Jan/Feb newsle,er
elhambahrain.net
Adlin Hisyamuddin©
Contents UpFront………………………………3 Elham Jazzed Up……..………....6 Ar9sts Meet Review…...………7 16th Monthly Gathering.……..8 Aldar Island Trip..…….….…….10 Sneak Preview……………………11 Upcoming Events.………………15 For the Diary..…………….…..…17 Art in Focus..……………………..18 New Al Saeed Book……………20 Ala’s Whispers Out.……………22 Write On……………………………23 Our partners/credits………….25
UP FRONT… Year It is unfortunate (well, for some of us) that as we look out our windows to the Winter Season, it is not snow we see, and our world does not fall into a serene white. S@ll, this winter season has been an exci@ng chill, and Elham has snowballed despite ourselves! We barely had a breather from our dim‐lit JAzzy evening at Cocoon, when January woke us up with much to do!! WoW!! WoW!! And this newsle,er has it all... First we’ll recap for you our JAzzy Jam at Cocoon, to thank our musicians and the Cocoon Lounge for a wonderful evening. It had been just the tune needed for the mad holiday season... Eid, Christmas, Na@onal Day, New years AND the Islamic Hijri Year ... and we Elhamers threw into that Mix an open JAzz and Jam session at Cocoon! It was OH! SO! Jazzy! So that was December... Well then what happened in Jan? First we introduced to Elham a moviemakers challenge (and if you missed that, give us a call and we’ll update you quick). Long‐Story‐Short: the American Embassy is invi@ng Leisure/Amateur/Enthusiast Film Makers to join a challenge and win the chance to visit the States with an opportunity to work next to worldly professionals and learn all they can get their cameras on! Also in Jan, a cultural centre named the MetaSenta (coming to us from Australia) met with Ar@sts to invite them to join a project called “Across the Gulf”. Dr Irene Barberis gave us a talk about the project, and invited young Ar@sts to join. Read on to find out about “Across the Gulf”, where we will also urge you to bring forth your art, and see if it can take you to Australia!
ALSO IN JAN!! Al Dar Islands Manager Mohamed Slaise took on about 15 photographers to his beau@ful islands and showed us what there lives, swims, and lurks about. A day on the boat, on those high waves, under a knowing sun se`ng beneath a colorful sky, racing with the dolphins, will barely express to you what a day January 17th was. So read the teaser we have here for you, because we are promising a full tribute to the day with Al Dar in March! Finally for January, we’ll give you a preview of January 27th! From an Indian Perspec@ve si`ng on a coffee‐table, Author Reena Abraham tells us about her experiences and shares how she came to write “Footprints in Time”. The coffee‐table book concludes the writer’s explora@on of how the Indian Community has contributed to the culture here in Bahrain! Moving from an Indian perspec@ve, to flow into an Indian Melody with Padmini Rao, Padmini will share with us a melodic India in her magical voice, with her two favourite and most charming musical streams, the dhrupad and the khayal, live. Also in Jan we have South African Anna Thackray, with her weaving and layered canvases. Finally this month is young Bahraini Mohamed AlMahdi. He is a Graphic Designer, he is a cartoonist, and for a young man, he has quite a few statements to make! So come and see Mohamed draw for us LIVE at Elham, Al Bareh, January 27th
Phew!! See what we mean about a bee‐busy January? We sure hope you didn’t read it all in one breath! In this ENL we also give you a sneak peak into our February Event and 17th Gathering, where a panel of Bahraini Talent Ali Al Saeed and Khalid Roawie will be showcasing their words, while Ala Ghawas and Dina Khalid will be par@ng their tunes! In addi@on, we have a specially dedicated write up about our Founder and wonderful Author Ali Al Saeed; and a write up about Bahraini Heart‐Breaking Folk Singer Ala Ghawas. Why? Because Ali published a new book, “Sad Man Dancing”, and Ala released a new album “Whispers”! Finally, we list what other Art‐Events you can check out during January and February, before rounding up with an unusual poem by Ali Al Saeed from his new book “Sad Man Dancing”. We hope January has wrapped you up as it has done us. Look forward to seeing you on the 27th, and for new years sake, we wish you colour, we wish you sound, we wish you art!
