Contemporary Art, Design, Film, Music and Literature from the Middle East and North Africa Nour Festival of Arts Foreword
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Contemporary Art, Design, Film, Music and Literature from the Middle East and North Africa Nour Festival of Arts Foreword Cllr. Nicholas Paget-Brown, The Nour Festival of Arts will deliver dazzling Deputy Leader of the Royal contemporary artistic talent from the Middle East and Borough of Kensington and North Africa to London audiences during October- Chelsea, said: 1RYHPEHU)RUWKHƪUVWWLPHWKHIHVWLYDOLVWRH[SDQG beyond Leighton House Museum to include a stellar cast “In just two years the of participating cultural organisations. ERURXJKśV1RXU)HVWLYDO has grown into one of the New festival partners include the Victoria & Albert most important festivals Museum, the Science Museum, the Ismaili Centre, the H[SORULQJ0LGGOH(DVWHUQ Mosaic Rooms, Al-Manaar: the Muslim Cultural Heritage arts and culture in the UK. Centre and The Tabernacle. Not only is it part of our commitment to bringing The festival also works in collaboration with a host of international cultural London and UK partners, including the Arab British H[FHOOHQFHWRWKHERURXJK Centre, the British Egyptian Society, Bloomsbury Qatar but it also fosters closer Foundation Publishing, the London MENA Film Festival, ties and understanding London Iranian Film Festival and Arab New Trends Ltd. with this part of the world and our Arabic speaking The Nour Festival of Arts aims to: communities in the area. - UHƫHFW DQG FHOHEUDWH WKH DUWV DQG FXOWXUH RI “The involvement of the contemporary Middle Eastern and North African regions V&A, Science Museum - SURPRWH ƪOP OLWHUDWXUH PXVLF YLVXDO DUWV IDVKLRQ and other leading venues dance, cuisine 2012 Nour Festival identity, customised by Muiz is a testament to the - GHPRQVWUDWH DUWLVWLF H[FHOOHQFH DQG ZRUN WKDW LV quality of success of the thought-provoking and challenging My creation of the identity for the Nour Festival 2012 Festival to date. With their UHƫHFWVERWKWKHJORULRXVGLYHUVLW\DQGXQLW\RIRXUSDVW involvement we can reach The Nour Festival is coordinated by the Royal Borough as Arabs and Muslims, [including our historic contribution QHZDXGLHQFHVDQGH[SORUH RI .HQVLQJWRQ DQG &KHOVHD DQG UHƫHFWV WKH &RXQFLOśV and legacy of science and the arts to the world] and the new avenues into the commitment to bring the very best international traumatic, colonial carvery of our regional family into region, its cultures and art contemporary arts and culture to the borough. Nour distant, troublesome neighbours. forms.” Ř ZKLFK PHDQV ŚOLJKWś RU ŚLOOXPLQDWLRQś LQ YDULRXV 0LGGOH (DVWHUQ ODQJXDJHV Ř VHWV RXW WR H[SORUH FRQWHPSRUDU\ Our artistic heritage is one of our crowning achieve- culture from across the region and North Africa. The ments and has the capacity to piece these fragments festival was inaugurated at Leighton House Museum back together. in 2010, a building that is recognised as being an international symbol of east meeting west. Cover image, Salaam Salute by Muiz, 2009 Nour Festival of Arts ([KLELWLRQV Nuclear Nuqta 7KHƪVVLRQRI,VODPLFDUWIURPWKHFODVVLFDOWRWKHFRQWHPSRUDU\ Leighton House Museum 3-29 October Information: 12 Holland Park Road Open 10am-5.30pm daily Full details of admission Kensington Closed Tuesdays charges are available online: W14 8LZ Museum admission applies w: www.leightonhouse.co.uk Nuclear Nuqta: Muiz in conversation - Saturday 20 October, 2-4pm For more information: www.leightonhouse.co.uk Muiz is a visual Nuclear NuqtaLV0XL]śVGHEXWVRORH[KLELWLRQLQWKH communicator whose United Kingdom. Leighton House will be hosting a selec- innovations in Arabic WLRQRI0XL]śVZRUNZKRVHFKDUDFWHULVWLFH[SORUDWLRQRI aesthetics have won him the Arab and Muslim identity and how they are informed recognition by some of by culture, language, geography and politics has become WKHZRUOGśVPRVWLFRQLF even more relevant in the post-911, revolutionary era. designers. His work HYROYHVDQH[SHULPHQWDO By reclaiming, both visually and literally, language that visual language born KDVEHHQUHGHƪQHGE\SROLWLFDODQGPHGLDLQWHUHVWV0XL] from the principles of VHHNVWRSURYLGHDSODWIRUPWRUHH[DPLQHWKHPLVFRQ- classical Islamic art and ceptions and stereotypes that have fractured and pro- SKLORVRSKLHVZKLFKUHƫHFW YRNHGFRPPXQLWLHVLQWRFRQƫLFWDQGZKDWGHQRWHVWKHLU WKHFRPSOH[FXOWXUDO individual or collective identities. semiotics and geopolitics of the modern Arab world. 