So Lonely at the Architectural Association

If you are in London on Valentine's Day, single and and want to stay away from all the lovey-dovey stuff, this event is for you.

So Lonley is a talk taking place at the AA in London on Tuesday, 14th February. It includes a lecture by Shumon Basar and Sam Jacob, plus a musical performance by Tamara Barnett-Herrin. Looking at the event's poster and the description (added below), it sounds like it will be very, very good. If I was in London this Valentine, this is the event I'd go to.

So Lonely

It's Valentine's Day. You're all alone. No one to watch Love Actually with, for the 17th time. You'll have to eat that dehydrated cupcake by yourself, after your microwave 'meal For one'. You're so very lonesome tonight. But, you know what? Sometimes loneliness is power not weakness.

Join Shumon Basar and Sam Jacob as they trawl through a hidden history of loneliness that includes Hugh Grant's bitter face, Howard Hughes in the Desert Inn, Jesus Christ, North Korea, Edo-era Japan and French existentialists – as well as the conspiratorial evil commonly referred to as, 'rom coms'. Plus some sad songs performed by Tamara Barnett-Herrin.

About the presenters:

Shumon Basar is a writer, editor, curator and director of the AA's Cultural Programme as well as the live-magazine, Format. Translated By, the AA show he co-curated with Charles Arsene-Henry, has toured to CCA Kitakyushu, and goes to Salt, Istanbul in April. He is also directing Global Art Forum_6 at Mathaf, Doha and Art Dubai in March.

Sam Jacob is a director of London-based architecture office FAT, where he has been responsible for a range of projects spanning architecture, design and masterplanning. He is contributing editor for Icon, columnist for Art Review and contributes to many other publications. He teaches at the AA and is Professor of Architecture at UIC. He writes and edits strangeharvest.com and samjacob.com.

Tamara Barnett-Herrin is a London-based vocalist, songwriter and performer. She was the lead vocalist with the UK electronica act Freeform Five and has contributed vocal performances for various artists including Lindstrom, Mylo and Shinichi Osawa. Her new solo album, Born to Burn, is released in February by Bubbletease Communications. She has collaborated extensively with the Swiss artist Mai-Thu Perret at Migros Museum Zurich, Theatre de l'Usine in Geneva and the Performa Festival, New York.

Event details
Date and time: Tuesday, 14th February 2012 at 6pm
Venue: New Soft Room at AA (Architectural Association), 36 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3ES (location map)
 Phone: +44 (0)20 7887 4000

www.aaschool.ac.uk

www.samjacob.com

www.yourheadisthewholeworld.wordpress.com
www.junodownload.com/artists/Tamara Barnett-Herrin

  

Boxpark Shoreditch

Boxpark Shoreditch in London describes itself as the 'world's first pop-up mall' made from shipping containers. It opened recently and is home to 60 fashion, arts and lifestyle brands that were selected for the space. I'm not sure if Boxpark is really the first 'pop-up mall', but I do like the sound of it.

Coming from a city where shopping is a sport and shopping malls are second homes to most of the population and it's all about big international brands, Boxpark Shoreditch sounds very refreshing, plus it's in my favourite part of London (which I hope won't lose it's charm after the Olympics next year).

It will be interesting to see if this 'temporary' set up becomes permanent or if it will move around the city. I hope it succeeds as the world of retail really needs a change. But I also hope it won't end up turning into a tourist attraction selling things that aren't unique or special. There's enough of that already in Dubai.

The Boxpark Concept

It’s not some run-of-the-mall shopping centre. It’s a living, fertile community of brands packed with talent, innovation and attitude that puts creativity and fashion back where they belong: on the street.

BOXPARK isn’t just where you shop. It’s an inspiring and enjoyable place to drop in and hang out. It’s what a real brand experience should be all about.

BOXPARK isn’t intrusive or invasive. Wherever it pops up, it fits in, joins in and contributes to the community.

This video includes interviews with the team behind the Boxpark concept and the reasons behind it. 

www.boxpark.co.uk

London Bus Tour

© Cyrill Oberholzer

I'm in London for a couple of days, so I feel it's quite befitting to share this gorgeous video by Cyrill Oberholzer shot whilst riding on one of London's double decker buses. I love the mood it captures and hope you like it too.

In Cyrill Oberholzer's own words:

Who does not like looking out of the window while being in a bus?
Everything is shot handheld with an hd camera and a DIY 35mm adapter while sitting in one of those red vehicles of London.

www.vimeo.com/cyrilloberholzer

1 Day 6 Cities Project

Photograph by Alex Jeffries
1day6cities is a global time-lapse photography project taking place on 11th November 2011 (11.11.11) in Auckland, Dubai, London, San Francisco, São Paulo and Shanghai. The aim is to create a unique 24-hour snapshot of this day across six very different cities around the globe.

