with Roba… [Through valleys and mountains]

Roba must be one of the blogs that I read most often… the funny part is that I teach her [!!!] at University… just in the last class I realized that I know a lot about her from her blog… and it occurred to me… that it must be nice to feel that people know you or even understand you [to a certain level] without even having the social routine of meeting up and chatting over a meal…
Anyways…
Roba blogged about our last stroll around older parts of Amman in a very [nostalgic] way… it’s worth checking out…
She even put a photo of me with the rest of the class… another thing about the internet… personal spaces are less dominate than in real life… one day you can wake up and find your photo all around the world =P

:: check out my photos of that same stroll .

intersting I ikbis

a very intersting new video/photo sharing website...
ikbis

this video features many of my students at the school of Arts and Design/JU


Click on the image above to see the video!

well it is a good laugh...
make sure to sign up and share with the rest...

flashback I de_mad reincarnated

this is something I wrote to my friends while I was living in Edinburgh dated 21/Dec/2005...
that was the first time I came to know the pond... that later on... would be one of my loveliest places in Edinburgh...

<<<
Once upon a winter morning… was she… She was feeling sad that morning… she was thinking… two of her best friends are going to change dramatically and not wait for her to share that with them… and another friend… a close best friend is simply drifting away… she was thinking… why should she go back… to a place where she wont recognize the familiar faces… where she'll be an outsider… she thought…

[[everyone is changing...everything is changing…why? why should I come back home????]]

she can't go back… cuz nothing will be waiting for her… she thought… she should decide… on that sad winter morning… she should change her course… and decide to stay… to stay where she was… yet she wasn't happy… she went out to breath clean fresh air… and just kept on walking…

[[so at the parting of the ways… I changed my mind and went down another road to explore… It was a lovely neighborhood… beautiful houses all decorated for the Christmas… lovely gardens with exotic plants… and wonderfully simple landscape… And then… I heard a water sound… and seagulls… looked around to discover a hidden pond…]]

She needed to see that water… she loved water bodies… she thought… it might help her to see things clearer and maybe give her courage to announce her new resolution to the others…

[[I dunno why does water do what it does to me… but it always do it… I really feel hypnotized by it… as if something inside of me… or part of who I am… resonate with the waves of the water… my eyes… not tired by the constant changes of the water sheet…]]

She was looking silently at the birds… the birds…

[[does a bird return to its home after seeing the world? does a bird settle? the birds... who know the value of heavens... cuz this is their home… their sight rings a bell of a hidden adventure I once upon a time did…]]

more and more things became clearer to her… she is a bird… she can't go back… cuz there is no place for her to go back… she made up her mind… yet she wasn't happy yet… she went around the lake… looking around her… breathing air as she just learnt how to breath… and amidst her wandering… she found something… she saw a sign…

[[I found a staircase...abandoned wooden steps leading up to a mountain… how I can resist… I wanna explore… and here is these steps calling me… and then… I decided to climb that mountain… cuz... everything looks different from above]]

So she went up… and when she started going up… she only stopped to look at the wonderful world down… she only stopped to let her soul catch up with her… she only stopped to make a new decision to continue going up… she knew a lot about the power of making decisions… she was training herself… and she kept on moving up…

[[And as I was going up... and everything getting smaller… my worries... my dreams... my burdens... all stayed closer to the center of earth… while I... only I... defied gravity and went up... and I dunno how much time it took me… I was so happy... I felt like am exploring some place where no foot ever stepped on... and so I kept on going up... I forgot that am afraid of heights... there were no space for fearing anything... I had to reach the top… and that is that...]]

She was feeling different… she started to sound different…

[[It is so different from up… it is so different how everything look from up… even you… or the way you look is now different…You have defied the simple rule of gravity… the rule that says… you should stay close to the center of earth… but no… I don't want to be bound by earth… by the material world… by what others think I should do or say… by my old routine… by the troubling life… no… I wanna go up… I wanna leave it all… and go up to forget about the details… and see the whole picture… to see the frame… to see what I couldn't see when I was down…]]

And so she made it… and she reached the top… and there she found a chair… a bench… another sign… she knew now she had to sit… and just contemplate what was around her… she had to breath… again… breath as for the first time… she had to look… she had to… be there

[[am up there… in a place only few know about… this chair… resting at the top… did he ever thought that maybe one day a girl from a faraway place… a place where such chairs don't exist on mountain tops… this girl would come and it's her “maktoob” to sit and write those words… am freezing… my writing is unreadable… but… am mad… and glad to know it…]]

