Bidoun: arts and culture from the Middle East

[imomus]

Did I tell you that I was asked, earlier this year, to guest-present a guide to the Berlin Film Festival on Arabic cable network Al Jazeera? I'd have done it in a flash, despite the attendant risk of being bombed by Bush, but I happened to be in Japan at the time, bubbling in sento baths.

If the people from Bidoun asked me to contribute to their "platform for ideas and open forum for exchange, dialogue and opinions about arts and culture from the Middle East", I'd jump at it. It's my favourite new magazine. Bidoun was started in 2003 by Lisa Farjam. It's based in London, and seems to overlap, staffwise, with publications like Frieze and Cabinet. (Incidentally, I attended Cabinet magazine's interesting Ruination: a symposium on debris, decay and destruction on Monday night at The Kitchen.)

What initially appealed to me, browsing Issue 7 of Bidoun at Universal News on Broadway (under the watchful eye of the store's Arab owners), was the fashion spreads. Well, they were more August Sander-type social documentary shots than fashion shoots, to be honest. But Bidoun seemed to agree with me that construction workers (immigrant labourers in Dubai, as it happened) and eccentric old people were the most interestingly-dressed people around.

I also liked understated photos of hotels in Tehran, Istanbul, Cairo, Damascus and Khartoum. I liked the feeling that these people had a similar sensibility to me, and yet knew cities I've never been to, cities which rarely feature in the snake-eating-its-own-tail itineraries of the art and style press, a tribe who wear down to deep ruts the same old paths from Tokyo to Berlin to Paris to London to New York. All this plus articles on pirates, Iranian road movies, a piece by comedian Ali G, and an interview with Hisham Bharoocha of Black Dice. What's not to love, my bedouin bros?

Comments

ruination

[(Anonymous)]

mmmmhhhh ruination symposium - judging from the panelists - sounds tasty!
I loved Svetlana Boym's Future of Nostalgia

francesco

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Fascinating magazine; it does feel like a middle eastern Cabinet. I look forward to picking up a copy later this week.

I get interview requests from design students in the UAE on occasion. Other illustrator friends have been asked to visit Dubai as guest speakers, but I still remain a wallflower, sadly.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

...wish I was able to make that panel discussion. With Soviet era concrete and rebar spread over half of Asia, Nostalgia certainly isn't what it used to be. ;)

If you haven't already done so, you may want to pick up a copy of Kronos quartet's performance of Mugam Sayagi, written by Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh. Beautiful, evocative work.

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Wow! Where do they press this paper? Everywhere or just in certain countries? Because I would like to get a hold on that one.

[californie.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of the comments my father would make about the American media's portrayal of Iran. Particularly how they would only show the most run-down and decrepid spots.

It always seemed to me that those spots were actually the most interesting ones to see. Why would you want to see a clone of any other major city, when you can see the spots that actually have something unique for our bored western eyes.

Sure, the constant portrayal of the middle-east as something backwards and uncivilized does a good deal in forming judgements by people in the west. Yet, for my eyes, the eyes of an "Iranian-American", it gives me a sight into the mystical and exotic life my family left. A life they probably didn't have anyway, living in Tehran.

[boygirlparty.livejournal.com]

bidoun is incredible. i covet the issues. "believe it or you don't" is a popular phrase around our house as a result of their debut issue.

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

ah I adore Cabinet! i learn so much that i never knew i wanted to know each issue! i read the Ruins issue; wd have loved to attend the symposium. i'll have to look out for Bidoun at my local retailer of choice.

on a ruin related note, yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the big San Francisco earthquake. to celebrate we had free brunch at 4:30am and free bus service all day.

on a totally unrelated note, i'm starting a harem as an 'installation' in my art collective, inspired by Peter Greenaway's "8 1/2 Women." You, my friend, are officially invited. don't know dates yet; just thought of it on the way to work this morning.

?

