Tag: exhibition

The Other Story Project–collaboration

The Other Story Project is a fascinating community project initiated by Fatima Al Banawi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  Here’s a bit more about Fatima Banawi herself: I find her and her work very inspirational. The focus of my own past community projects in Karachi has been to provide a platform for the stories and voices of women and children. And now, with my MA project I hope to reach a greater understanding of contemporary forms of narrative art, not to mention the interchangeability of mediums such as writing, painting, sculpting, performing etc. The Other Story Project also has another arm …

Experiment # 2: It’s what they whisper

Experiment # 2: It’s what they whisper

My first tutorial left me feeling interested in how objects could spin a narrative. That week, I decided to experiment with water and glass paints to marble porcelain dishes and mugs and see what kind of art it would create. Here’s the video of the whole process: At that time I added the touches of gold simply because they felt right when I was creating the pieces. But later, I felt they reminded me of ‘Kintsugi’, the Japanese art of mending pottery using gold instead of throwing the broken pieces away. It kind of emphasizes the breakage and subsequent repair …

Experiment # 1: I capture the desert

I haven’t concretely written down my project proposal yet, but brainstorming and some research has yielded the following answers about what I am seem to be seeking: I want to build simultaneous narratives to explore the ‘slice of life’ story of an absent protagonist. I want my art to reflect the ‘stream of consciousness’ or ongoing story in the inner mind’. I want to unlock the narrative potential of everyday objects and materials, and their embedded cultural associations. I am inspired by the ongoing dialogue between art and the audience in this digital era, and the potential of the audience …

Visit to Arbab Al Heraf

Every expat I have ever met in Jeddah, artist or no, has always been absolutely certain of one fact: there is no room for the expat artist to grow in Jeddah’s local art scene. Yes, you can get a teaching job, yes, you can even visit art galleries superficially, but to be part of it all? Nope. Not happening. And for the longest time I believed them. After all, it IS daunting to step out of your comfort zone, to put yourself out there without even knowing the language, and try to find a space for yourself. But after the first Skype …

Art Sparked Hope

“I want to be a teacher,” she said. And in the neatness of her braid, the primness of her posture, the clarity of her speech, you could tell she wanted to be a teacher. Every child I met that day, had such hopes and aspirations for their future. They, who would probably leave this room and wander the streets till dusk, braving dangers I could never imagine, never having a home to return to because their parents needed to work every single minute of the day simply for them to survive. Children are so alive with hope, a stethoscope around …