And subhan Allah… she started to realize through her mad state of mind… she began to realize… she started to see again… she was being happy… she was transforming… she knew that… and she respected that… it was her fate… not her decisions that took her to that specific place at that exact time… it was the grand plan that she was living in… she was part of the perfection around her… and that is when her personal wisdom rushed to her mind…

[[Who cares should I stay here or not? who knows... will I come home or not? why am worrying? why am thinking about something that might never happen… why and why? I felt stupid for trying to organize my life… I felt that am trying to control things... I shouldn't control… am worrying about stuff I shouldn't worry... after all... Allah's grace comes always to rescue us...and who knows… can I be certain? No… can I make promises? No… I just have to live my life… day by day... cuz today... am here... tomorrow.... who knows?]]

And that's when everything became clear to her… she knew then… she is just a girl… a mad girl… with simply hectic life… and she was so happy… she felt happy for the simple fact that she can not think about the future… she need not to make a dramatic decision now… she can live her magical world now… without making any long term decisions… she felt so light… she felt like a bird… and just then she knew the meaning of being a bird… and she felt how flying feels like… once she believed that she can fly… and now… she is flying…
>>>>

[upon architecture] manifesto of futurist architecture

I read this interesting Futurist manifesto in architecture written by Antonio Sant’Elia back in 1914 [!!!]… And I found myself agreeing with most of what he said…
The article is rather funny with the typical Italian honesty bashing all through the article where Sant’Elia describes architects of his times as imbeciles or stupid and their styles as idiotic…
Very interesting manifesto… this is the part I liked the most…

[[
I COMBAT AND DESPISE:
1. All the pseudo-architecture of the avant-grade, Austrian, Hungarian, German and American;
2. All classical architecture, solemn, hieratic, scenographic, decorative, monumental, pretty and pleasing;
3. The embalming, reconstruction and reproduction of ancient monuments and palaces;
4. Perpendicular and horizontal lines, cubical and pyramidical forms that static, solemn, aggressive and absolutely excluded from our utterly new sensibility;
5. The use of massive, voluminous, durable, antiquated and costly materials.

AND PROCLAIM:
1. That Futurist architecture is the architecture of calculation, of audacious temerity and of simplicity; the architecture of reinforced concrete, of steel, glass, cardboards, textile fiber, and of all those substitutes for wood, stone and brick that enable us to obtain maximum elasticity and lightness;
2. That Futurist architecture is not because of this an arid combination of practicality and usefulness, but remains art, i.e. synthesis and expression.
3. That oblique and elliptic lines are dynamic, and by their very nature posses an emotive power a thousand times stronger than perpendiculars and horizontals, and that no integral, dynamic architecture can exist that does not include these;
4. That decoration as an element superimposed on architecture is absurd, and that THE DECORATIVE VALUE OF FUTURIST ARCHITECTURE DEPENDS SOLELY ON THE USE AND ORIGINAL ARRANGEMENT OF RAW OR BARE OR VIOLENTLY COLORED MATERIALS;
5. That, just as the ancients drew inspiration for their art from the elements of nature, we- who are materially and spiritually artificial- must find that inspiration in the elements of the utterly new mechanical world we have created, and of which architecture must be the most beautiful expression, the most complete synthesis, the most efficacious integration;
6. that architecture as the art of arranging forms according to pre-established criteria is finished;
7. that by the term architecture is meant the endeavor to harmonize the environment with Man with freedom and great audacity, that is to transform the world of things into a direct projection of the world of the spirit;
8. From an architecture conceived in this way no formal or linear habit can grow, since the fundamental characteristics of Futurist architecture will be its impermanence and transience. THINGS WILL ENDURE LESS THAN US. EVERY GENERATION MUST BUILD ITS OWN CITY. This constant renewal of the architectonic environment will contribute to the victory of Futurism which has already been affirmed by WORDS-IN-FREEDOM, PLASTIC DYNAMISM, MUSIC WITHOUT QUADRATURE AND THE ART OF NOISES, and for which we fight without respite against traditionalist cowardice.
]]

rainy foggy day I amman

what a lovely rainy day in Amman... the rain... the rain... am a bit nostalgic...

