Sometimes in life, you need a bit of comic relief..
Looking at things in a witty perspective provides a bit of escape from reality with all its stressors and "serious" stuff and adds a bit of needed fun..
Banksy does just that, he adds a twist to some cannon art works, and gives them a bit of edge..
They are not fakes; they are twists to the art..
Something along the lines of when pop/street art culture meets prestigious art, the result being Banksy's brilliant eclectic style..
On a recent trip to Tokyo, I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of people wearing the Kimono around Ginza (**an area in Tokyo famed for its shopping, it's like London's Bond Street, or LA's Rodeo Drive, but on a much larger scale and is very maze like, in other words in every nook and cranny you go into you'll find some kind of famous designer or high priced store)
Now, here's a country that hasn't lost their national dress, or in other words actually venture out wearing their traditional dress out and about, according to our Guide, mostly on days where they have tea ceremonies, or formal gatherings..
Notice the amazing fur stole with the Kimono combo,
tres chic, I loved it..
A shop that sold their traditional slippers.
Those kimonoed ladies really stood out in between the blacks and grey suits on one of Tokyo's busiest district (**post my Tokyo trip, i have developed a new thought and observation about Japanese people and fashion, I believe they have surpassed the Europeans and French Chic, don't start thinking of those ultra preppy sometimes kind of wacky Japanese tourists you see around popular tourist destinations with their Hello Kitty fads, the people you will see in Tokyo will keep you awe-ing and remarking about the capacity of their style and how well put together they seem)..
Surprisingly, no one stopped to stare or turn around to look at them; i doubt you'd go so unnoticed here, just try wearing a "دراعه"/kaftan here, and be prepared for stare downs..
Such a lovely way to keep culture and traditions alive in a vastly developing and technologically advanced city- Tokyo..
A really good destination to visit; by far one of the most beautiful, enjoyable and "different" city I've ever visited, goes up there on the top list of cities to see..
Will definitely upload some pictures of Tokyo in future posts,
Taken at Kensington Gardens, the Pavilion Cafe next to Kensington Palace in London
Notice how the places seem to stay the same, you can almost always go back to that beautiful landmark, city, or cafe; it's the company you miss dearly!
First it started with the Gossip Girl infatuation with anything Hair Band-ish, after which millions of people started rocking the look of school girl hairband, be it with a ribbon, flower or major embellishments..
A new trend like many others that seems to have caught up with the young entrepreneurial crowd here in Kuwait with most girls setting up their own little mini "Hairband factories", all of which are marketed and sold via Face-book (**yeah, I just have to dedicate a post to the phenomenon of face-book trading)..
First it was cupcakes, then it developed to bags and personalized gold plated/hand made necklaces and bracelets and now its hairbands and hair adornments..
And now it seems the runway is forecasting a new trend, "Head Gear" as shown on the PPQ Spring 2009 Show...
It's essentially quite like the "Hijab," but without the modest clothing it seems, something to dress up the head and add some pizzazz..
Some of the images were very reminiscent of Female Emirates Airline Attendants Costume, blended with modern Fashionable Egyptian Hijabs..
The last look was my favorite, as my best friend would say "DraaaMaaa!"
I wouldn't wear it though.
xx
Baroque
Ps. A-Muse.
Photo Credits: PPQ Spring/Summer RTW 2009 from NYMAG
"أم كلثوم"/Om Kalthoum isn't just the famous lady with the sunglasses and handkerchief that sings in front of the masses, dubbed as "كوكب الشرق/star of the east," her songs are still sung decades after her death..
Apparently she was so famous that she was used as a political media vehicle:
"Some claim that Umm Kulthum's popularity helped Nasser’s political agenda. For example, Nasser’s speeches and other government messages were frequently broadcast immediately after Umm Kulthum's monthly radio concerts. Umm Kulthum’s monthly concerts took place on the first Thursday of every month and were renowned for their ability to clear the streets of some of the world's most populous cities as people rushed home to tune in."
Wow? No?
I'll leave you with one of my favorite Om K songs:
ما تنسونيش
xx
Baroque
Ps. "Smile as the hurdles of life are thrown your way"
Om Kalthoum Information Referenced from Wikipedia.
