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ENL a bi-monthly digital magazine www.elhambahrain.net / aug-sept 09 Saturday, September 19, 2009

ENL Sept 09

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The Sept/Oct issue of ENL - the Elham arts group official digital magazine

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Page 2: ENL Sept 09

inside, you will find...

UpFront: The Return.....03Season 4 Launch ...........04Elham 19.............................05Festival 09 Wrap.............08Red Hand Art ................14Upcoming Events..........16Write On: Song..............17Art in Focus......................18Write On: Story..............21

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So. It begins again. We are about to launch our 4th season of cultural activities since we first started our monthly events back in November 2006. And it promises to be yet another fantastic experience for all involved. Following the success of our biggest and most ambitious event to date, the 4-day Elham Arts Festival in May, we decided that it was time to press the “refresh” button and rediscover ourselves.

UPFRONT the return of elham

We want to focus on “interaction”, to engaged the audience with the artist and the artist with the art. To make the Elham experience truly one of inspiration and innovation. That is why we are reformatting the setup of our monthly gatherings which will now see newer approaches to how the art is displayed, it is no longer a showcase, but an experience. So prepare to get out of your seats and become par t of the performance, part of the art.

Our calendar of events is already looking pretty busy. In addition to our monthly events, we will have our now popular satellite events, such as the photography day out (in November), the Jam Night (in December) and new activities. Live performances, street art and improvised on-the-spot showcases. There are many surprises coming your way, so watch out for those. Please continue to support us, spread the word, register on our website and send us your emails and ideas.

For now, enjoy the ever-evolving ENL, your now bi-monthly digital magazine offering you all you need to know about Elham, what we’re doing (and what you’ve been up to as well) and the latest happenings in the local art scene. Don’t miss out. Be part of this. Create. Engage. Interact.

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SEASON 4 LAUNCH eid art carnival

With a new season, we venture into a new creative phase! Every night over Eid, the streets of Adliya will be swept with an artistic wave. ELHAM launches its 4th season with a spectacular carnival of art and music over the Eid holiday. For three nights, artists from Elham will showcase their talents to the public in the newly developed Adliya promenade.

The special launch programme is in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture & Information and Bahrain TV. The televised evenings will be shown on BTV channel from 9pm to 10pm on the first, second and third days of Eid Al Fiter (starting Sunday, Sept 20th). The public will be entertained by several local music acts including Na Der and Silverlake as will as feature the artwork of a number of promising and established artists and photographers such as Fardan Raffii, Hasan Alkhunaizi and Shabana Feroza.

So don’t miss this amazing art spectacular this Eid, come down and join us on location, or enjoy the show live on TV in the comfort of your home.

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ELHAM19 Sept I 29 I 2009

Sound loops, photo shoots and on-the-spot painting is what people attending the upcoming Elham event should expect. The popular creative arts group returns after a short summer break with its 19th monthly gathering on September 29th.

The event, entitled ELHAM19, will be held at the Qal’at Al-Bahrain Site Museum Café from 7.30pm and will feature four hot Bahraini talents including acoustic Blues one-man band Faisal Sheikh, photographer Ahmed Zayer and artist Yasmine Rasool. It marks the launch of the group’s fourth cultural season, on the back of yet another successful year that cultimated with the Elham Arts Festival in May, sponsored by the museum.

This time around, Elham promises a wide range of activities and a new fresh approach. “Our monthly gatherings will no longer be simply a showcase, but an interactive experience where the crowds interact with the art and the artist,” explained Elham founder and award-winning author Ali Al Saeed.

Faisal Sheikh

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ELHAM19 Sept I 29 I 2009

“We are focusing on presenting some new concepts such as performative and interactive arts. We have a few surprises up our sleeves. There will be some unannounced, improvised performances around the country, so people should keep an eye out for those.”

ELHAM19 will feature a “photo shoot” conducted by Ahmed Zayer that will involve the artists and the audience. Born in 1980, the Bahraini photographer developed his interest in imagery art at late 2006. Soon he established a career as one of the most remarkable and excitingly expressive forces in fashion and commercial photography. Working with local and regional celebrities, his artwork usually explores an amusing blend of focus, color, and environment; revealing the unique qualities of a star.