Happy Eid

Happy Eid...
May Allah accept from all of us... our prayers, fasting and good deeds...
May next year be a better one in a more peaceful world...
May Allah continue to bless us with His love, mercy and peace...
May we be better... and care more about one another...
May all of us rejoice with the happiness of fulfilling a month of worship...
May God bless all the needy souls out there...
Kul Aam wa antum bekhair...

A MONTH!

و كم ذرفنا ليلة الرحيل من دموع... ثم اعتللنا خوف أن نلام بالمطر

translate: And how much tears we had on the night of farwell... and then fearing accusation we blamed it on the rain...

the moon... the moon...

the moon as seen from our living room window in Amman at the sunset of 13th/Ramadan/1427 hijri [today]

no matter what part of the wrold we are in! the moon... is still the same moon...

young artist | my sister!

I always thought whether a person can be taught how to be an artist!? Or is it a talent… a gift that people are born with…
I should say that I’ve been taught art! And that I only got to know the hidden artsy face of me after studying architecture…
Interestingly my family has many art talented members…
But my biggest surprise is my youngest sister… who is not 12 yet!
She builds models, draws, paints, and design!
She learnt Arabic calligraphy by her self, and she is always sketching using Leonardo Collection of drawing books… and nowadays she is designing houses on Sketchup!

I do believe that all people have a hidden art talent of some sort! But some do have something extra… and that’s why… of all the people who graduate from art schools… there is only one Picasso out there…

Ramadan Mubarak!

Congratulation for all the Muslim Ummah for the blessed month of Ramadan… may we all make the best out of it… May Allah bless our time and accept our fasting and prayer… May His peace descend on our hearts and His mercy and love cleanse us from inside…
This Ramadan am back with my family in Amman… but I will always remember my last Ramadan in Edinburgh… it certainly has its own charm…
The mosque…the prayer… the free meals… and of course … Radio Ramadan…
Lucky for me… I still can tune in to the radio online… so thanks a million for all the people behind it… it really helped me a lot to hear Edinburgh once again…
So people of Edinburgh make sure that you tune in to your own radio station at 87.7 FM and people outside Edinburgh you still can tune in online…
Make sure to make lots of doa'a for all the Muslims…
Ramadan Kareem

peace be to you Edinburgh...

A year ago she learnt how to fly… she sprouted wings… she nourished them and made them stronger… and one day… a year ago… she flew…
And just like Alice fell in the rabbit hole… she fell in another hole… and she found her wonderland…
A year full of excitement… new things to see… new people to meet… new cultures to know…
A year where she wasn’t buried in the warmth of normality…
A year full of contradictions… ups and downs… falling in and falling out… and falling in…
A year of wandering about… trying out things… going extra miles…
A year of royalties… bag piping… kilts… rain… sea… mountain tops… benches… and lenses…
A year of adventure… amazement… fighting… cherishing… laughing… crying… meditating… and praying…
A year of unforgettable places… and faces…
A year where she knew… the notion of freedom… the concept of wings… and the event of soaring…
A year… a whole year… spent in the wonder[full] city of Edinburgh…
And now…
The year is done… and she has to fly once again… but after being friends with ducks… and appreciating natural freedom… she believes… that home is not where she is going back to… nor home is where she was this year… home was and is with her… for free birds… home is in their hearts… and that is where her home shall be…

nature rePlay

[[nature rePlay is a sonic-visual installation controlled by an arrangement of number of pendulums. Upon interaction with these pendulums, sound and corresponding visuals are created, allowing multiple users to engage, play and contribute at the same time.

nature rePlay takes off from the idea of human connectedness, of which a playground has always been a lively and networked model, in the built environment. Just as in a playground there are various medium of play such as swings, see-saws, slides, merry-go-rounds etc., this immersive play-space will be about people-centric play with pendulums as the prop and medium. The interaction design will take advantage of the mobile physical qualities of a pendulum, and the human input required to bring these movements and interventions. The harmonic motion and collisions of each pendulum will be used to generate a layered sound field and corresponding geometrical transformations of a leaf.]]