Elham Jazzed the Night Away! It was at Cocoon Lounge. It was happening. On December 19th, Elham bid farewell to year 2008 in jazzy fizzles with an open Jam Night at Cocoon Lounge, Juffair. More impressive than the turn up of guests and enthusiasts, were the jamming ar@sts who brought to us La@n Jazz, some contemporary, and other free jams we knew only to enjoy! We are ever apprecia@ve to the now Elham Musicians, who jammed up cocoon, and jammed down the year finale. So here is a modest list, to let them be known.... On December 19th, 2008, playing at Cocoon for an Elham open Jazz Jam were Frankie Flowers, Lloyd on the drums, Edwin for bass, David Smith, AI on guitar, Mani Mohammed, and Mohammed Ismail. The list con@nues to Khalid Thawadi, Ahmed Al Qasir, Khalid Al Shamlan, and Wajeeh on percussion... This is Elham’s second open jam night, and what it has given us is just more incen@ve to keep doing what we’re doing. The free will of the evening was so that we rode on the rising and descending jazz tunes; one minute you wanted to close your eyes to see yourself sat in a 50’s tavern of black and white movie, and another minute you had to get up and move to the groove. Once again, we thank our ar@sts and Damian D’Costa for allowing us to Elhamify Cocoon Lounge.
Fawaz Alolaiwat ©
Artist Meet! On January 8th, 2009 Elham Members met for a chat. Well... that’s not all really... So here’s the spill: MetaSenta, which is a research facility part of RMIT (University in Melbourne, Australia), is an ar@st led facility and their sole aim is to explore the cultural, metaphysical, miracle, (you name it) affects which ART has. The MetaSenta has now commenced a project called “Across the Gulf”, and they are in search of young budding and flourishing ar@sts in Bahrain, Dubai and AbuDhabi to showcase for this project. And so ... and so ... Dr Irene Barberis contacted Elham to help her source these ar@sts ... and that we are doing indeed. So what is this “Across the Gulf” Project?? We’ll tell you, and we bet you will love it! “Across the Gulf” is looking for Arab Ar@sts, truly a,ached souls ‐ belonging to their history, to their heritage, to the iden@ty which turned them into who they are today. How have these Ar@sts‐ these Creators‐ explored their Iden@ty and Ethnicity through Art, or how have they explored Art through History, Ethnicity, Culture??? From their panel of applicants, MetaSenta will choose a limited selec@on of Ar@sts, who will be invited to Brisbane to showcase their work, who will also be interviewed and featured in a movie produc@on and a publica@on about the project. Our young Arab creators will have a chance from then on to travel the world with MetaSenta, to meet other ar@sts, to see a truly travelling world of crea@ve explora@on… So if you are an interested artist, please submit your work to Elham and let us help you travel the world, starting with Australia! Finally, we The track lis9ng: thank Dr. Irene and the1. Mourn MetaSenta for bringing2. Lonely Through The Crowd this opportunity to our artists, and we hope to continue working together on many other occasion. 3. Paint Me A Heart 4. Rebellion 5. Atonement
16th Monthly Gathering"27/1/09! Yes, it is actually January 2009. A year sets on us only for another to rise, just like a scorching undefeated sun! Now don’t be squin@ng please. Just as the sun rises, you are obliged to get off your dreams, start the day, start the year, do something different, be inspired, and like Elham ... Create. So then, what will Elham create to start the year with? We give you the crap of words, the magic of Indian Rhythms, some powerful paints, and cartoons anima@ng before your eyes... Let me elaborate: Indian writer Reena Abraham, who has lived and travelled across the Gulf (here’s that “Across the Gulf” title again), has questioned and even actively explored the Indian presence in Bahrain. She then unravelled to us how the Indian community contributed to the history of Bahrain in her coffee-table book “Footprints in Time”. Ms. Abraham is a reputable writer, and has generously brought forth to us her perspective, gained through many years in our Arab Countries. She will now share this perspective to us Elhamers, and we are delighted to hear her own words, in her own voice. Secondly, when someone says “Music to me is a spiritual journey into the soul...”, you know their musical journey will awaken your soul, which is why Elham has invited Indian Vocalist, Padmini Rao, to share her voice, and to share her India in song. Music has actually been Padmini’s Journey from the very beginning. She took singing lessons as a child, and con@nued the course un@l a post‐graduate degree in Music was achieved with dis@nc@on. Padmini Rao combines her love for the performing arts with its academic aspects, conduc@ng various workshops and seminars on music educa@on and theory. At Elham's session, she will talk about her work and perform a blend of two of India’s most charming musical streams, the dhrupad and the khayal, live. So warm your hands our loyal Elhamers, because you will want to applaud!