Self-taught vocalist, guitarist and composer of mostly rock and blues music, Faisal Sheikh will be performing some of his songs from his upcoming solo debut record, in the café terrace, in which he’ll invite the crowd to join in making music. He has a number of local gigs to his credit, mostly with his friends and his band called 'The Tryout'. His songwriting usually revolves around the idea of people trying to get out of a rut, to find themselves and to progress in life. A couple of his home recordings can be heard on Elham's compilation 'Museland'.

Ahmed Zayer

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ELHAM19 Sept I 29 I 2009

While 23-year-old artist Yasmine Rasool will present some of her recent artworks and talk about her experience in making experimental and abstract art. Yasmine, a graduate of the Concordia College, Canada, with a studio arts and psychology degree, has recently participated in the experimental workshop and art exhibit ‘A Beautiful Mess’ at Alriwaq Art Gallery.

The evening will also introduce an international artist to Elham. American abstract artist Laurie Goddard, holder of BFA in printmaking from the Moore College of Art, will share her experience and present some of her artwork for the first time in Bahrain. The award-winning artist was involved in numerous art exhibitions across the United States since 2002.

from 7.30pm to 9.30pmentrance is free for allYasmine Rasool

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Elham Arts Festival 09

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It has always been a dream of ours to create a fringe arts festival that would continuously grow every year and introduce a new wave of art to the local scene. We began in 2008 with our first edition, Live Art 08, at the Palace Hotel, which was an encouraging experiment.

With our first full-fledged arts festival in 2009, we went further and expanded to create a 4-day festival that featured all sorts of art, music, literature, film and photography.

Over 50 artists participated in our programme of events, mostly from Bahrain but also from the USA, Ireland, Egypt, the UK, Lebanon and other countries. The festival was hosted by Qal’at Al-Bahrain Site Museum and sponsored by the Culture & Information Ministry.

ARTS Festival 09 the wrap up

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ARTS Festival 09 the wrap up

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The first day of the festival featured a memorable performance by a group of poets, reciting poetry both in English and Arabic, and a musical fusion of guitar and tabla which a throng of people enjoyed out at the museum’s café terrace under the clear night sky.

The festival also saw a new first for Elham. An art street performance (by visiting artists Keith Winter & Steve Mykietyn) at Bab Al-Bahrain which drew a huge positive response from the crowds that gathered around to listen to the odd and fantastic sounds the artists produced. Members of the crowds even joined in on the fun at the end!

ARTS Festival 09 the wrap up

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The biggest crowd-pleaser however, was the music concert, held at the Cultural Hall, that featured a strong line-up of local musicians and bands. Around 400 people (our biggest crowd in one event so far) came out for the night to listen to acoustic folk, alternative rock, pop fusion, blues and Latin jazz!

The Elham Arts Festival also featured the group’s first major group art exhibition, Scattered in a Monument (at the Bahrain National Museum) and a photography exhibition at the fort museum café. There was also a reading, a filmmaking talk, a photography workshop and a performance art workshop.

ARTS Festival 09 the wrap up

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ARTS Festival 09 the wrap up

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A Bahrain-myth inspired story will “touch” the art community all the way down under, in Australia, during a special art festival. Award-winning author Ali Al Saeed will be taking part in the Arc 2009 Biennial of Art in Brisbane between September 4th to 27th.

An art installation based on the short story written by Al Saeed was created by the author in collaboration with Irish artist Keith Winter. The installation expanded on the concept of the story, which was published in a 6-part illustrated series in the monthly FACT magazine.