:: this is my graduation project for obtaining my MSc in Design and Digital Media | Univeristy of Edinburgh.... my Project Partner is Mansie Verma
:: know more about nature rePlay

[upon art] Through The Veil

I’ve been working on this project for quite some time now… It is my first time to do an installation outside my degree work!
I was always interested in exploring the world of the Islamic veil and know more about other people’s thoughts and reflections about it…
I came from a background where the majority of people wear the veil… but coming to this new environment and getting in contact with Muslim communities from all over the world got me more interested in knowing more about how others perceive the veil…
So I thought that I should try and make a documentary… and that was the starting point… but as I got more into it… and learnt more about other stuff… did an interactive installation [ inflecting space ] as part of my degree work… a new idea came into my mind… why not doing a video installation… and let us call it [ Through The Veil]…
And here I am… less than a week from the date of the installation… time is running by… still have lots to do… but…
Wish me luck…
And if you are nearby… try to pop in…
More about that later…

The new Middle East!

cartoon by Emad Hajjaj

still I'm sad | Amman and my heart...

I’m so happy for him… he is my little brother… and today… he did it… he did it… and made us all so proud of him… made my family happy… and for that am so grateful…

Still I’m sad… I’m millions of miles away… can’t even share their joy…

Tomorrow… is my best friend’s wedding… a year ago she said: “mosta7eel aswee 3orsi o inti mish hoon”… and I said: “mosta7eel tsawee 3orsik o ma ajiesh”… I guess the impossible sometimes happen… and tomorrow… is her wedding… and again am so happy for her…

Still I’m sad… I won’t be there for her…

I guess at one’s life we will fail ourselves, our families, people whom we love…
And we go home to an empty room… with mirages of our loved ones celebrating across the distance…

And in my small bubble… I’m still sad…

A song for the sadly mood…

What if...?

[[One wonders: What would the world look like today, if the state of Israel had not been created in 1948? Its improvident formation seems to have set in motion a chain of events, mostly negative, in the affairs of Mankind. In the movie, “Click,” the lead character finds a “universal remote” that allows him to rewind to different parts of his life and to change what had happened. If I possessed such a “universal remote” and could stop President Truman from aiding and abetting the establishment of an Israeli state, then, it is my speculation, (a theory), that the following 25 propositions would probably be our present day reality. They are:....
]]

:: read the whole article [What If Israel Had Never Been Created?] by William Hughes...

no comment!

first page on The Independent 21st/July/2006

......

وينثر الخليج من هِباته الكثارْ،
على الرمال: رغوه الأُجاجَ، والمحارْ
وما تبقّى من عظام بائسٍ غريقْ
من المهاجرين ظلّ يشرب الردى

وأسمع الصدى
يرنّ في الخليجْ
(مطرْ ...
مطرْ ...
مطرْ...

بدر شاكر السياب

[kalam] art | concept | beauty

A couple of days ago… I found myself in a situation where an artist was discussing his work with a normal person… it was really amazing the big difference between an artist view and a normal person view of an art piece…
That led me to think about the general art appreciation positions of normal people… by normal I mean people who are not [artists]… though not to contradict myself… I always thought that every person is an artist [in a way] by nature…
What exactly determines a person’s aesthetic values?
And as artists, what should we do to [improve] these values? Is it in our hands to impose our own values? Or own standards, if there is such a thing?
Even when I reflect upon architecture… that is an art form, in which people are supposed to dwell… what determines what’s good and what’s bad? If we take a tour around Amman… we’ll be confronted with different buildings… I once heard a comment about how lovely the architecture of houses in Abdoun [ a rich area in western Amman] is… for me there is no place [uglier] than it except maybe for the refugee camps, which are way under the decent living standards…
Eclectic movement is one of the most dangerous in Art… which I think loose all it’s aesthetic values… by combining un-[harmonious] elements together...
Further more if we to look into the concept of having [a concept] in any art work! To what extent do people [care] about that?
Going back to the situation I mentioned… the [normal] person didn’t even get what is a concept in that art piece… and he commented: “ you artists, see things and think people see it as well… while they don’t”…
In architecture I always felt that a concept if not recognised… it is definitely affecting people’s experience of the space… whether evident or not… it is there….
But when we talk about other forms of [passive] arts like paintings and photography… a concept in theory should be creating a new sense of intimate interaction between the art object and the observer… allowing different interpretation and further reflections upon that art object... but does this theory or [fantasy of the artist] happen in real life?
I don’t think we all should have the same taste… or follow the same aesthetic values… but again as an artist I feel it’s my duty to expose people to what I see as beautiful… A deeper concept in me… coming from my Islamic identity… “God is beautiful and He loves beauty.”

:: [kalam] objects | movements | beings

02.07.06 | rain in July

لا بد و أنه المطر


مهما أشتد الأمر... فإن رحمة ربي وسعت كل شيء...