As you may have noticed, I love anything to do with traditions and culture, especially things that are semi-obsolete, such as some artifacts of traditional clothing that are not worn much those days, such things make one wonder, "وين كنل وين صرنا"..
J'adore the whole "ثوب"/thoub costume phenomenon..
(**illustrated below by what seems to be a really creative artist, i forgot who they are by, all i know is that i took those pics whilst walking through Avenues Mall in Kuwait, they had various forms of artwork on display..)
The "ثوب"/thoub used to be worn on special occasions, such as Eid, a Wedding, etc..
It would have been layered on top of their clothing, the shiny colors and exquisite golden embroidery with the infamous "زري"/glitter-ish tiny circles all symbolized happiness; it's like they emanated this joy through their clothes..
Such a shame such a glittery and exquisitely weaved item of costume is not so popular and almost obsolete, i guess its not as practical, hence the only traditional clothing people have grasped onto are the "دراعه"/kaftan and "العباة"/head abbaya, and let go of such a beautiful accessory..
I haven't seen much of it in Kuwait to tell you the truth, the last I recall was when my mother used to dress me up in ones when i was a kid at national day celebrations in school; now i mostly see the vast array of colorful "أثواب"/thoubs in pictures, and in operates such as the one below...
Can't stop admiring the costumes and singing the song..
Such a myriad array of colors that seem to glisten all together, they look like a beautiful dancing rainbow...
Such a shame loosing something so beautiful and so indicative of our heritage and traditions..
xx
Baroque
Nb. If you want to learn more about this piece of clothing, go to Kuwait Heritage.
Also song in title, is a hilarious song by "خالد الملا" called "يا لابس الثوب المنقط" which can be found here
For all those out there that believe that Fashion is not an Art..
I say, "Try making a dress. Yet alone a run-way wonder dress. Oh and make it flattering too.."
One can not disregard the aesthetic wonders of fashion and the fact that it is a form of Art..
I've always wanted to coin a phrase/provide an explanation on why I believe Fashion should be considered Art, but find myself blanking midway..
I just stumbled upon something on one of the blogs I regularly follow that supports my belief, one of an intelligent young Senior High School Student with big dreams (**I never thought I'd ever read a younger person's blog, yet alone be quoting them, I wish her the best of Luck.. ), and found the following excerpt that just took all the words right out of my head..
"I know there are people (designers and gallery owners included) who would argue that fashion isn't art, and there are fine arguments to support that. However, I am arguing that fashion is art because there is something universally exquisite about it that can speak to a person whether or not they understand art, whether or not they understand fashion. According to Leo Tolstoy, "Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that other people are infected by these feelings and also experience them."What's more human than fashion, than the ability to clothe oneself not merely for survival but for expression?"
Yes, the one that was introduced in the 70's and discontinued recently..
Well this is it's grandson, the PoGo..
The PoGo is a new digital camera from the Polaroid Corporation.. Like father like son it seems, but instead the pictures are digital in a sense that they can be edited on the camera and printed out on one end..
It's like your own photo printer and camera in one..
The picture prints in less than 60 seconds, and it does not fade/take long to appear like the old one..
Say goodbye to loaded memory cards, and stacked files of pictures on your PC that never seem to make it out of there (**I know I'm guilty of having zillions of pics on my laptop and none in frames..) and Hello to easy instant photography..!
Sadly, I'm gonna miss those nostalgic iconic washed out color photos that were ever so sentimental..
Nonetheless this is exciting stuff!
Just have to figure out where I'm gonna store all the printed pictures....
The new PoGo is supposedly going to be available in March and will retail for $199..
Now, TED mind you isn't a guy, and my blog is not one of those new blogs that revolve around a story, with each post attempting to give you snippets of a modern "خليجي" love story that has the usual twists and turns and end with the same conclusion, "they rode into the sunset";in our case drove together into the sunset in his car, and did i mention they were hugging each other throughout?
what the hell is up with the online Kuwaiti/Gulf story blogs and constant PDA (**public display of affection)?
