Saturday, June 27, 2009

وعد رجال

معاذ ابن اختي يبلغ من العمر ثلاث سنوات... ما زال يهرب بالليل من غرفته المعتمة الى سرير والديه... و في إحدى محاولات والده لاقناعه بالبقاء في غرفته جرى بينهما الحديث التالي...
أبو معاذ: ازا بتوعدني وعد رجال انك راح تضل نايم في غرفتك هلأ بعملك صحن نودلز.
معاذ: طيب
أبو معاذ: وعد رجال؟
معاذ: اه...
و هكذا ذهب الجميع للنوم ليلا....بعد ان اؤكل النودلز... و لكن لم يمض وقت طويل قبل ان يرجع معاذ الى سرير والديه فما كان من والده الى أن قال: بس انتا وعدتني وعد رجال...
!و جاء رد معاذ بكل براءة: بس انا لسه ولد صغير

!!!و في القصة عبرة لمن يعتبر

Sunday, June 21, 2009

[My Name is Red]

I just finished reading a novel titled "My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk.
Whenever I read a novel I think about three things; the plot, the philosophy or hidden meanings and the literary style.
In this novel the plot is OK... it has its twists and turns but at the end it hits you as another plot that you must've read somewhere else.
As for the philosophy and meanings... the novel tackles a lot of the issues related to art and Islam... especially at the time where the Islamic civilization was being challenged with other strong nearby civilizations.
I didn't like many things of how they portrayed the Muslims... but I'm not in a position to judge the credibility of such stories.
I felt that the author was more inclined toward the figurative representation in the "Frankish" Art as apposed to the abstraction in the Islamic Art.
I know that at that time the Islamic Art was containing drawings and paintings of human figures. I'm not going to enter a discussion regarding whether it is permissible or not... for me honestly I can't see a problem in figurative art. However, as it is right now, abstraction give more meaning to any piece of art since it gives the viewer the empty space to complete the meaning behind the piece.

As for the literary style of the novel... here where the novel caught my attention. And for this reason I do recommend you to read the novel. You'll get exposed to a new way of writing.
The novel is comprised of chapters. Each chapter starts with [I...]... and in each chapter, a character from the story becomes the narrator of that chapter.
The characters were as weird as Satan, a dog, a tree, a murderer, a woman, and the color red.
As described on the back of the novel... it is a kaleidoscopic experience.
It allows you to live the story not from one single point of view but from different ones. In a way you are inside each of these characters and yet you know what others think... giving you a sort of an upper eye... sort of a god view... if you know what I mean...
This point has been discussed in the novel since a debate between artists arise as how they should represent life... through the eyes of God or through the eyes of humans... and it is an interesting insight to Islamic Art....

All in all... it was a good read... and it is worth saying that the author Orhan Pamuk is a Nobel Prize winner in Literature.

I would say that this novel is a must read for Art students ...

And here is an excerpt from the chapter titled [I am red]...
[[Color is the touch of the eye, music to the deaf, a word out of the darkness. Because I’ve listened to souls whispering – like the susurrus of the wind- from book to book and object to object for tens of thousands of years, allow me to say that my touch resembles the touch of angles. Part of me, the serious half, calls out to your vision while the mirthful half soars through the air with your glances.
I’m so fortunate to be red! I’m fiery. I’m strong. I know men take notice of me and that I cannot be resisted.
I do not conceal myself: for me, delicacy manifests itself neither in weakness nor in subtlety, but through determination and will.]]

Friday, June 12, 2009

Brands attack!


Thanks to my sister Sophie for sharing...

Thursday, June 04, 2009

me face | Techno me




This art piece is part of an art project I have done titled [Techno Me]...
In all my works for this project I focused more on the process of creating a piece... with the minimum computer post production effects and manipulations...

[Me face] deals with the similarity of emoticons versus the endless variety of human faces and sound gestures...

In this piece I put my skills of photography into practice. Some people found this piece too long. For me I depended on the chances of good photos I had and put them into use with no real hidden reasons of the number of slides...

This piece put into question the idea of completing the true face behind each =), =?. =/ we deal with every day...

Also:
:: Me Talk
:: Me Love
:: Me Win

Monday, June 01, 2009

Untitled

Last week I’ve been in a car accident…
As I was going home with my dad after a exhausting day at work… and just about we were taking our last turn to reach home… I remember I was smiling at something that happened to me… and BANG… a taxi came speeding and crashed into our car… from my side…
I would spare you all the details of the moment of collision which till now I don’t understand how it seems much longer than it was… and how clearly I remember everything….

As I was leaving the car on my feet… though tremendously horrified… I could hear a small voice in me giggling that I have survived what could’ve been fatal…

I don’t understand all the meanings of these two concepts [life and death]… which of these two make us more appreciative of the other…

Amidst my confusions I can’t but thank God for His endless Grace which at moments like these we feel the most…