At exactly 00.00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC/GMT) photographers in the six cities will capture their first image in an event that will see photographs being taken every minute, on the minute for the following 24 hours. The edited films and stills will then be shown together in six exhibitions, one in each participating city.

For the first hour of the shoot, at least one photographer in each participating city must shoot the tallest building in their city. When viewed together they will make the visual 111111 of the date. After that, the  photographers are free to choose their subjects. But it's preferable to avoid 'obvious' locations.

Anywhere that might appear on a postcard as a rule is probably best avoided. We want to see your city as you see it, a peoples eye view from the street level. The most important thing is that you would be happy for each picture you took in your sequence to stand alone as a print. Think in terms of still photography as well as film. There may be some great action happening in your shot but it needs be framed beautifully.

1day6cities is building an international network of photographers and filmmakers; and in the run up to the shoot date 11.11.11 they will be doing a number of test shoots, publishing the work on the website and holding work in progress shows. If you would like to join the project, send an email to 1day6cities@gmail.com.

There is a shortage of Dubai collaborators, so if you are reading this, based in Dubai and a photographer (or know any photographers that might be interested) - do contact 1day6cities and  spread the word.

Here are some test time-lapse videos from 1day6cities's website to give you an idea of what they are looking for and to hopefully inspire you to take part. More information about this project can be found at www.1day6cities.org.



Auckland. Time-lapse by Sumant Walter Rao.

Book shopping on the Southbank, London. Time-lapse by Chris Carey.

Rear window. Time-lapse by Lydia Goldblatt. 

www.1day6cities.org
www.ajeffries.wordpress.com
www.sumantwalter.com
www.lydiagoldblatt.com

Like Coral, I Create Clouds by Noor Al Suwaidi

© Noor Al Suwaidi. Dreamers Meet, 2011. Image courtesy of Newertown.

Like Coral, I Create Clouds is a new solo exhibition by Noor Al Suwaidi presented by Newertown | Art, curated by Juan Carlos Farah and showing at The Gallery in Cork Street in London till 30th April.

Noor is from the United Arab Emirates and she's making a name for herself in the art scene in the United Arab Emirates. She's taken part in several group shows in the UAE, Europe and in the US and I'm glad to see she now has her first solo show.

Like Coral, I Create Clouds is a kaleidoscopic trip into her colourful canvases. A series of variegated paintings and works on paper, all oscillating between the realms of portraiture and figurative abstraction. An amalgamation of bold, conspicuous chromatic movements, guided into shapes and left to meet at 'moments', where our imaginations make and shake figures into focus. Inspiration from relationships, music and travels makes this a highly personal oeuvre. The emerging patterns of colour and forms are visceral combinations of raw emotion and honed technique. There are no contrived concepts or calculated imagery. The drive is purely to uphold the emotive forcefulness of the tension that is created as the pigments and shapes vie for space on the canvas. Each tone acts as a theatrical backdrop, drawing in our riveted energy, seducing us to play out our imagination and exhaling us back into 'clouds of colour'.

Paintings by Noor Al Suwaidi, part of 'Like Coral, I Create Clouds' exhibition
 

About the artist:
Noor Al Suwaidi was born in 1981 and grew up in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. At age nine, encouraged by her father, she participated in an adult drawing program in the UAE, thus igniting a seminal phase in the development of her creative career. A particular interest in painting led her to pursue studies in the UK and the US, through which she conceived, expanded, and consequently refined her artistic style.

© Sueraya Shaheen, The Artist in her Studio, Abu Dhabi 2011. Image courtesy of Newertown | Art.

 

Exhibition details
Dates: 20th-30th April 2011
Location: The Gallery in Cork Street, 28 Cork Street, London, United Kingdom



www.twitter.com/nooralsuwaidi
www.juancarlosfarah.com
www.newertown.com
www.galleryincorkstreet.com

My 2010 Highlights

Here are my 2010 highlights in no particular order:

Film

Camp ka ChampMahmovies - Music for the Eyes series at thejamjar is always a favourite event of mine. It's a curated series of music themed movies and live performances organised by Mahmoud Kaabour. The most memorable night for me though was watching Camp ka Champ. Camp Ka Champ (Champ of the Camp) is a singing competition that takes place annually across Dubai’s labour camps, and at Mahmovies' night, we had nine singers crooning for us acapella style. You can read the full review of the night here.

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival in October and Dubai International Film Festival in December were other highlights where I got to see some great films and documentaries and met some fun people as well.

Music

A Key is a KeyMy favourite musical performance in Dubai was at The Fridge in January. An indie band from Denmark called  A Key is a Key performed and it was a very rare and initimate experience for me. They were quirky, fun and amusing. I wish we can get more acts like them in Dubai.

