datamatics [ver.2.0] by Ryoji Ikeda

photo: Ryuichi Maruo, courtesy of YCAM

Electronic music composer and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda will be in Sharjah this Friday, 19th April to perform his audiovisual concert titled datamatics [ver. 2.0] in the Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts

Ikeda's work focuses on the essential characteristics of sound and light through mathematical precision and aesthetics. His datamatics project, which began in 2006 is a series of experiments in the form of audiovisual concerts, installations, publications and CDs that seek to materialise pure data.  

datamatics [ver. 2.0] is the second audiovisual concert presented as part of the project. Dynamic, computer-generated imagery, in pared-down black and white with striking colour accents, are graphic renderings of data progress through multiple dimensions. 

From 2-D sequences of patterns derived from hard-drive errors and software code, the imagery transforms into dramatic, rotating views of the universe in 3-D; the final scenes add a further level, as 4-D mathematical processing opens up spectacular and seemingly infinite vistas.  

A hypnotic soundtrack reflects the imagery through a meticulous layering of sonic components.  (via sharjahart.org) 

Here's a short clip from Sonar 2010 to show you what to expect. 

Here are some audience testimonials from his show at the Barbican in London two years ago.  

  



I am looking forward to this. I know this isn't something for for everyone and I imagine I will either end up with a headache or euphoric after being taken on a journey of data and sound. Hopefully it will be the latter. 

Event details
Date and time: Friday, 19th April 2013 at 8pm 
Venue: Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts, Sharjah (location map)
Phon: +9716 512 3333
Free entry 

www.ryojiikeda.com 
www.ryojiikeda.com/project/datamatics 
www.sdci.gov.ae/english/sharjahinstitute 
www.sharjahart.org/blog/2013/march/music-and-performances




[image via ryojiikeda.com]

Sharjah Biennial 11 - 13th March-13 May 2013

If you've never been to Sharjah, you must know that it is the most cultured Emirate in the UAE, it's less about the style and more about the substance. Admittedly, I don't go here as much as I should, but hoping to spend time there during Sharjah Biennial 11 which starts on 13th March and go on till 13th May 2013.

The title of this year's Sharjah Biennial is "Re:emerge, Towards a New Cultural Cartography", where its curator Yuko Hasegawa proposes a Biennial "that reassess the Westerncentrism of knowledge in modern times and reconsiders the relationship between the Arab world, Asia, the Far East, through North Africa and Latin America."

Hasegawa was inspired by the courtyard in Islamic architecture, in particular the historical courtyards of Sharjah, where elements of both public and private life intertwine, and where the objective political world and the introspective subjective space intersect and cross over.

The courtyard is also seen as a plane of experience and experimentation—an arena for learning and critical thinking of a discursive and embodied kind. It marks a generative space for the production of new awareness and knowledge. Within the network of intensifying international and globalising links, the courtyard as an experiential and experimental space comes to mirror something of Sharjah as a vital zone of creativity, transmission, and transformation.  (via sharjahart.org/biennial)

Sharjah Biennial 11 will inlclude more than 100 artists, architects, filmmakers, musicians and performers whose artworks and practices will "resonate with strands of the curatorial theme: the complexity and diversity of cultures and societies; spatial and political relations; notions of new forms of contact, dialogue, and exchange; and production through art and architectural practices of new ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling".
You can see the full line up of artists, musicians and filmmakers here.

The Opening Week Progamme will run from 13th-17th March and will include performances, films, lectures and the annual March Meeting (a symposium featuring thematic sessions and moderated panel discussions that will reflect on and contexualise the concept of this year's biennial). 

I am quite excited about the film and music programme during this week. Here's why:

Film Programme

Janie Geiser, The Fourth Watch, 2000, Courtesy of the Artist

The film programme is curated by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the 2010 Palme d'Or for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

It will feature programming by leading figures in the film industry, including one of favourite actresses, Tilda Swinton, Steve Anker, Dean of the School of Film/Video at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Mehelli Modi, Founder of Second Run DVD; Alcino Leite Neto, editor; Khavn De La Cruz, poet, pianist, filmmaker; Jean-Pierre Rehm, theorist, Festival Director, FIDMarseille; Ali Jaafar, Executive Director, Independent Film Division, Quinta Communications, London. 

