UNCOLLECTABLE: A Pop-Up Sound Art Experience

UNCOLLECTABLE is a two-night performance that will combine elements of an art gallery reception and musical experience. It is a show that seeks to expand the vocabulary of songwriting and highlight the the rising importance of sound art.

This multicultural performance will take place on 21st and 22nd June in New York and will kick off a month-long art exhibit hosted at the Hotel Particulier co-curated by Murtaza Vali, an independent Art Critic, Historian and Curator.

The project is aiming to raise USD 11,000 through crowdsource funding to help bring the performance to life (the art exhibition and an online magazine is already taken care of).

Here's a video featuring +Aziz, a Kuwaiti songwriter and one of the performing artists explaining his reasons behind this project. 

"Indie musicians in the Middle East need to look beyond the entertainment industry to create impact. Arab musicians in particular are constrained by a pop scene that regurgitates what I'd like to call plastic surgery pop. My goal is to leverage trend outside entertainment industry to establish myself as an Arab musician."

If you are tired of a pop scene that regurgitates "plastic surgery pop", and whether you live in New York or not, please show some support. So far, USD 9300 of the required USD 11,000 has been raised. You can donate as little as USD 5 to as much as you want and there are some interesting perks for all the contributors.

The funding campaign ends on Saturday, 22nd June at 11:59pm US Pacific Time.

More info about UNCOLLECTABLE:

WHAT I BELIEVE
By looking at trends outside the entertainment industry, musicians can breathe new life into the Middle East’s passive music and arts industry. By collaborating with sound artists or chefs (for example) we can introduce innovation and ideation into the music industry.

IMPACT
By bringing sound art and music together, we can deepen the conversation about the future of indie music, particularly in the Middle East.

The principles driving UNCOLLECTABLE are supported by a robust PR program and content strategy that will ensure this work has impact. For example, arrangements are being made to convey findings to Mideast Tunes and Knooz Room. Moreover, these principles are brought to light in an eMagazine already published on ArteEast.

Participating Performers
Joshua Liebowitz (artist), +Aziz, Matthew Halley, Sammi Ali, Jie-Song Zhang, Seif Al-Din, KRUSSIA (musicians)

$11,000 COST BREAKDOWN
- Video Crew + Content Development $4500
- Transportation Costs $1200
- Venue $1500- Equipment $1000
- Props $500
- Catering $1000
- PR $1500
- Payment to sound artist TBD
- Remainder of money raised will be divided amongst the musicians
- Indiegogo/ Paypal/ the bank will scrape off a good 5-9%

THE SPACE
Hotel Particulier is an art salon, an establishment where encounters, cross-pollination of ideas, disciplines and collaboration can take root and grow in a space that is different - and where there is a freedom of experimentation. It is a place of hospitality, of decompartmentalization, of conversations, and where not only artworks are exhibited but also ideas. Ticket prices for the event are to be decided.

www.indiegogo.com/projects/uncollectable-a-pop-up-sound-art-experience
www.plusaziz.tumblr.com
www.about.me/plusaziz
www.hotelparticulier.com

Mysterious Dancing Russian Boy

My brother showed me this video titled "funny grooving russian kid at the disco" yesterday. Not sure how factually acurate the title is (is he Russian, is he a kid?), but it certainly does have some groove and it is quite funny to watch.

It clearly looks like it's from the 1990s, but can't tell where, who and why? What is this young boy doing at party full of adults? Are there more videos of him dancing at other events?

I found the original video posted in 2011 and dated 1997. Below it is a short interview with a kid, from a different night. It doesn't reveal much, but he does look like a mini dodgy gangster and clearly he was a happening young kid back in the day.

I wonder where is he now. Does he still have the same moves? Someone please find him and interview him. I want to know more about him.

I leave you with the music you can hear from the video, The Swing Man by Patrick Lindsey. Play it loud and try to bust some moves like this kid. 