Thirdly, South African Anna Thackray visits the wide planes of Elham again. Through her pain@ngs, Anna brings to the eye again and again a new layer to see: she weaves a mul@‐texture to express the mul@‐cultural. Anna will talk about her unique approach, which involves combining paint with fabric and s@tching to create pain@ngs with a dis@nctly sculptural quality. “The combina@on of different media and layering helps to create a mul@‐faceted, mul@‐sensory experience,” says Anna, “and as one peels away layers, each viewer will experience and respond to my pain@ngs in their own unique way.” She will also share with us her gained perspec@ve on the mixed cultures emerging and living in Bahrain. When an Ar@sts experiences, an Ar@st creates, and Anna’s crea@ons will be a feast for our eyes. Finally, we’ll have @me for our own young Bahraini Talent. In fact, we won’t just have @me for 19‐year‐old Mohammed AlMahdi, we will get into his head (shortly you’ll see what we mean)! Mohammed is passionate about colour and shape, but mostly he is keen on using shape and colour to make a statement that must be made. He is equipped with modern interests like IT and Graphic Design, but also has delights in the lightness of comic cartoons. With an ac@ve interest in Social Ma,ers, Mohammed has translated these issues into entertaining visuals; and that is exactly what he has come to do at Elham for January the 27th. Yes ... come watch Mohammed Al Mahdi start with strokes and end with a story, come watch him create, come to watch him animate cartoons!
Mohamed Slaise, Manager of Al Dar Islands, gave us a call some @me ago, and my my, weren’t we thrilled... Can you see where this is going? Well let me take you there! On Saturday January 17th, a group of Elham Photographers set sail with Al Dar Management, to visit a few Bahraini Islands, and experience what naturally habitats our Secre@ve Eden. While we had captured Mohamed Slaise’s interest and imagina@on (hence the invita@on), he has captured us with wonder and awe! He had promised and he had delivered, the Winter Month of January is indeed a wonderful @me to witness the flocks of migra@ng birds and dolphins leaping out of the water, teasing us to almost dive right back in with them. Our photographers braved the high seas armed with cameras, thrilled, nay RAPTUROUS! Photographers could barely catch their breath, trying to take it all through their lens! We caught oysters, and saw baby sharks released back into the ocean by fisher dhow‐men!
Ali Al Saeed ©
It was a long, shu,er opening and flickering day; and while we give you only a teaser of it here, we thank Mohamed Slaise for this opportunity and hope that our photographs (all to be given to Al Dar Management) will form a fantas@c image library for them! As for you Elhamers, we promise photography, film, poetry and more, inspired from the trip to Al Dar Islands on a special occasion in March. Look out for it...it might just be at Al Dar!! Also look out for our exclusive interview with Al Dar Manager Mohamed Slaise for our February Newsle,er, where we will also showcase which photographs made it on Al Dar Postcards!!!
Ali Al Saeed ©
Nayla Fokeladeh ©
Nayla Fokeladeh ©
Sneak Preview: 17th Monthly Gathering! So then, what are we bringing you for February? No need to hold your breath... We’ve got a preview for you of February 24th! It’s all here! First of all, our very own Founder and Author Ali Al Saeed, is publishing a new book “Sad Man Dancing”. So naturally he will honour us with one of the first readings on Febuary 17th. And while we’re on the subject, you shouldn’t miss out on his 1st book signing in Jashanmal stores, Seef Mall, February 7th from 11am to 2pm; and on February 20th the new Jashanmal bookstore at Bahrain City Centre will host the author for another signing session from 3pm to 6pm. During our Elham session however, Ali will recite poetry, with the courage to express. We are all awai@ng Ali! Another Bahraini Author will be gracing our humble stage for February, and we wish we could part a curtain for him. Khalid Al Rowaie will share and talk about his new book "Tranquility… Nothing Else". Khalid expresses in his book human emo@ons, those set in silence, those that may be too loud for words, while he astonishingly combines poetry and photographic captures to present various human emo@ons over unique levels. The poems originally wri,en in Arabic have been translated into English by Ghada Abualfath.
Finally, another Bahraini Ar@st shares his musings, his talent, and his heart with Elham; and aren’t we ever so grateful. Bahraini folk singer and song writer Ala Ghawas will perform songs from his latest album ‘’Whispers”, released this month and in stores now! Ala’s passion and interest in music has captured us all, with his deep and heart‐felt voice. Since his performance at our Live Art 2007, we have been awai@ng Ala’s new album to come out, because we know that a talent like his can only get be,er. We do encourage you to get a copy of his album, and we actually do urge you to hold your breath un@l Feb, and come to hear his voice ‐ pain felt, live, whispering to wake our emo@ons!