The programme will include panel discussions and evening screenings that will take place in the Mirage City Cinema, a cinema-architecture space by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Ole Scheeren, commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation.

Cao Guimarães, Soul of the Bone (A Alma do Osso), 2004, still, Courtesy of the Artist

Schedule:

Thursday, 14th March - Mirage City Cinema, Maurouth Square
8.30pm-9.30pm Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Ole Scheerin lead a discussion featuring the film programmers
9.30pm-10.30pm Screening programmed by Tilda Swinton
11.00pm-1.00am Screening programmed by Jean- Pierre Rehm   

Friday, 15th March - Mirage City Cinema, Maurouth Square  
8.30pm-9.30pm Ali Jaafar leads a discussion on Sharjah Biennial 11 commissioned films from the Middle East
9.30pm-11.30pm Screening programmed by Ali Jaafar
11.30pm-1.00am Screening programmed by Steve Anker 
1.00am-2.15am Screening programmed by Alcino Leite Neto   

Saturday, 16th March - Mirage City Cinema, Maurouth Square  
8.30pm-9.30pm Khavn de la Cruz leads a discussion on Sharjah Biennial 11 commissioned films from the Philippines 
9.30om-11.30pm Screenings programmed by Khavn De La Cruz  

Sunday, 17th March - Mirage City Cinema, Maurouth Square  
9.30pm-11.30pm Screenings programmed by Mehelli Modi 
11.30pm-1.15am Screenings programmed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul 

Music and Performance Programme 

Tarek Atoui

The music programme will include international and regional artists including sound artist Tarek Atoui who will orchestrate a series of new commissions by more than ten international musicians, including percussionists, and a commissioned solo performance by artist Hassan Khan. 

But I am particularly looking forward to seeing alva noto's Univrs (uniscope version), an audio-visual performance with a special appearance by Ryuichi Sakamoto. 

In his work, alva noto seeks to overcome the separation of art forms and genres to create an integrated artistic approach. His 2011 album univrs addresses the conceptual differentiation of a universal language (“universum/universal” as unity, entirety).

The visualisation of univrs (uniscope version) – an expanded screen projection setup – combines a variety of modules on a digital level that demonstrate different methods of audio analysis. The resulting signal processing is shown as a relay structure and is performed in real time. Each module can be zoomed in on, enabling greater visual detail.  (via sharjahart.org/biennial)

You can expect to hear and see something like this:

I saw alva noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto last month at Sonar Reykjavik during my visit to Iceland, and can't believe I will get a chance to see them again. It will be a very special performance and strongly recommend you don't miss this. 

Here's a clip featuring alva noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto from Sonar 2012 to give you a taster of what to expect.

The complete Sharjah Biennial 11 calendar or evensts can be found here. Sharjah Biennial 11 opening hours during Opening Week 13th-17th March:

Sunday to Thursday 9:00am – 9:00pm
Friday 10:00am – 12:00pm and 3:00pm – 10:00pm 

Contact details and location map can be found here.

www.sharjahart.org/biennial

Maraya Art Night in Sharjah - 11th March 2013

 

Maraya Art Centre in Al Qasba in Sharjah will be hosting an Art Night on Monday, 11th March. 

The night will include a showcase of several commissioned projects and the opening of Barjeel Art Foundation's new exhibition RE: Orient
 - Investigating Modernism in the Arab world 1950s-70s which promises to a very important and impressive exhibition. 

Here's what to expect on the night: 

Blueprint by Adel Abidin
Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba
 Block E,  Maraya Art Gallery, 3rd Floor

Adel Abidin - Blueprint

Pertaining to informal architecture, Finnish-Iraqi artist Adel Abidin will present 'Blueprint' curated by Sara Raza.

The exhibition presents a large-scale interactive drawing and sound installation that transforms Maraya's main exhibition gallery into a mock factory. The work explores the manufactured and globalised nature of 'Arab' identity in the post Arab Spring era by using the language of an architectural blueprint drawing. 

The exhibition will run until 15th June, 2013. 

