Contemplation

Yesterday I attended the Elham event at Albareh Art Gallery and Cafe. Performances of “punk folk” acoustic music, photography, poetry and paintings filled the evening with muse. It is quite difficult for me to describe it in
detail, so you will probably have to go to one to really get what its all about.

But, what really left a great impression on me was Laurence Brown’s segment on digital photography. Laurence teaches at university, and that is exactly why his delivery appealed to me. Whatever subject one is speaking about, it sounds more compelling and engaging when the delivery is entwined with passion and love for the subject.

Even when speaking in technical terms, which most take as boring and confusing at certain times, I felt such immense interest that I thought I will end up buying a camera first thing in the morning the
very next day.

The love for colors and light showed in his stories; the trouble that one needs to go through to reflect the right amount of light, provide the right amount of saturation, and achieve the all so sweet depth in
the final print. This light, this saturation and this depth, is also what I search for in text.

I can barely remember the last time I had so much passion for what I do.

Some of the Arabic poetry written by some Bahraini poets, that is. I ought to be blunt about this, mainly because I’m really the linguistics enthusiast, and I have to make a stance; some of what is written is hardly poetry.

I’m not the renowned critic, but I take the matter to heart. Of previous conversations with colleagues and friends, I always made the point of using language, first and foremost, as a tool to convey meaning. And, when someone starts to speak without meaning, let alone it being poetry, my ears start bleeding.

It was at an event I attended last night. An artist, a poet, and a number of translators were present. I had to reserve my opinion regarding the artist because I haven’t seen her work, or much of it at least. The poet, I believe I made my case regarding his work, however still, for some to argue that the lack of meaning is with the modern trend in Arabic poetry is embarrassing. Shamefully embarrassing I tell you, Shamefully!!

Perhaps the translators are the ones that I least victimize, although some also made an embarrassment of the language they translated the material to. Others, surprisingly, admitted attempting a translation of the meaning; well done!!

I do not know whether it is the excessive Arab pride or the lack of quality assurance (but we stopped caring for that a long time ago, haven’t we), but when you, the artist, whatever sort you are, think that you “got it” first time, you are greatly mistaken. It takes a long time to find your vision, and it takes a long time to find your voice. Until you do, all that you do shall be considered noise.

Someone else beat me to this news, but I’m more excited for the appointed designer than the actual development near the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).

I watch a documentary about Zaha Hadid’s work on the BBC four channel a few years ago while I was still studying at university. I was completely blown away by her designs; so much that I was almost considering changing my degree program to that of design.

The $3.5bn development, which will surround the BIC, will have buildings designed by the Iraqi-British Zaha. The deconstructivist architect’s designs are known for, well, their deconstructivist look. Sleek, shiny, powerful, and most of all, overwhelmingly grandiose, sometimes in principle, mostly in substance.

Since the development will surround the BIC, a look at the picture (to the left) would give a good idea of Zaha’s interior design. This is the BMW plant, and yes, those car production lines are running directly on top of staff offices. Her vision was (if I recall correctly from one of the interviews) to bring about a more collective working environment to the plant, so as to have BMW professionals of all levels working side by side (and floor by ceiling for that matter).

One would think that a deconstructivist vision to design would be rather bland for the exterior, however it is certainly not with Zaha’s designs. What is seen at the bottom, is Zaha’s proposed design for a preforming arts centre (built on an island) in Dubai.

You like? (you better do, otherwise it will be a waste of $3.5bn)

I’ve never been a big fan of Arabic music, not the hideous stuff that gets produced these days anyway. Perhaps the fact that writers, singers, and composers themselves can’t escape their limited scope of lame topics which range from snobbish unreasoned pride and ego to the slumps of sexually provocative outtakes.

And since I fell in love with the English language from an early age, my music taste found its match in western music (mainly within singer/songwriter genre). A few years back I was invited to a Marcel Khalifa concert here in Bahrain, and that was when I found my Arabic fix (apart from the legendary Fairoz and Co). Marcel introduce this divine looking lady, with an angelic voice, and a graceful humane presence. It was Omaymah Alkhalil.

Her performance was absolutely stripped from any form of indecency, unlike other the usual act from the contemporary mainstream bimbo. I knew then, that there was still a chance for Arabic music to have a special place in my heart.

Enjoy the song, go see Marcel and Omaymah in concert if you ever get the chance to, and if you like what you hear, buy their cds.

 

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Modern photography, prose, poetry, and beautiful music; the venue substituted tables for chairs as the increasing crowd settled down for the event to start. Friends and family showed, a multicultural bunch followed, and closer friends thereafter.

Elham introduced the guests, who took to the floor one after the other. Arthur D’Souza discussed his unique techniques of combining positive film and colored paper to create beautifully framed layers that speak beyond the images created.

The dazzling, South-African writer, Melissa van Maasdyk then managed to lose her essay papers, however, short to be found and read to the audience. Personally, this lost-and-found theme gave new meaning to her short essay. Perhaps, this theme will extend its meaning to her “never-ending story”.

The venue was also honored by having the mesmerizing Bahraini poet, Hameed Al Qaed, recite some of his Arabic and English poems alongside the beautiful Oud music, played by Hasan Al Hujairi, who stole the end of the show with a Japanese-Arabic fusioned piece.

Elham, that is muse, and mused I was. What was once an unappealing, and then lost, identity that I associated with Bahrain, is now replaced with a newly discovered culture. I found a new home within an abandoned one.

Coming back to Bahrain a little bit more than a year ago, I found myself becoming increasingly misplaced; disappointed by the lost hope, the mechanical routine, that most people subscribed to. While I was then surrounded by saddened, despaired and despondent people, I now found those with a passion, a glowing core, and a bright future. These artists, my heroes, they found and realized what others took for dreams.

More to what I hope, is for such culture to be bolstered anew within a re-invented brand of Bahrain; to invite designers, artists, film makers, writers and musicians, to this island; to establish a hub of galleries and “culture cafés”.