The 25th August 2006 offered Londoners a rare opportunity to explore a wealth of Arabic talent as part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s (V&A) popular Friday Late programme. The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and Ziyarat present Arabise Me Friday Late at the V&A on Friday 25 August 2006; 18:30 – 22:00 - Admission Free. Arabise Me will feature the work of artists working in contemporary forms. This will be the first time that a pan-Arabic, contemporary, multi-art-form event of this kind will take place in England. Irreverent in style, Arabise Me draws the general public toward Arabic culture(s) in a new way in order to generate a dialogue about the culture and its diversity.
New work has been commissioned and produced especially for Arabise Me and many of the artists in the programme have never shown or performed publicly before.
Highlights of Arabise Me’s programme include: Arabic Hip Hop and electronica, performance art, storytelling, photography, dance installation, film and more… Arabise Me is curated by Ziyarat: a London based contemporary cultural agency (www.ziyarat.info), and is presented in collaboration with London’s V&A as part of the Museum’s Friday Late programme. Highlights of the program include live music by Eslam Jawaad, El Masry & U-Cef & the Arab League. Storytelling by the Freestyle Hakawatis with Laila Debs and Noura Sakkaf, contemporary dance by Joumana Mourad of the Ijad Dance Company, short films by Lamya Gargash, Usama Alshaibi, Joumana Aboud and Dar Onboz and photography by Hassan Hajjaj, Gilbert Hage, Noura Razian, Rana Nemr and Nadine Kanso. Soundscape by Amin Beyhom, video installation by Mounira Al Solh, newly commissioned work by Wael Hatter, text by Malu Halasa and Rula Hajj Ismail and Ziyarat‚s Music Disco Room made in collaboration with Joe Khalil & Dergham Owanti. Visit the Arabise Me Reading Corner and watch out for Saniya: the TV Superstar from 60s Egypt! Ziyarat was set up in London in 2002 to develop, produce and encourage Arabic cultural production and international work relating to the Arab world in order to increase knowledge and understanding about Arabic culture(s) while reflecting a more realistic and complete image of it. Ziyarat aims to foster dialogue and collaborations between Arabic artists, thinkers and cultural producers and their international counterparts.
Arabise Me is the first phase of a larger festival of contemporary Arabic arts which Ziyarat are planning for 2008 and which will launch in London and subsequently tour around Europe and Arabic countries. |