Naturally Re-oriented by Khalid Shafar 
Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba 
Block E, Ground floor

Khalid Shafar - 
Naturally Re-oriented

Naturally Re-oriented is a special design orientated project by Emirati furniture and objects designer Khalid Shafar.

The installation explores the use of natural resources and static form. Inspired by visual elements found in nature, this project takes viewers on a journey about recycling and the past.  

 


Change by Ayman Yossri Daydban
Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba
, Block E, Building Facade 

Thuma Tatawar El Amr, Ayman Yossri Daydban, 2009 RC Print Diasec mounted on Dibond 3 + 1AP H62 x W110 cm

Saudi Arabian contemporary artist Ayman Yossri Daydban will present a cinematic billboard project by on the outdoor facade of Maraya Art Centre.

This new work taken from film stills from popular Middle Eastern cinema explore non-linear narrative and take on new meanings within an art, architecture and cinematic context. 

The project aims to expand the definition, scope , and application of public art and is part of the artists's Public Project titled "Change” which will also feature works in public spaces in Dubai. 

 


The Seven Black Boxes of Observational Activity by Alaa Edris
Al Qasba Walkways, Al Qasba

Emirati artist Alaa Edris is renowned for producing research projects that explore social issues, semiotics and tradition within contemporary UAE culture.

She has created a site specific installation of black boxes placed throughout Al Qasba. Although seemingly ordinary, these boxes are in fact discreet audio visual recording and filming devices, which will record and collect public data.

The premise of the project is to explore the themes of privacy and surveillance with the artist accumulating data for  a future curated exhibition at the Maraya Art Centre. 

 


RE: Orient
 - Investigating Modernism in the Arab world 1950s-70s 
Barjeel Art Foundation, Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba, 
Block E, 2nd floor

Group of figures in a village, Samir Rafi, Oil on canvas 60 x 80 cm, 1966

Re: Orient is a new exhibition that will highlight modern works by key artists with roots in the Arab world, and will cover three decades of art production from the 1950s to 1970s.

Marking a critical period of both politically and socially, artists of the modern era were involved in an international exchange of ideas, often fusing traditional artistic approaches with elements of avant-garde movements including Surrealism, Cubism, and Fauvism.

The exhibition will run until 22nd November, 2013. 

Event details
Date and timing: Monday, 11th March at 7pm
Venue: 
Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba, Block E, Sharjah (location map)

www.maraya.ae
www.barjeelartfoundation.org  

The Present: Contemporary Art from the Emirates

The Present: Contemporary Art from the Emirates is a new group exhibition which opens at the Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah on Thursday 18th October. 

The show is curated by Noor Al Suwaidi and includes work by 13 artists and designers and I'm glad to say I'm part of this exhibition. The other participants in this exhibition include:

Artists

• Shamma Al Amri
• Khawla Darwish
• Zeinab Al Hashemi
• Khalid Al Banna
• Hamdan Buti Al Shamsi
• Shaikha Al Mazrou
• Alia Lootah
• Farah Al Qasimi
• Sharifa Horaiz

Designers

• Khawla Al Marri
• Khaled Mezaina (my brother)

Spoken word performance by Hala Ali

Noor Al Suwaidi asked us to address connotations of the word “Present” and to explore our own interpretations of present in social, geographical and cultural terms.  I've done a series of portraits called The Conversation for this exhibition and will share the photographs, along with work by the other artists after the opening.  In the meantime, this is an open invitation for you to attend the opening, or to visit the exhibition which will be running till 28th November.  Event details Date: 18 October – 28 November 2012. Opening on 18th Oct from 7pm Venue: Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba, Block (E), 3rd Floor, Sharjah (location map) www.maraya.ae/2012/10/exploring-the-present www.nooralsuwaidi.com

Film Screening - 1395 Days without Red

1395 Days without Red is a cinematic project by Šejla Kamerić and Anri Sala in collaboration with Ari Benjamin Meyers. Commissioned by the internationally-lauded UK-based organisation Artangel, 1395 Days without Red comprises two separate works made from material developed and filmed together in Sarajevo. 