[hat tip Khalid Mezaina]

Open Call for Submissions: Vantage Point Sharjah

© Yazan Khalili

© Yazan Khalili

Calling all photographers in the United Arab Emirates, Sharjah Art Foundation is asking you to submit photos for their upcoming photography exhibition "Vantage Point Sharjah". Deadline is Saturday, 6th July 2013.

The exhibition is scheduled from 7th September - 7th December 2013 and will take place in one of Sharjah Art Foundation's recently inaugurated art spaces in Al Mureijah.

This exhibition will feature photographs that capture the Emirate of Sharjah, including the Central and Eastern regions of the Emirate. The deadline for application is July 6, 2013, and the exhibited photographs will be selected from applications to the Open Call.

Photographs should be submitted with the application form, along with a short story or a description of the photo and the location where the photograph was taken. Please note that the deadline for application is July 6, 2013.

How to submit
- Complete and submit the application form (downloaded it from here) via email to photo@sharjahart.org, along with no more than 6 high resolution images with the caption of each photograph.

- Or submit by mail/hand directly to:
Sharjah Art Museum
Arts Area, 2^nd Floor
PO Box 19989
Sharjah
United Arab Emirates

(Phone: +971 6 568 5050)

© Yazan Khalili

 
www.sharjahart.org
www.facebook.com/SharjahArt
www.sharjahart.org/programmes/open-call-vantage-point-sharjah-2013

[photos by Yazan Khalili via Sharjah Art Foundation]

Caricouture - Dubai Life in Ink by Hatty Pedder

Hatty Pedder is an artist, illustrator and photographer based in Dubai. I featured her illustrations a few years ago when I wrote about her exhibition The Social Seen.

Hatty now has a new series of illustrations that will be exhibited from 12th-15th June 2013 at Desert Fish and cARTel Boutique in Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz.

The new exhibition is called Caricouture - Dubai Life in Ink and includes illustrations from recent art and fashion events in Dubai.

Arist Hatty Pedder's blog inkings of Dubai's art life shared with Time Out Dubai capturing the characters and essence of the city with her witty ink line. For all illustration sales, 20% will go to Friends of Cancer Patients, a UAE registered charity to aid cancer patients with financial and clinical support.

Exhibition details
Dates: 12th-15th June 2013 (Private viewing on 12th June from 7.30-10.30pm)
Venue: Desert Fish and cARTel Boutique, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai (location map)
Free entry

www.hattypedder.com
www.desert-fish.com
www.desertfishproduction.com
www.facebook.com/thecartelme
www.alserkalavenue.com

The Social Web - Cultural Critique in the UAE on Social Media

The Pavilion Downtown Dubai has been hosting The Social Web, an event that started a few weeks ago, which looks at the use of social media on the arts and culture in the UAE and to expose key players who use social media to highlight and promote contemporary art and culture within the Emirates. The event also addresses the relevance of social media in the local art-scene and why social media has rapidly become part of our everyday.

The weekly event started on Saturday, 18th May and will go on till Saturday, 15th June. Panel discussions are held every Saturday and includes locally based artists, designers, musicians, bloggers, entrepreneurs, and social media personalities. 

The event this week is titled 'Cultural Critique in the UAE on Social Media' and yours truly has been invited to be part the panel discussion.

Cultural Critique in the UAE on Social Media
4.00pm at The Pavilion Downtown Dubai

This panel discussion will focus on the use of social media in the UAE to discuss art and culture in the Emirates, addressing the importance it has on allowing people to engage, educate and inspire online audiences.

Columnist and commentator on current affairs, Mishaal Al Gergawi will be moderating the panel, which includes the editor and founder of The Culturist, Hind Mezaina, Fair Director at Art Dubai, Antonia Carver and entrepreneur and new media strategist Danish Farhan.

