Every time I go downtown, I find myself entranced by the overdramatic use of color in almost every single aspect of display. It really becomes difficult to fully take in all what the eyes perceive, unless captured by images which could be carefully studied later.
I’m aware that not everyone shares my fascination when it comes to the use of color, but these pictures are absolutely fascinating by their own right; the organization of objects and the mind-numbing variety.
While the whole deal about gravity was amusing, this deal is disturbing:
“Recently, a newspaper photographer was detained by the mutawwa (religious police) for photographing a row of trees uprooted during a sand storm in Riyadh. The reason given for his detention was that trees are God’s creation and that by photographing fallen trees, the photographer was making fun of God’s creation.”
[Source: Arab News via Saudi Jeans]
Umm?
And while we’re on it, here’s a very interesting article on the use of hip-hop in the Islamic world.
A friend just called and informed me about a fundraising mini-concert happening today(Tuesday) to raise money for the Operation Smile campaign. Operation Smile is a nonprofit organization committed to repairing childhood facial deformities, and they will be operating on children with such deformities in Jordan this December.
The mini-concert will take place tomorrow evening at Shisha in Sweifieh, near Hardees, at 8:00 PM. Tickets cost 6 JDs each and each includes a Ramadan drink, mezzas such as hummos and fool, and a live concert by the fantastic Jadal. Considerable portion of proceeds will go to spreading the smiles of children nationwide.
“It’s all a big game of construction, some with a brush, some with a shovel, some choose a pen.”
-Jackson Pollock(1912-1956)
It was Pollock who first “broke the ice”- instead of using the traditional easel, his canvas was on the floor; instead of using brushes, he poured and dripped his paint from a can. He manipulated his art with `sticks, trowels or knives’, sometimes adding `sand, broken glass or other foreign matter’.
What I love about Pollock is how shocking his paintings are. They are also more real and expressive than a naive eye might imagine- this method of painting, called Action painting, results in a direct expression or revelation of the unconscious moods of the artist, and although it seems random, Pollock extensively edited the canvases by trimming or destroying the whole work.
Further:
+ Jackson Pollock by Miltos Manetas- an applet to help you paint modern art in the style of Pollock.
+ Short and Sweet Jackson Pollock biography
“Scientists from the Evangelical Center For Faith-Based Reasoning are now asserting that the long-held “theory of gravity” is flawed, and they have responded to it with a new theory of Intelligent Falling, “Things fall not because they are acted upon by some gravitational force, but because a higher intelligence, ‘God’ if you will, is pushing them down.”
He3. That’s hilarious. I’m totally amused.
Truth is, although I would never want to live there again or spend more than 5 days a year visiting because the general belief system and the way of life are a good 180 degrees against everything I believe in(check this horrible example of mentality here. God, what a poor little girl!), most of my memories were formed in that city.
Memories, memories- it’s so hard to rip a memory of its sentimental value, as little as it may be. I really do wish Saudi Arabia is open enough for me to take pictures of these memories, but unfortunately, it’s a country where girls started muttering “Camera” when I was showing Farooha pictures, so these pictures that I can’t help but share will have to do. Oh, yeah, all pictures grow when clicked…
My mother loves painting motifs on walls, and ever since we were kids, I don’t remember ever living anywhere that didn’t have Disney cartoons in bedrooms and beautiful paintings around the house. When we moved to the this compound, my mom took the house-painting thing a step further by painting the common area. The second picture is of a very Arab thing to do- Argeeleh.
For years and years and years, my dad would take us to Fuddruckers every single Friday to have lunch, so when he asked us where we would like to eat this weekend, the natural answer was Fuddruckers. Sarah and the boys… The second picture is the view of Riyadh.
The pink sky, and Manarat from the car.
Riyadh is shopping heaven, but we went so early(that being 1 PM, the instance the stores open) that no one was there but us and the salespeople!
Shopping proved very useful though, because I bought these shoes that I’m so utterly in love with. I’ve been looking for flat boots for ages, but I was getting hopeless with time as all the boots in the market are really heelish… Aren’t they cute?
Whitey’s sister is just the most adorable cat ever… and Whitey in her new red collar to go with the family mood.
Me and Auntie Maha in her beautiful Ramadan tent, and em, while we’re on decoration, the only picture I managed to snap at a 3-hour “Leave-me-alone-I-don’t-want-to-leave” stroll at Ikea.
Anyhow, I’m back after an entire week of trying to figure out how to keep a scarf put, quite unsuccessfully because it mostly ended up in my bag… I’m glad that’s done with! Good to be back in Amman. But it’s cold! BRR! Read the rest of this entry »