It's like if they aren't going on secret dates, they are hugging each other, and if they aren't hugging each other they are most likely holding hands, something so ironically unacceptable in our culture yet flourishing online; i guess its the whole "fiction delves deep into unacceptable topics and defies the status quo" idea..
Whatever.. (**no disrespect meant to all you story bloggers; you seem to be popular, kudos to that, but "شسوي" I'm not a fan of fiction on the internet, in books and movies yes..)
So, TED (**who isn't a guy, covered that thought already) stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design.
Its an annual conference held in Long Beach, California, that was initiated in 1984 with an aim of bringing together people from those three worlds...They get the world’s most fascinating and radical thinkers and doers, and challenges them to give the talk of their lives in front of an audience for a mere 18 minutes..
Some of the participants discuss their ideas, others talk about their personal magnum-opuses (great works), and several display/walk the audience through their current experiments and discoveries; some of which are still going through research and development, others which have just been introduced to the public, etc.
Ted is so ahead of its time, that believe it or not the first demos of a Mac Computer were showcased there before the Mac Computer was even produced..
Bill Gates of Microsoft once commented after attending a conference,"I wasn't prepared for this conference to be so profound. The combined IQ of the attendees is incredible."
With a mission of spreading ideas, the people behind TED “believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.” They are also, “devoted to giving millions of knowledge-seekers around the globe direct access to the world's greatest thinkers and teachers.”
Ted talks are no longer only open to the conference goers, they are also taped and posted on their website for free viewing by the public; you can download them to your Itunes in one click and enjoy every bit of those enlightening talks, or stream them on the website itself.
I never thought I’d be glued to my laptop watching people actually lecturing me before; makes me wish I could pay half as much attention as I do to TED in my current college classes..
Here is one of my favorite TED Video:
Helen Fisher, a renown anthropologist, discusses the "Brain in Love"; she and her team examined MRIs taken of people who are head over heels in love and others that have just been dumped, all to answer the following question: "Why do we crave love so much even to the point that we would die for it?" (**tres interesting, captivating as well as eye-opening..)
Queen Rania talking about her "Youtube Channel", which is essentially taped messages of her to the public/world in the form of videos, with the aim of bridging the gap between the world and the Middle East..
She allegedly wants to break the stereotype and show the world what the Middle East is really like, as well as get more Arab Voices on the web; something along the lines of cultural dialogue..
Here she is giving a speech at the Google Conference "Zeitgeist 2008" about her online presence..
Truth be told, with everything else held aside, I really find her charismatic..
What's your take?
xx
Baroque
PS. They say "luminosity" is a quality that stars have, I agree..
Was having a heated discussion avec ma "meilleure copaine" about how older people, in other words people other than Generation X (**our generation) rarely get the concept behind the idea of creative little "cute" things, and instead call them "خماتشير"..
Ironically, i stumbled upon something my mother would definitely call a "خمتشوره", perhaps a wow and eye-opening how did they do that one, but one nonetheless..
I give you those radically artistic and tres clever pieces of art that are ironically dubbed, "Paper- Cut Outs", and are the works of the brilliant and renown Peter Callesen..
Distant Wish, 2006
Acid-free A4 115 gsm paper and glue
Distant Wish (Close up)
The Impossible Meeting, 2005
Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue
The Impossible Meeting (Close up)
Impenetrable Castle, 2005
Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue
Impenetrable Castle (Close up)
This "exploration of the relationship between two and three dimensionality" really blew me away..
As Peter Callesen puts it, "I find this materialization of a flat piece of paper into a 3D form almost a magic process- or maybe one could call it obvious magic, because the process is obvious and the figures still stuck to their origin, without the possibility of escaping. in that sense there is also an aspect of something tragic in most of the cuts.."
According to him, some "paper cuts are small dramas in which small figures are lost within and threatened by the huge powerful nature, others again are turning the inside out or letting the front and the back of the paper meet- dealing with impossibility, illusions and reflections.."
Why he used A4 papers as his canvas?
Because the are "probably the most common and consumed media and format for carrying information today, and in that sense it is something very loaded, this means that we rarely notice the actual materiality of the A4 paper.. The thin white paper also gives the paper sculptures a fragility which underlines the tragic and romantic theme of the works.."