  

I will be in good company. The panel includes:

Moderator - Mishaal Al Gergawi:
Mishaal Al Gergawi is the managing director of the Delma Insititute. Holding a BA and an MSc. in finance. After maintaining a popular weekly opinion column in the local papers, he was asked to join the Dubai government to establish its contemporary cultural projects strategy. Mishaal continues to write a column with a specific focus on the GCC. He analyses the challenges and opportunities of the region, its member states and cities from geopolitical, economic and socio-cultural considerations. Mishaal is an avid user of Twitter and has gained a significantly large following over the years.

 

PANELISTS

Antonia Carver:
Antonia Carver became Fair Director of Art Dubai, the leading international art fair for the Middle East and South Asia, in August 2010. Antonia has written extensively on Middle Eastern art and film, and was a correspondent for The Art Newspaper. She is a member of the programming committee for the Dubai International Film Festival, specializing in Arab cinema. Antonia primarily uses Twitter and Facebook – the former more for work, the latter more personal, although Antonia believes that the divisions between public and personal (when it comes to an interest in art, film and culture) are quite blurry.

Danish Farhan:
Danish Farhan is the founder of consulting boutique Xische & Co. He was born and raised in the Middle East, and is passionate about culture, entrepreneurship and hybrid thinking. He has been one of the founding consultants for the Dubai International Film Festival, an exhibiting artist, and regular jury member at regional entrepreneurship events. Danish regularly blogs on topics including design thinking, entrepreneurship and the business culture. To Danish, social media in many ways is his calendar, journal, sketchpad and newspaper rolled into one. He does not spend chunks of time at a stretch on any single social tool, but consumes content in bursts throughout the day. Similarly, he creates content in much the same sporadic way.

(And here's what they say about me)
Hind Mezaina is a photographer and blogger from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Her blog, theculturist.com, offers a unique voice in the cultural sphere of Dubai and the region. It aims to showcase creative talent and inspire its readers. Hind is very active on social media and uses Twitter on a daily basis to share interesting links, funny observations or photos and thoughts on events she has attended, such as exhibitions, talks and film screenings.

If you are in the neighbourhood, please do join us.

Event details
Date: Saturday, 8th June 2013 at 4.00pm
Venue: The Pavilion Downtown, Downtown Dubai (location map)
Phone: +971 4 4477025
Free entry

www.pavilion.ae
www.about.me/algergawi
www.artdubai.ae
www.danishfarhan.com
www.xische.com

Giorgio Moroder's First-Ever DJ Set

I heard about Giorgio Moroder doing his first ever DJ set (aged 73) at Deep Space, a Red Bull Music Academy Special at the Output club in New York recently and today I found out his set from the night can be heard online. 

I listened to it several times, it is Moroder-tastic and had to share it with you. It includes some cracking electro and disco tunes, including several Donna Summer classics. You even get to hear from the man himself. Hang a large discoball from the ceiling, turn down the lights and dance to this.

 

Full tracklist can be found here.

One of the true greats of disco and electronic music, Giorgio Moroder brought a very European aesthetic to black American dance grooves. Although Italian by upbringing, Moroder did most of his work in Munich and the influence of Düsseldorf’s Kraftwerk can be heard in his work for Donna Summer, which includes two of the ultimate disco anthems, I Feel Love and Love To Love You Baby. This was motorik music: spacious, trippy, ever-lasting, far removed from the relentless bounce of most disco.

Giorgio Moroder is also a supreme composer of soundtracks, scoring an unlikely success with The Chase, the theme from Midnight Express, and his footprints are all over British synth-pop, from Pet Shop Boys to New Order to Human League. It was with the latter’s Phil Oakey that he got his biggest self-credited hit in 1984, Together In Electric Dreams. (via RBMA Radio)

Bonus Giorgio Moroder love, listen to this one hour long Dazed Digital Mix: The Giorgio Moroder Masterclass mixed by Wriggly Scott to celebrate Dazed's Daft Punk vs Giorgio Moroder cover feature,

www.redbullmusicacademy.com
www.rbmaradio.com

[image via redbullmusicacademy.com]

Random Stars - Emirati All-Girl Rock Band

Over a week ago, The National featured a story about Random Stars, "the first Emirati all-girl rock band". The papers here like to sensationalise anything done by an Emirati that is otherwise deemed quite ordinary in any other country. There's also a tendency by many Emiratis to claim they're the first to do anything (in this country), which again if it happened anywhere else, no one would bat an eyelid (e.g. first Emirati metro driver, first Emirati taxi driver).