It had its Middle East premiere on 17th March at the Sharjah Institute of Theatrical Arts and will screen again on Sunday, 25th March at 6pm in the American University of Sharjah. I hope additional dates will be added to screen in Dubai. 

One woman’s journey through a city under siege. Sarajevo, Sniper Alley. The trauma is relived through the stop and start of a journey accompanied by the stop and start of music. The woman hears the music in her head. It gives her the courage to go on…

1395 Days without Red draws on the experience of the siege of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996 and the trauma of the besieged citizens as they made their way through the city. The title refers to the fact that, during the siege, the Sarajevans were advised not to wear bright colours that might alert the snipers in the hills above to their movements.

Event details:
Date: Sunday, 25th March at 6pm
Venue: Main Building Auditorium, American University of Sharjah (location map)
Free entry.

www.artangel.org.uk/projects/2011/1395_days_without_red

Revisiting Tarab by Tarek Atoui

Tarek Atoui

 
Lebanese sound artist Tarek Atoui will be in Sharjah on 19th March in the Heritage Area in Sharjah (Calligraphy Square) to present the Middle East premiere of Revisiting Tarab, an evening of performances inspired by classical Arab music.

Conceived and proposed by Tarek Atoui, he will be joined by 22 international musicians including Anti-Pop Consortium and there will be series of performances from 8.15pm till 2.am the following morninig. Audience members are free to dip in and out anytime or sit through the whole show.

Revisiting Tarab incorporates elements of the world’s largest collection of Classical Arab music as interpreted by a range of musicians and sound artists. The collection belongs to Kamal Kassar who has amassed a collection of old 78 rpm shellac discs and studio tapes dating between 1903 and 1950, largely covering the Arab renaissance period that began in the early 19th century.

There is no word in English that accurately translates the word Tarab from Arabic to English, which makes it very difficult to define. Tarab is used in Arab culture to describe the emotional effect of music, but it is also associated with a traditional form of art music. The word 'Tarab' refers to an older repertoire, which is rooted in the pre World War 1 musical practice of Egypt and the East Mediterramean Arab world and is directly associated with emotional evocation.

Tarab sessions are known to last hours where both enchantment and ecstasy play an important rule within the Tarab performance. Tarab is a musically induced state of Ecstasy, an enchantment roused by of music, whereas Spanish Duende depicts the state the musician may experience during his performance – it is called in Arabic Saltana, Tarab describes the enchantment of the audience. (via tarekatoui.com/projects/visiting-tarab)

Shaikh Yusef Al MinlawiNaima Al Masriya

Revisiting Tarab is produced by Sharjah Art Foundation and was first performed last November in New York. I really hope it tours around the Middle East region after Sharjah. I think it's an important show that needs to be exposed to a wider audience in this part of the world.

I was intending to go to this show and sit through the whole thing. But that was before I knew I'd be in an exhibition that opens that same night. So I will try my best to catch the last hour or two after the exhibition opening.

You can download some original Tarab music from visitingtarab.com to get a sense of what you might hear at this event. The music is sublime.

Event details
Date: Monday, 19th March starting at 8.15pm till 2.00am the following morning
Venue: Calligraphy Square, Heritage Area, Sharjah (location map).  There is an Art Bus Shuttle organised by Art in the City that will provide transportation from Dubai to the venue. Details here.
Phone: +971 6 568 5050

www.tarekatoui.com
www.visitingtarab.com
www.myspace.com/antipopny
www.tarekatoui.com/projects/visiting-tarab
www.sharjahart.org

[Images via tarekatoui.com]

Sharjah Biennial 10: Film and Audio Commissions Exhibition

Karim Aïnouz, Sunny Lane (Sonnenallee), 2011, film still.

The Sharjah Biennial 10: Film and Audio Commissions Exhibition has been on since 10th November 2011 and there's a few days left for this, it will end on 14th January 2011. 

I've been meaning to share this for a while and told myself I must make sure I don't miss this, particularly because the exhibition includes the screening of Rania Stephan's The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni which I wrote about a few months ago and I'm dying to watch. 


