverse and constantly shifting readings. Many of these works are bordered by Ottoman textile patterns from the 15th and 16th centuries. Through his work as a textile and costume designer Avedissian had knowledge of patterns such as the cintemanidesign of three circles (leopard spots) and two wavy lines (tiger stripes) that denoted the power of the Ottoman sultans. Household objects also inhabit these panels, highlighting the fissures and unions between the public and private spheres.

The juxtaposition and layering of diverse images enable Avedissian to consider simultaneously the legacy left by colonialism, the rise of Arab nationalism, the spread of modern consumerism and the lessons of indigenous artistry and ingenuity. Applied with local dyes and gum arabic to corrugated cardboard bound with cotton fabrics, these images are deliberately ephemeral, reproducible and moveable. As an inherently repetitive process, the artist's stenciling undercuts Western concepts of originality and uniqueness. The panels, which can be carried about like scrolls, can be rearranged to create new combinations of images and fill various spaces.

His use of Arabic and Roman script, as both text and image, celebrates an Islamic artistic heritage that honors script as design. His manipulation of text and image further alludes to the immediacy of form and content found in modern day billboards and magazine advertisements and to their generous use of text in multiple languages to convey their messages.

The central figure in the large left panel is Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970). In 1952 he led a military coup to depose King Farouk (pictured wearing red fez)and became the Republic of Egypt's first president in 1956. The images surrounding Nasser reflect events and changing conditions advanced during Nasser's regime. Transistor radios depict Nasser's favorite method of disseminating propaganda; working women and factories, the rise of industrialism and International Socialism; and "No photo," warnings of spies. The image of individuals carrying a bucket (top)refers to the Oasis of Farafra, where political prisoners were confined, and indicates the tensions present during the Cold War and Suez Canal crisis. The Soviet-backed Aswan High Dam, the hammer and sickle and Egyptian and Russian flags further document the political choices of the period.

The panel on the left contains images from popular culture, including Yakan, a famous soccer player in the 1950s, and Dave Johns, Mr. America of 1977 and Mr. Universe of 1978. A portrait of Nazem el Ghazali, a well-known Iraqi singer, and a depiction of Klwatan, an area representing the Arab nation, adorn the right panel.

Avedissian portrays Om Kalsoum, Egypt's famous diva and supporter of Nasser's government, as the actress Kowkab el Sharq (star of the East) holding her legendary handkerchief and as Sitt el Kol (the lady amongst us all) wearing her trademark sunglasses. One can presume that the couple in the car is listening to one of Kalsoum's love songs. The script below means "travel and see" and refers to Kalsoum's travels all over the Arab world to spread Nasser's message of Arab unity. The images of women and men repeated over and over again refer to her followers. The crescent moon and star pattern stenciled on the narrow borders are found on many contemporary Islamic flags.

In this assembly Avedissian combines images from recent history with pharaonic icons. The Cataract Hotel, a well-known, "romantic" hotel in Aswan frequented by many writers, is pictured above Anubis, an ancient mortuary deity Avedissian simply calls "the dog" (kelab).Anubis is most often depicted with the head of a jackal. Here, borrowing from a painting found in a burial chamber at Deir-el-Medineh, Thebes, Avedissian inverts the image of Anubis standing over the mummy of Sennedjem, a high-ranking official in the court of Rameses II (1279-1213 B.C.). The mosquito fan (menasha)serves as an icon denoting colonial presence and imperialist interests in ancient Egyptian monuments. With the two shadowy figures in a doorway, Avedissian makes a telling reference to The Mummy,a well-known film by director Shadi Abd El Salam. The story, chronicling the exploits of a family of antique smugglers, allows Avedissian to further highlight the hold ancient Egyptian imagery has over Western ideas of Egypt.

The side panels contain images ranging from the mundane to the sacred. Vegetables appear alongside an ibis, a sacred bird identified with Thoth, the god of the moon and patron deity of scribes and writing. The artist's juxtaposition of these elements allows for clever plays of meaning. For example, the stealth plane flying over a toy plane on the right panel poignantly addresses the effects of Gulf War realities on everyday life in the region. An object as ubiquitous as sunglasses calls to mind Om Kalsoum's famous accoutrement as well as the images of mass tourism.

A tribute to the work of architect Hassan Fathy, The Sitescommemorates several famous landmarks in modern and ancient Egypt and speaks to the importance of architecture as a marker of social and historical identity. Ottoman textile patterns and reverse silhouettes of soldiers with rifles—suggesting the geopolitical tensions of the region—border the sites. Avedissian depicts (from top to bottom)Al Ma'mura, King Farouk's summer resort; Garb Aswan, a Nubian village; Cairo's Mohammed Ali Street; a resting place in the Valley of the Kings; a wealthy merchant's house, now a museum; and Al Qasr, a village in the Dakhla Oasis.

In the side panels, Avedissian plays with words and symbols to recall the immediacy of advertisements and the multilingualism of life in urban Egypt.