Sunday 29 May 2011

Jim Al Khalili - the House of Wisdom

The House of Wisdom, How Arabic Science saved ancient knowledge and gave us the renaissance by Jim al Khalili.
The author is a professor at the University of Surrey, theoretical physicist and broadcaster. With interests in the development of body quantum scattering methods, al Khalili has an added quality of communicator through Tv shows, radio talks etc.
The Arabs contribution to science has been widely researched and published, but "the house of Wisdom" must be brought in with another angle and an in depth vision.




Thursday 5 May 2011

Meditative calligraphy workshop in Kuwait


Fareed Abdal, Kuwaiti architect and artist, is also known as a great teacher with his students at the Architecture departement at Kuwait University. He opened his knowledge again in a three days workshop on arabic meditative calligraphy at the Dar al Athar al Islamiyah.

He said: "three days of workshop is nothing, but a small window into a craft that can be expanded to an art." He started with the simple basic rules of arabic calligraphy, he engaged with the students in asking them to create their own tool for the next session, he went beyond the exactitude of script and letter formation. He combined his practice to allow thinking about space, time, the white around the black ink. He then opened doors of exploration in the arts of arabic calligraphy and used Sufi and other traditional schools of calligraphy to bring in the tradition while pushing it into a contemporary art.
He continuously spread the productions on the floor outside the room to allow another persective and pull out reactions from the students.

If Fareed Abdal is doing another "meditative calligraphy" workshop, make sure to sign up: it is definitely worth all your efforts


Tuesday 3 May 2011

Book: Arabic graffiti


 "Arabic Graffiti" coauthored by Lebanese typographer Pascal Zoghbi and graffiti writer and publisher Stone aka Don Karl Zaza, has been released in April 2011, by the publishing house "from Here to Fame". They called on contributors who have worked on the subjects extensively (Houda Kassatly, William Parry, Huda Smitshuijzen Abifares, Rana Jarbou, Tala Saleh) .

The Arab countries are now in a positive flip: revolutions, protests, public expression, demands of liberties and freedom. The book will attract attention internationally as the world needs to see what is really happening in the realm of creation and arts. 

Monday 2 May 2011

Forest calling for art

Malin Holmberg, will stop loving you, 2010
Photo: Anders Norrsell

Anne Thulin, Double Dribble, 2010
Photo: Anders Norrsell

 The forest is now a playground for Art. In the southern part of Sweden, the foundation for contemporary art, Wanas, has asked artists to face the living green bulk of a forest. Their contributions was mainly sculpture and land art. Around a medieval castle, near the city of Malmo, the foundation has an integrated bio dairy farm,  exhibition spaces dedicated to contemporary art and an untamed forest left to its own evolution where artists are called to leave an imprint. 
"Art is the only solution to strand the invisible gap between nature and man" says the sculptor Richard Nonas. 
Arabs are far to busy with fundamentals on freedom of expression and liberties, will they ever think about their relationship with nature?


Maya Lin, 11 Minute Line, 2004
Courtesy the artist.