YOUNES DURET
When taking inspiration from the ordinary and tran forming it into something jaw dropping and superor dinary, no one designs it better than Younes Duret, the mind behind the Younes Duret Design madness! The French educated, half Moroccan, half French pro uct designer sensation, is turning heads in the design community by transforming banal-oriental into […]
Making art from food
Making art from food has yet to truly flourish in the Middle East, this is perhaps due to Islamic tradition which frowns upon the squandering of food. In Japan, a homemade packaged lunchbox meal called a bento, has become an unexpected canvas for homemakers to be creative on. This activity has become so popular that […]
Burger Boutique, Riyadh
How many times can we possibly reinvent the burger? I’m not sure, but I’m glad that Burger Boutique is taking a crack at it! From classic heroes, I’m talking burgers and décor, to superordinary gourmet ingredients, the menu, the restaurant, the music and the aromas exude a sense of burger innovation. Normally, I’m a classic […]
I AM NOT MY FACEBOOK
Technology is changing the whole world as we know it, but boy has it changed the Saudi Arabia I grew up in. The very image of a Saudi is that of a private, cautious and extremely conservative person. Now, with Facebook, this has all changed forever. Having people share so many intimate details and facts […]
THE DEATH OF MUSIC ICONS
1929-2000 / Talal Maddah: On stage, with oud under his right arms, strings grating against his fingertips, the Voice of the Earth, one of Saudi Arabia‘s most revered oud players and singers, fell to his infinite slumber before a venue filled of adoring fans in 2000. Recording 66 official and 40 unofficial albums, Talal Maddah […]
WADI HANIFA
Architects are space planners. But some spaces are naturally superordinary and need very little human architectural intervention. Such spaces are designed by the earth’s natural ecology and Mother Nature’s cycles and are visited in droves by people from everywhere that come to marvel, absorb and elicit energy. These places exist throughout the world and are […]
Louboutin
Jeddah is a long way away from the cabaret of Folies Bergére and Moulin Rouge, but with the opening of Christian Louboutin’s flagship store in Al-Khayatt Center on 26th January, now every Saudi woman can express her inner Parisian showgirl, however subtly. On 10th April, a very special few had a chance to converse with […]
ٍRetro Cube ~ AlSharq Store – Beirut, Lebanon.
This table is very special. I appreciate how the artist exhibits local art in such a unique way. Using popular culture with vibrant colors and abstractions is the idea behind the concept of pop art. These iconic pictures are usually seen in theaters, bus stations or little music shops. But in this case, it’s in […]
Food Art
Walking along the chaotic and narrow paths of Barcelona’s public market, La Boqueria, one cannot help but be overwhelmed with the grand display of fare encompassing the crowd. The bountiful piles of colors and shapes are a feast for the eyes as much as they are a feast for the body. Fruits, vegetables, sweets and […]
Before & After
Sometimes, it‘s hard to know where we want to go in life, professionally and personally. But, wherever we have been and whatever we have been through, it has impacted and shaped who we are and where we are today. Photography, perhaps like any other creative profession, is no different. An artist can capture a moment […]
Designer by Night
He speaks in derivatives, proportions, and geometric shapes. How a well tailored thobe is derived from a shirt, and how architecture is the design principle that has laid the foundation for his craft? We are of course talking about none other than Omar W. Ashour, the designer behind the brand Omar Azure. The long awaited […]
Basma AlSulaiman Museum of Contemporary Art
Metaverses, Avatars and contemporary art might be words unfamiliar to common dialogue anywhere, but they are the new buzz words hitting the Saudi and international art scene with reckoning force, thanks to the launch of BASMOCA: Basma Alsulaiman Museum of Contemporary Art. Artists, patrons, aesthetic and cultural enthusiasts, locally and abroad are all invited to […]