I've always said I need to travel outside Dubai to see bands I like. So when I travelled this year, I made sure I caught some concerts. In the summer, I went to London's Lovebox Festival in July and saw Hot Chip, Yeasayer, Chromeo, Roxy Music, Hercules and Love Affair to name a few. In November I went back to London and saw Jonsi and Arcade Fire. Needless to say, I had an amazing time at all of them. 

Theatre
I miss going to small plays in Dubai, but this year I enjoyed going to Animal Farm and One Small Step at DUCTAC. 

Art Fairs

Art Dubai in March - the highlight for me at this fair was the Bidoun Projects Art Park, a great space for art, film, video and artist talks. My favourite talk was by Kenneth Goldsmith from Ubu. 

Soundwalk at Abu Dhabi ArtAbu Dhabi Art in November - the highlight at this fair was my brother's participation in the Design Studio and Art, Talks and Sensations curated by Fabrice Bousteau, a labyrinth built by the beach that had 10 different art events happening at the same time. It included live performances, film, music and photography. It was an experience where you could just wander around and give in to the place and moment. The open air cinema and The Desert of Desert sound installation by Soundwalk were my favourite. 

Paris Photo in November - it was my first time attending this fair and I hope I can attend it annually. It's such a great opportunity to see some great photography and top galleries from around the world.

Art Exhibitions in Dubai
I didn't get a chance to attend most of the exhibition this year, but these are the ones that stood out for me.

Islands by Abbas AkhavanExhibitions at The Third Line:
Pins and Needles by Hayv Kahraman
That Obscure Object by Azeru
Islands by Abbas Akhavan
Dubai Episode a group exhibition that included Mona Ayyash, Raja'a Khalid and Sara Naim.  

Muqtanayati at thejamjar was a very different kind of exhibition that involved the community who could submit objects that represented the United Arab Emirates or that had a special meaning to them because of the place. I submitted my cassette collection from the 1980s which was a nostalgic look at my childhood in Dubai and was so happy to see it struck a chord with some of the visitors at the exhibition.

MinD (Made in Dubai) at DUCTAC was a group exhibition that showcased a variety of disciplines by very talented artists based in Dubai. I was honored to be taking part in this exhibition and to be part of the taleneted artists that took part.

All the photography exhibitions at The Empty Quarter.

Gulfphoto Plus' Slidefest II and Slidefest III - although not exhibitions per se, but it's a great initiative by Gulf Photo Plus that brings together photographers from the region to present and talk about their work. I was fortunate to be invited to take part in the 2nd one and grateful for all the positive feedback I received.

Art Exibitions outside Dubai
During my travels this year, I got a chance to attend great exhibitions and these are the ones that left a strong impression on me: Victoria and Albert's Shadow Catchers: Camera-less Photography exhibition, Tate Britain's Eadward Muybridge, Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds at the Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou's Arman.

Grand openings
Burj Khalifa opening on 4th January, a very memorable night where I was lucky to have a close up view of the building and the fireworks. I know there will be a great show tonight, but I am happy to settle for one night of Burj Khalifa fireworks even if it was earlier this year.

An Obsession with Ian

 
That Ian Bloke is a typographic and cultural project documenting signs that include the word IAN.

In this video he's photographing signs all across London. Who would have thought the name "Ian" could be found in so many places?

I hope once he's done with Ian, he moves on to Al. He will find this name all across Dubai.

www.thatianbloke.com
www.twitter.com/thatianbloke

High on London by Matt Gosden and Rob Rackstraw

This top quality tilt shift video by Matt Gosden and Rob Rackstraw was filmed and produced from start to finish in 12 hours. It's great to see such an iconic city from a different point of view.

Click to read more ...

La Nouvelle Vague - photography by Raymond Cauchetier

À bout de souffle (Champs-Élysées), Raymond Cauchetier (1959)
La Nouvelle Vague is an exhibition of iconic photographs of French New Wave Cinema by legendary photographer Raymond Cauchetier currently showing at the James Hyman Gallery in London.

In 1959, Raymond Cauchetier was hired as the on-set photographer for Jean Luc Godard's first feature, A Bout de Souffle. He photographed not only the famous moments, such as Jean Seberg and Jean Paul Belmondo walking down the Champs Elysées, Seberg in her New York Herald Tribune t-shirt, but also behind-the-scenes glimpses which document the filmmaking process.

Click to read more ...

You've Got to Love London by Alex Silver

I love this video made of 7757 photos by Alex Silver.

"A time lapse video tribute to London, made during my final days studying abroad in that lovely city." Alex Silver

I ♥ London and hope to see you again soon.

http://www.asilverphoto.com