I love it when Artists explain themselves and it makes sense..
I love it when people share something they ardently support or are just plain passionate about with me..
I honestly feel like they transfer this passion and fervor towards that thing to me, which on its own makes me view that interest in a different perspective and light..
It's so interesting knowing about other people's interests and beliefs; something along the lines of shedding light onto a new subject or hobby you oversaw before, and learning more about it..
You never know what you might get out of a simple conversation revolving around someone's take on things/interests; perhaps a new hobby, an idea or a simple push in a completely random direction that could forever change your life..
I'm working on a project with a fellow classmate about a topic that I as well as many of you who are reading this have apparently fallen in love with, and made your own; "Blogging."
So tell me fellow bloggers, avid blog readers, or random people that surf online jumping from one link to the other and have stumbled here:
"Why do you blog?" and "What makes blogging/reading blogs so appealing?"
Plus any comments you have regarding the whole blogging phenomena..
Before I drifted into my winter hiatus, I visited the AC Art Exhibition- a showcase of Graphically designed posters/pop art-esque works all made by up and coming artist, Ali Chabaan..
This promising artist, who is also a good friend and a fellow classmate, blends consumerist values and notions as well as globalized/popularized culture artifacts into his graphic design masterpieces..
Filled with pop cultural artifacts, globalized images as well as a couple of childhood memory priming snapshots, looking at his pieces is like delving into a consumerist disney land, or a stroll down memory lane/dream world..
Every work revolves around a central notion, but the main idea is left to the viewer's disposal; in other words you end up conjuring up your own story/pattern of ideas, something i feel is central to really appreciating art and making it your own..
That's the impression I got..
Realizing that "شهادتي" may be "مجروحه" since he's a friend, i leave you to judge his work/ decide on your own..
Here are a couple of my favorite pieces, which by the way have sold out and been snatched already (**click on the image to enlarge, so that you don't miss the fine details, sorry couldn't make them bigger than this..)
Emily Blunt
Self Portrait, 2008
"A tribute to the world's best DJ: The Prodigy"
Influenced by The Prodigy- always outnumbered, never outgunned. 2003
Viva Las Vegas
Pop Art, 2008
Lego War
Grunge, 2008
"Rebel against consumerism"
The Last Supper
Collage on print, 2008
"I'm Loving It"
Blind Man Experience
Expressionism, 2008
"I'm Just sleeping awake"
Love Letter To Japan
Expressionism, 2008
"Sit back and admire all the wonders, Japan has to offer"
Camera! Lights! Action!
Photography, 2008
"It's a bird! No, its a plane! It's Louboutins"
Not only was his exhibition a success, i believe he is working on a second installment as well as working on commissioned pieces.
So its that time of the year, in which we tear that final paper off our calendars/start getting used to crossing out that 8 and substituting that 9 at the end of the date...
As much as I love new beginnings, I can't help but feel stupid when writing/thinking up new resolutions for the new year..
For starters I get so ambitious, and attempt to restructure my entire life/edit out and try to change the areas i need to work on in a couple of petty lines (**resolutions)..
I never write them down, and if I ever do, like most people I loose that piece of paper, or hide it somewhere that i am bound to forget; thus losing it eventually..
And best of all, thats when it becomes ironic.. I never remember my resolutions midway through the year (**that would be an overstatement), I honestly forget them by February..
So this year, I'm spearheading the "Anti-New Year's Resolutions" campaign...
Life is too short, and unpredictable to be instituting resolutions/changes/trying new things/proposing alterations once every 365 days..
I'd rather work on daily/weekly/monthly resolutions, something I'll eventually remember and implement..
Carpe Diem.
2 Words that make a hell of a difference, are easy to remember and are all encompassing..
"عساها سنة خير على الجميع"
xx
Baroque
PS. Highlighters emphasize things, and jazz up endless pages of black aNd white.
NB. Emphasized/Paraphrased sentence in title is the actual definition of a year from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, never thought of it like that before eh? (**perhaps in Middle School Science class, once upon a time)..