Coming Up/news! Ferideh Lashai ‐ 3 to 13 February, 2009 A total of 20 works will be showcased in Lashai's first Solo exhibi@on in Bahrain. Born in Rasht, Iran, in 1944, Farideh Lashai has prac@ced pain@ng since the late 1960s. A graduate of Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, she has worked as a crystal designer at Riedel Studios in southern Austria, and then Studio Rosenthal in Selb, Germany. Crystal design became her basis for prac@cing sculp@ng later in her career alongside her main discipline of pain@ng. Her works have been in recent Middle Eastern art sales at Chris@e’s, Sotheby’s and Bonham’s in London and Dubai and can be found in major private and public collec@ons such as the collec@ons of Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran, Demenga Public Collec@on in Basel, Deutsche Bank, Commerz Bank in Germany, Chris@e’s collec@on, NY and Na@onal Museum of Fine Arts, La Vale,a. 20% of the sales proceeds will be donated to the children of Gaza. Opening Hours : Saturday to Thursday from 10 am to 1 pm and from 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm .
41st Annual Art Expo – un9l February 15 A group of ar@sts are showcasing their best work at the Bahrain Contemporary Art Associa@on’s 41st Annual Art Exhibi@on. The event is held under the Patronage of Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, The Minister of Culture and Informa@on, and will be open to the public un@l February 15th at the associa@on’s gallery located in Juffair. For more informa@on please call 17728046 or email artestjj@hotmail.com
Ephemeral Space – January 29 to February 7
The Gulf Hotel will host the latest art exhibi@on by Bahrain‐based ar@st Demi Mcleod, who was trained at the Royal College of Art and worked as a gallery owner and curator in Australia. Zimbabwean ar@st Demi Mcleod brings Africa’s wildlife, cherubs and nature to canvas in her first solo exhibi@on @tled ‘Ephemeral Space.’ Her representa@onal and semi‐abstract crea@ons reflect her emo@ons and reflec@ons on life. Expect to see huge artworks drawing inspira@on from the Renaissance period. For more informa@on call 36425701 or visit www.demimcleod.com
Workshops at ARTHOUSE, Saar
For those who may be interested to bring a li,le crea@on into their rou@ne, call ART HOUSE in Saar where a couple or workshops will be available during the month of Feb! 1. Feb 2 to Feb 25th ‐ Paper Mache Workshops 2. Feb 4 to Feb 25th ‐ Intro to throwing on the Wheel For more informa@on, call 3998 7802
Photography Workshops
Gulf Photos Plus is a photographer’s support Community. Amongst Photographer Exhibits and such, they offer Workshops for those of you interested. They are expanding from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, and us Elhamers know that we are always in support of the supporters! They are now offering Level 1 & 2 Photography Workshops at the Palace Hotel, star@ng January 29th. Call the Palace Hotel for further details.
Dates to remember….! Date
Event
Venue
January 27th
16th Monthly Gathering
Albareh Art Gallery
January 29th
Ephemeral Space Expo
Gulf Hotel
February 3rd
Faridah Lashai
Albareh Art Gallery
February 7th
Ali Al Saeed book signing
Jashanmal, Seef Mall
February 20th
Ali Al Saeed book signing
Jashanmal, Bahrain City Center
February 24th
17th Monthly Gathering
TBC
More events and projects will be announced shortly. For regular updates, visit our website at www.elhambahrain.net, and if you're not yet on our mailing list, send your full name, telephone number and area of ar@s@c interest to us at elhambahrain@yahoo.com. We'd also like to hear from you if you'd like to present your work at a future Elham event.
Art in Focus!
Ali Al Saeed is ! ‘Sad Man Dancing’…! New Book to Launch!! Poetry is not only a form of self‐expression, but a therapeu@c prac@ce that can help a person come to terms with the emo@onal and personal turmoil they experience, according to our very own acclaimed Bahraini author Ali Al Saeed (and the driving force behind Elham), who launches his third book, Sad Man Dancing, in February. Ali previously published the award‐winning novel Quixo@Q, in 2004, and the na@onal best selling and cri@cally acclaimed collec@on of short stories Moments, in 2006; both of which have been reprinted this month. Sad Man Dancing will contain some of the most personal and in@mate wri@ngs, delving into the author’s personality, his perspec@ve on life, and the experiences he went through, with a versa@le style that combines narra@ve, sa@re and simplicity.