But I must confess, even I found this story about Random Stars quite charming. Not sure about the accuracy of them being the first Emirati all-girl rock band (I'd like to think there are/have been other Emirati girls jamming in a majlis somehere in this country) - but it was great to see these young girls pursuing music, something that isn't necessarily encouraged in this part of the world.

About Random Stars:

The young women are all students at the Higher Colleges of Technology at Al Ain, and were brought together by English teacher Jackie Small from the UK. Remarkably, given the standard of their performance during an art exhibition at the college yesterday, only one of them had played an instrument before the band formed last year.

"I've always started bands wherever I've gone. I used to do that in the UK," said Ms Small. "When I started teaching here there were clubs so I thought I'd start a music club, but there was already one.

"So I decided to do a guitar club and there were a few people interested. I had in my mind a band so I got a drum kit and taught someone to play the drums, and I got a bass and taught them to play that.

"So we had the basis of a band, and last year they really got together and played a few songs."

Initially Ms Small was the driving force behind the project, but she was determined from the start to hand it over to the members.

"My idea was to let them own it, I had to step back so that they could take over so it's their band. They get together, they organise rehearsals, they do the hard work."

Initially the musicians, who all live in Al Ain, adapted classics such as Smoke on the Water and less rocky material such as the Jack Jones' 60s classic Baby, I'm Yours. However Ms Small added: "When they come back in September they're going to work on their own songs." (via The National)

You can read the full article here.

So far, Random Stars which consists of Bushra Hassan Al Hashimi (rhythm guitar), Hamda Al Ghaithi (lead guitarist), Aysha Salem Al Kaabi (bass player), Aysha Abdullah Al Maskari (drummer), Almayasa Al Kaabi (keyboard player) have been performing college events, but hope they get a chance to play to a wider audience.

I'd like to dedicate this song, "Girls Who Plays Guitars' by Maximo Park to Random Stars. Hats off to them, hope we get to see (and hear) more of them in the near future. And here's to girls everywhere that follow their dreams.

[image via The National]

Daft Punk vs Soul Train

Yesterday, I posted a Daft Punk vs 2001: A Space Odyssey clip and today I discovered another mashup using Daft Punk's music. 

Here is Daft Punk vs Soul Train, the title on YouTube says "How to dance to Get Lucky". (Anyone knows the original song they're dancing to?)

Is mashing up Daft Punk's music to random clips the new trendy thing on the Internet?

[hat tip Gavin Cassidy]

Holland. The Original Cool.

Holland has declared itself the "Original Cool" with this new campaign in partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Schiphol Airport, and Amsterdam Marketing.

Looks like this is the first of several campaigns promoting the cities in Holland. The first one focuses on Amsterdam.

Greetings, gallant traveler! Tell us, what do you know about Holland? Picturesque canals? Windmills? Master paintings from the Golden Age? Yes, we have it all!

But let us show you what's really cool about Holland and we'll start with Amsterdam.

In 2013 the city is celebrating a host of incredible milestones, so there's never been a better time to book a trip. You call it a travel day, we call it the first day of vacation!
 

I like it. 

THIS is how you promote a city or a country. Show its people and how they live.  And in case you don't know the difference between Holland and The Netherlands, have a look at this post from a few months ago. 

www.holland.com/cool

[hat tip Ricardo Verboom, my half Dutch friend]

Daft Punk's Contact vs Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey

Made. My. Day.

Daft Punk's Contact synched up against a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey 

On a whim, I tried playing Contact against the end segment of 2001 and it synced up flawlessly. The film and song aren't edited in any way, they both play out in full duration. It's incredible how well they match.

Watch it now.

[hat tip Dorian Lynskey]