[(Anonymous)]

i dont think i can find that mag in my area. can you so generously share the hisham article, his new musical projects (soft circle, gatax (with EyE), & usun) are good or what i've heard. i havebt heard them all, but they all have something interesting about them, i've seen a soft circle performance and really enjoyed it. so if you can share something from it i would like it so much. thank youy

ruins

[(Anonymous)]

It was great to see you in the back row of the ruins symposium; thanks for coming. Some future Cabinet themes: Electricity, Insecurty, Fruits & Vegetables.

BD
Cabinet

Re: ruins

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

good work, sir

[henryperri.livejournal.com]

Another day, another leftist glorifying life in a third world country. But is anyone actually moving to one of these places? Did anyone move to Canada after November 2nd, 2004?

Yano, Paul McCartney tried Lagos; he recorded 'Band on the Run' there. They got robbed on the way to the studio one day. Check out the title track, it contains the lyric "if i ever get out of here." He's lucky he didn't choose the Congo, where they eat young girls for their magic powers.

[luckyclone.livejournal.com]

8========D

[californie.livejournal.com]

you assume the purpose of this magazine is to convince people to move to these places?

[cerulicante.livejournal.com]

I, for one, think that being in a place where primitive religious institutions keep a sandal on the throat of the common folk in favor of things like medical tech and information services is not a desirable thing.

A lot of people decry the "GIANT RELIGIOUS CONSPIRACY THAT CONTROLS BUSH AND OPPRESSES EVERYONE IN THE US, WHICH IS JUST LIKE NAZI GERMANY," but speak in hushed, reverent tones about faraway places where a change in religion means death (Iran, Egypt, etc.) and poor people are exploited and truly oppressed (India, most of Africa.)

Would you rather live in a country where drinking the water can kill you or would you rather be able to see it and come back to modern sanitation and hygiene? From your post, it seems like you'd be perfectly happy to play host to some vibrio species and live in a mud hut while the infection chews you up from the inside...


It doesn't make sense, mate.

[tassellrealm.livejournal.com]

I, for one, think that being in a place where primitive religious institutions keep a sandal on the throat of the common folk in favor of things like medical tech and information services is not a desirable thing.

What. You mean like America?

[tassellrealm.livejournal.com]

Canada isn't a third world country.

Lagos is nowhere near Tehran.

Paul MacCartney isn't a young girl.

I always thought it was Paul MacCartney that ate young girls for their magic powers.

Wasn't that what The Beatles was all about?

[freesurfboards.livejournal.com]

In your list of celebrities you forgot Arthur C Clarke, who moved to Sri Lanka and . . . well he ended up getting citizenship there and still lives there, saying it's the best place he lived, so he doesn't count.
But you're right - Canada is a third world country, since it isn't america, japan or in europe.

[nato-dakke.livejournal.com]

november 2 2004 helped make my decision to emigrate a lot easier.

and so long as we're presuming about one another...
dzima, if you think the world capitals are that boring, I have to wonder if you've ever left them. Ever seen someone ride a horse un-ironically? Been in a place where people chew tobacco?
You have no idea how boring boring gets until you leave the capitals.

[(Anonymous)]

A former NYC artistic collaborator of mine moved to Turkey.

Never heard of it...

[(Anonymous)]

I ordered the two latest issues right away. I'll probably forget about ordering them, and get a pleasant surprise when they arrive.



produkt (http://homepage.mac.com/produkt/)

[ruhue.livejournal.com]

thanks for that! bubbles in japan do sound better than bombs in al jazeera. and bidoun seems more interesting than cabinet (my rural peevedness with a lot of city art magazines is pretty ingrained). the only magazine of that type i have really loved so far is influence.

ha! how refreshing to hear someone who knows who august sander is! i want to see the old eccentric people... most folks think that here in the napa valley old people only wear golf shirts and carry lv bags, but in napa town the working class hangs on (barely) especially in the older population, a lot of shipbuilders who moved here from oakland and such after WWII. they socialize during the day. they wander town and the thrift stores wearing a wonderful hodgepodge of things.