Al Saeed, who turns 31 in February, believes that poetry is a form of self‐expression unlike any other and that it is one of the strongest forms of therapeu@c literature. The poems featured in this book were wri,en during different phases of the author’s life reflec@ng the confusion, pain and the odd joy he’s experienced. “I’m not a poet,” Al Saeed exclaims, “but I enjoy pu`ng words together and pouring my deepest, darkest and at @mes random thoughts onto paper. It’s the only @me that I write with a pen! It’s a departure from my previous two @tles, but I hope people will find something in this book and connect with its subject,” he added. The book – which features on its cover an image by American photographer Briana Kessler – will be launched early February with a special book tour around Bahrain, including book signings, recitals and talks. Please note Ali’s book signing events men2oned in the calander of events (page ??)
Nader Amerudeen ©
Ala Ghawas new CD Released!! ‘Whispers’ of a Broken Heart! Following the success of his debut EP ‘Hums’ last year, Ala Ghawas has been busy pu`ng together yet another strong, beau@ful record. His second EP ‘Whispers’ sees the Bahraini folk singer/songwriter evolve as a person and as a musician. Musically ‘Whispers’ expands on its predecessor’s sound and scope. Where as ‘Hums’ was an in@mate, acous@c affair, ‘Whispers’ is layered, deep and me@culously arranged. With haun@ng, moving songs such as lead track ‘Mourn’ and ‘Rebellion’ Ala has created another gorgeous record that will undoubtedly see his fan base grow. He’s bared his soul for everyone to see, and anyone who knows the man will immediately recognize how much these songs mean to him and what they stand for upon listening to them. ‘Whispers’ was recorded at the musician’s makeship studio in his Sanad apartment with the help of several musician friends. The album is currently available in Euphoria music store in Seef Mall and online. It can also be downloaded on iTunes. For more informa@on visit www.alaghawas.com
Write On! This month we bring you an unusual poem by well‐known Bahraini award‐winning author and Elham co‐founder Ali Al Saeed taken from his newly published book, Sad Man Dancing.
“Other Half" by Ali Al Saeed I woke up this morning to realize That my Other Half was gone I wondered where it could've possibly gone Other Halves don't just up and disappear, I thought to myself. So, I removed myself from the bed In search of my Other Half. I thought I had it. I thought it was mine. Alas, I had taken it for granted. I couldn't live with One Half, I wagered. No one could. I had to have the Other. To survive. So I searched. And I searched. Un@l I came across an Uninteres@ng Man.
I asked him: "Have you seen my Other Half, Uninteres@ng Man?" He grunted and made sounds with his lips. "Which of your halves is missing?" he asked. I knew, then, that the Uninteres@ng Man couldn't see. For it was very obvious to me, Which Half I didn't have. So I resumed my search. Not having an Other Half Was becoming a burden. Weighing on my heart. I searched And I searched.
Un@l I came across a Woman With Bare Hanging Breasts and Braids on Her Head. "Would you care to taste my chocolate‐colored nipple?" she offered. "No," I politely declined. "I would care to find my Other Half." She sang then, the Woman with Bare Hanging Breasts and Braids on Her Head. And then, as she sang, many other Women with Bare Hanging Breasts and Braids on Their Heads appeared. "There are many Other Halves!" they told me. "None like mine," I told them. And I lep the Women with Bare Hanging Breasts and Braids on Their Heads behind me. They sang and sang. But I wouldn't look back. I resumed my search. Then, as I walked, Autumn turned to Winter. And Winter turned to Spring. And Spring turned to Summer. And I found my Other Half. In the Sun. Ah, I told myself, relieved, I only had to wait.
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Credits Wriden by Fa9ma Al Saad Edited by Roshelle Charlode Fernandez Design/layout by Ali Al Saeed Cover photo by Hasan Al Khunaizi Email us at elhambahrain@yahoo.com Website www.elhambahrain.net Find us on Facebook! All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce or use any of the content without permission.
Ali Al Saeed ©
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About Elham…! Elham provides a monthly forum for ar9s9cally minded people, and gives both expat and Bahraini ar9sts traversing the crea9ve spectrum a plahorm to showcase their work. In addi9on to monthly sessions at galleries and cafés, there are satellite events such as jamming evenings, photographers’ days out and various workshops.