Street art, Riyadh.

هل تعتقد أن معاناتك ستكون أدنى لأنك أحببت الطيبة والحق ؟

I came across this sight while driving around with Omar Bahabri and his banjo looking for a quite stretch of sand to sit on.

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Internet Vacation. | it is time again! (|:}

A BLACK DAY | 31.05.10

I am greatly grieved by the horrific events of this day (31.05.10) that took place in international waters off the shore of Gaza and transpired in the killing of 10 innocent activists. My sincerest condolences go out to the families and friends of all the inspirational men and women who took part in the brave humanitarian act that was known as the Freedom Flotilla and in doing so have put themselves in such grave danger.

The following are links to the front page articles I found that day:

BBC | TIMES ONLINE | ASSOCIATED PRESS | LOS ANGELES TIMES | ARABIC REUTERS | CNN | FOX NEWS

ARAB NEWS | ALRIYADH: nothing | AL SHARQ AL AWSAT | ALYAUM: nothing | OKAZ: nothing

HAARETZ | THE JERUSALEM POST

The news got quite a lot of coverage on the major news network globally, public opinions filled the internet, and the topic was also popular in many online networks such as Google search entries, and twitter and was one of the top 5 topics that day.

Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the Turkish prime minster has condemned the tragic loss of life, most of the 10 victims being of Turkish nationality, and his speech on Israel’s Attack on Aid Flotilla is proof of his outspoken disgust at this incident. Videos of his address can be seen on YouTube with Arabic translation (part 1, part 2, part 3).

If on the other hand you are interested in how Israel is defending it self then check out the Israel Defense Forces official twitter account. There is also a very sarcastic fake/spoof  twitter Israeli PR account that you can follow and that somehow has more followers than the real account.

I have high hopes for the Irish “MV Rachel Corrie” aid vessel that is scheduled to reach Gaza very soon and I wish them and every single person involved in this international humanitarian effort Godspeed and a safe trip.

In memory of the innocent, the willing, and the striving; we will not forget.

Children’s cartoon animation workshop with Erling Ericsson.

Yesterday I was lucky to attend the first day of a great workshop in Bahrain’s Adliya district with my good friend Omar Zahrani. This inspirational 3-day workshop is hosted by Al Riwaq Art Space and is run by the very kind and creative Erling Ericsson.

Kids ages 8-15 will be learning how to create cartoon animations using simple and super-fun stop motion techniques, and will go through many related topics including: story telling techniques, character design, filming, and voice-over recording.

Maha Al Sahaf, Al Riwaq’s curator, who was kind enough to let us attend this workshop would  like to inform you that they will  be hosting a super exciting new workshop with a charity edge starting this Tuesday titled “Art on Cancer, Art for Cancer“, and I suggest you don’t miss it! I’ve had a sneak-peak into some of the works to be exhibited, and they are absolutely wonderful! For a list of Al Riwaq Art Space’s workshops this month click here. Also, don’t forget that you can join them on their facebook group page too for the latest updates!

Al Riwaq Art Space was also hosting a great exhibition titled “As The Land Expands” which totally blew me away as soon as I walked through the door and nailed me to a bench for a few minutes before I was able to get up and take in the individual pieces that made up this amazing exhibition (I’m the dude in pink!). Omar enjoyed the hell out of a Mondrian-esque chair in the bookshop, and I incidentally fell in love with this book on first sight!

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“As the land expands is an exhibition of art works selected in discussion with local

artists and curators for their determined urgency and prevalence to the context of

Bahrain. Certain themes and interests dominated this conversation – these included

issues of ecology and land reclamation, national branding, the speed of urban

development in the region […]”

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You can find more info about the  “As The Land Expands” exhibition and Al Riwaq Art Space both on the official website and here. Alternatively, checkout Bahrain Timeout’s art page for the latest in Bahrain’s art scene.

Allah. By Hakim Ghazali.

While we were in the area we also visited the Albareh Art Gallery and its cute cafe. Gazing into the exhibited artwork by Hakim Ghazali was a deeply mystical experience, I couldn’t help but hum a tune as I looked at each piece. The cafe, which is situated in an adjacent building, was also very refreshing with its found-art furniture and quite shaded outdoor deck — the melon and lime juice was nice too!  All-in-all yet another great experience!

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