The “Red Hand” tells the story of a mysterious supernatural phenomena that spreads in an primary school for boys in the mid 80s and leaves a trail of troubled victims behind. “It was something that I remember from my school days as a youngster and as with things like that, they tend to stay in your mind as a kid,” explains the author, “In the story, I wanted to discover the mystery and delve into my own interpretation with it, while attempting to delver an important message,”

RED HAND ART in the news

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The art installation in Brisbane will be an interactive piece that pulled people to be involved with it, painting their hands in red, splattering their hand prints on the walls, and even writing their own “Red Hand” story. “Keith and I developed an interesting concept that will see the story expand to reach further grounds. I’ve always felt that the idea behind the story had the potential to become phenomena. I hope we will be able to achieve that in Brisbane and then take it across the world!”Artist Winter has also introduced an element from his own culture, The Red Hand of Ulster, to the piece and draw comparisons between the two myths (read the story on page 21).

Al Saeed was also involved in readings and talks during his trip to Brisbane, which was sponsored by House of Travel, and attended the Brisbane Writers Festival (from September 9 to 13) and the opening of the opening of the Brisbane Festival, one of Australia’s leading international arts festivals.

RED HAND ART in the news

Keith Winter

Ali Al Saeed

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ELHAM20 upcoming events

Shabana Feroza

The J.A.M. Project

Our second event of the new season will see us return to a favorite spot, Albareh Art Gallery in Adliya. ELHAM20 will be held on October 27th and bring together another group of artists that will engage you with their art and talent.

Shabana Feroza will be sketching faces from the crowd throughout the evening with her own unique style and show off some of her oli paintings while one-man-band The J.A.M. Project will perform for the first time in Bahrain. Exciting and promising young Bahraini talent Sara Aradi will present us with some of her stunning paintings and talk about her art that depicts people and life in rich and vibrant colors. Also debuting at Elham in October is Ahmed Al Shaikh who will recite some of his Arabic poetry.

The event will be held from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Entrance is free and all are welcome.

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WRITE ON faisal sheikh

Time is inconsistentLeaving distance far awayPlaying with our lives and filling them with painBut it's an understanding..Give n' take is not a choiceAnd all the while we have been learning from ourselves

It's an understandingWe gotta comprehend itIt;s an understanding..

Hope to see you somedayIt might not be on this earthTime will tell how much it takes for such wounds to healI have to be on my waySkin is turnin' into dirtHave the courage to foresee what you could be..

And suddenly, I feel a change in the momentIt's hard to be another soul that flies away..

I wish you the best in life but..I won't be around, won't be with youI wish you the best in lifeBut you're gonna have to make it worth the time..I wish you the best in life but..Make me proud when I see youI have to go away but I leave my heart right back home with you..

lyrics to “wish you the best”

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ART in FOCUS ahmed zayer

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ART in FOCUS ahmed zayer

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ART in FOCUS ahmed zayer

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"Whosoever's hand is the first to touch the shore of the Island, so shall he be made the king"

Centuries ago there stood a deep oath between the war-torn lands of Ulster and Bahrain. A blood tie cast upon the ruling families, which stated that every first full moon of the century, a battle was to be fought by the first-born sons of the king.

The battle took place in the barren sands of the south, pierced by sandstorms, circled by high walls and enclosed by unusual beasts. Tribes of both soils made the perilous journey to the site where much blood had been spilt in the past.

During the 3rd generation of the dark ages, Prince Nathaniel of Ulster was summoned to fight Shaikh Sager of Bahrain.

WRITE ON red hand legendMid battle, as the two struggled to overcome each other, Nathaniel took his sword and cut off Sager’s right hand. Nathaniel made off upon the most grand of ships within the Eastern Seas with the prize of Sager’s ruling fist.

Legend has it that Nathaniel on entering Ulster, buried Sager’s fist in a secret location. Since this time no battle has been fought as the ruling hand of Bahrain has been missing.

For that blood spilt on that battleground had seeped into the core of the islands and sprouted what is to become a legend, the legend of the Red Hand. Harsh, powerful and all consuming, a hand that guides, a hand that fights and a hand that touches. Born from the blood of the fallen prince.

written by Ali Al Saeed & Keith Winter

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our partners

Written, designed & produced by Ali Al Saeed

Photography by Ali Al Saeed & Hasan Al Khunaizi

Email us at [email protected] www.elhambahrain.net Find us on Facebook!

All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce or use any of the content without permission.

Saturday, September 19, 2009