Tag: dialogue

Discovering Jeddah

A significant part of my project proposal has been stepping out of my comfort zone to see if there were any artistic avenues in Jeddah — contrary to popular opinion. Looking at my old blog posts I realize I can date it back to that day at Arbab al Heraf. That day two things coincidentally came to my attention: I realized that, hidden in the nooks and crannies of Jeddah, circles of writers and artists bloomed Jeddah, and KSA as a whole, was undergoing a mini-cultural revolution Thus began an exploration that has gained momentum over this last year, almost too …

#Shemeansbusiness feature

It’s strange because even in my last tutorial with Jonathan I voiced my worry about my varied interests and whether they would at some point converge to make my work a coherent whole. And now, barely a few months later, I can see so many intersections in those interests and I have no difficulty in claiming that I see myself as an artist, writer, humanitarian, social media influencer and, of course, a mom. Literature and art had always intersected for me, and now with the research paper I delve into this connection some more. Then, of course, I have been …

The Untold Edition — BTS

This project has consumed the last few months of my creative energy. So much work has gone into conceptualizing and executing it that it is difficult for me to even pen it down. I am literally answering emails and in meetings at all hours trying to set things up with collaborators and coordinate with team members and participants, approving and creating graphics, getting stuff printed and god knows what else. It has literally been so much work that last week I reached the point where I asked myself the question we often ask in the middle of a painting that …

TAABIR — Artists Collective

Outsider art. It’s an interesting term. Used to describe art produced by untrained people or people beyond the sphere of the art world. Personally, I think that the term should have been unnecessary and it is unfortunate that it isn’t so. Art shouldn’t be elitist; it shouldn’t require qualification or expertise to produce. If something is created with the intention of evoking, communicating and connecting, it should suffice as art no matter the expertise or background of the creator. I understand the other half of the debate too though. What about all the development of skill and hard work artists …

Interactive digital installation — first attempt

It is my personal belief that art requires an audience. If art means something to somebody then I believe it has fulfilled its purpose. It may inspire, repel or cause controversy but it will evoke something in someone. Put like that, one could say art may be incomplete without an audience? What if we view that thought literally? Interactive digital installations seek to make the audience part of the art itself. They unfold like a performance. They create connections. I always imagine interacting with a digital installation as taking part in a dream. Something unreal is taking place and the …