About the exhibition: 

This exhibition will present seven films and three audio works commissioned for Sharjah Biennial 10. Six filmmakers were invited to create a new short film inspired by the Biennial’s title Plot for a Biennial and the key words–Treason, Affiliation, Corruption, Necessity, Devotion, Disclosure, Translation and Insurrection–that constituted its conceptual framework.

Also on view is Rania Stephan’s Sharjah Biennial Prize winning film The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni.

Rania Stephan, The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni (Ikhtifa’aat Soad Hosni el-Thalaathat), 2011, Lebanon/UAE, film still.

In addition to the films, this exhibition will present audio works created by filmmakers for Sharjah Biennial 10.  These works reflect the content of the commissioned films and resonate with the energy of the Arab Spring.

Artist List

Karim Ainouz
Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia
Hicham Ayouch
Ali Essafi
Sean Gullette
Bahman Kiarostami
Rania Stephan

Must get myself to Sharjah before 14th January.

Event details
Date: till 14th January 2012
Venue: Bait Al Serkal, Sharjah (location map)
Phone: +971 6 568 5050
Free Entry

www.sharjahart.org

[images via sharjahart.org]

Middle Eastern Skies by Ammar Salem

I love stargazing, but unfortunately, there's so much light pollution in Dubai, you really need to get away from the city to appreciate the night sky.

Ammar Salem's Middle Eastern Skies takes us on a journey into the skies above us in the region from dusk till dawn. Shot in Syria and United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Sharjah), he's described it as an experimental video. I don't know about you, but I quite like it.

www.vimeo.com/tobe2d

Film Screening - Pink Saris

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March, the British Council will be organising free public screenings of the film Pink Saris by UK director Kim Longinotto, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women over the years and the British Council in the UAE will join organisations globally, and in the United Arab Emirates, to promote and create awareness of women’s issues.

“The British Council is passionately dedicated to raising awareness of social issues and how those could impact society at large. The film screenings of Pink Saris aim to do just that, by recognising the need to share experiences and approaches in order to tackle the continuing inequalities and discrimination faced by marginalised groups in societies worldwide.”
Michel Bechara, Director of Projects, British Council UAE

Event details:

Abu Dhabi
Cinestar in Marina Mall at 9pm (contact rsvp@adff.ae for seat reservation)

Dubai
Centrepoint Theatre, DUCTAC in Mall of the Emirates at 8pm (contact info@thesceneclub.com for seat reservation)

Sharjah
Shelter, Maraya Art Centre in Al Qasba at 8pm (contact marayaartcentre@gmail.com for seat reservation)

All three screenings are complimentary, but seats are limited, so make sure you make a reservation.

Internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto's Pink Saris is an unflinching and often amusing look at the all-woman vigilante Gulabi Gang in Northern India and their charismatic leader, Sampat Pal, who acts as judge and jury for girls and women who are being abused by outlawed patriarchal traditions and the caste system.

"A girl's life is cruel...A woman's life is very cruel," notes Sampat Pal, the complex protagonist at the center of Pink Saris, internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto's latest foray into the lives of extraordinary women (Sisters In Law, Divorce Iranian Style, Rough Aunties). Sampat should know -- like many others she was married as a young girl into a family which made her work hard and beat her often. But unusually, she fought back, leaving her in-laws and eventually becoming famous as a champion for beleaguered women throughout Uttar Pradesh, many of whom find their way to her doorstep.



www.internationalwomensday.com
www.britishcouncil.org/me-uae 

March - a month of art and culture on steroids

Art Dubai 2010

It's March, which means a month of art and culture on steroids in Dubai (and in nearby Sharjah). So if you are hungry for some art, this is the month to step out and find out what's make discover what is on offer.

Here's a brief rundown of what's coming up this month and look out for detailed posts over the next few days for some of the events I'm really looking forward to.

07-12 March - Gulf Photo Plus
08-12 March - Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
13-15 March - Sharjah Art Foundation's March Meeting
16-19 March - Art Dubai
16 March till 16 May - Sharjah Biennial
... and lots of exhibition openings in galleries across Dubai.

Art in the City is a great resource that lists all art related events in the UAE, so have a look if you want detailed information to mark your calendars.

For now, I leave you with this collage of photos I took from last year's Art Dubai and hope to see you around at one or several of the events listed above.