7KLVH[LVWHQWLDODUWLVWU\LVXQGHUSLQQHGE\KLVVLJQDWXUH evolution of classical Islamic and Arabic art principles Muiz has launched a and philosophies into a striking, contemporary aesthetic. critically acclaimed +LVZRUNXOWLPDWHO\DVNVFKDOOHQJLQJTXHVWLRQVRIXVH[- magazine, branded HPSOLƪHGE\RXUUHDFWLRQVWRWKHZRUNKLJKOLJKWLQJWKH national and international SRWHQWLDO>DQGLPSRUWDQFH@RIDPLQRULW\śVSHUFHSWLRQRI arts organisations truth to resonate and impact the majority. and festivals and been recognised in digital and “All art is political - because those that create art are gov- print journals across the erned by it.” globe. www.muiz.co.uk +=<<15+ Muiz & Andy Houghton Nour Festival of Arts ([KLELWLRQV Ś.»WPDDQś([SORULQJWKHUHDOLWLHVRI/HVELDQ*D\%LVH[XDODQG7UDQVJHQGHU /*%7 OLYHVDQGFXOWXUHLQWKH0LGGOH(DVW Leighton House Museum 5-30 November Information: 12 Holland Park Road Open 10am-5.30pm daily w: www.leightonhouse.co.uk Kensington Closed Tuesdays t: 020 7602 3316 W14 8LZ Museum admission applies e: [email protected] Bradley Secker is a Ś.»WPDDQśLVWKH$UDELFIRUWKHDFWRIKLGLQJRUFRQFHDOLQJ British photojournalist 7KLV H[KLELWLRQ IRUPV SDUW RI D ƪYH\HDU SKRWRJUDSKLF and documentary SURMHFWGRFXPHQWLQJWKHUHDOLWLHVRIOLIHIRUVRPH/*%7 photographer who works individuals in the Middle East between 2010 and 2012. around themes of identity 7KHLPDJHVLQWKLVH[KLELWLRQWHOOGLYHUVHSHUVRQDOVWRULHV and human rights. His DQG UHODWH WKH H[SHULHQFHV RI WKRVH /*%7 SHRSOH ZKR work has been published DUH IRUFHG WR FODLP DV\OXP EDVHG RQ WKHLU VH[XDOLW\ widely in TIME Magazine, RU JHQGHU LGHQWLW\ 7KH H[KLELWLRQ KLJKOLJKWV WKH the New York Times and circumstances of gay Iraqi men who have since 2010 7KH*XDUGLDQDPRQJVW been forced to leave their homes due to homophobia others. He is currently and seek asylum in Syria and who are then displaced or based in Istanbul. UHVHWWOHGLQWR7XUNH\7KHH[KLELWLRQDOVRH[SORUHV/*%7 Kurdish identity in south eastern Turkey and documents how these communities are seeking legal equality and acceptance. Other important themes considered include the SURORQJHG ZDLW RI ,UDQLDQ /*%7 UHIXJHHV LQ FHQWUDO Anatolia before their resettlement in Europe or North America. ‘Farhad‘ by Bradley Secker Nour Festival of Arts ([KLELWLRQV Translations Leighton House Museum 6-30 November Information: 12 Holland Park Road Open 10am-5.30pm daily w: www.leightonhouse.co.uk Kensington Closed Tuesdays t: 020 7602 3316 W14 8LZ Museum admission applies e: [email protected] Dia Batal is a spatial Dia Batal will be installing pieces from her Translations designer based in London. collection throughout Leighton House, responding to +HUZRUNLVFRQWH[W WKH FRQWH[W RI WKH VSDFH DQG EXLOGLQJ RQ /HLJKWRQśV VSHFLƪFDQGGHVLJQHG own collection of objects from the Arab World. In for physical interaction. Translations Batal borrows from the traditional Arab art of Batal creates objects that ZRUNLQJZLWKWH[WWRFUHDWHSLHFHVWKDWWHOODVWRU\7KHVH function as devices to REMHFWVXVHSRVVLEOHWUDQVIRUPDWLRQVRIWKHWH[WDQGWKH LPSDFWSHRSOHśVOLYHVLQ corresponding shifts in meaning to relate to the space public and private spaces, that the object occupies, and the function of the object in relation to social, itself. cultural, and political concerns. Her recent projects Translations and Cart-og-ra-phy, have been H[KLELWHGLQDUWJDOOHULHVLQ Beirut, Manama, Paris, and in London and Liverpool. ‘This is Not a Table‘ by Dia Batal Photograph by Stephen Jakub Nour Festival of Arts ([KLELWLRQV Light from the Middle East: New Photography Victoria and Albert Museum 13 Nov 2012 - 7 April 2013 Information: 3RUWHU*DOOHU\ Daily 10am-5.45pm and w: www.vam.ac.uk Cromwell Road until 10pm every Friday t: 020 7942 2000 London Free SW7 2RL 7KHH[KLELWLRQLVFXUDWHG 7KHƪUVWPDMRUH[KLELWLRQRIFRQWHPSRUDU\SKRWRJUDSK\ by Marta Weiss, Curator from and about the Middle East, Light from the Middle of Photographs at the East: New Photography features over 90 works by some V&A. RIWKHPRVWH[FLWLQJDUWLVWVIURPDFURVVWKHUHJLRQ 3KRWRJUDSKV E\ DUWLVWV IURP GLƩHUHQW FRXQWULHV showcase a range of creative responses to the social challenges and political upheavals that have shaped the 0LGGOH(DVWRYHUWKHSDVW\HDUV7KHH[KLELWLRQFRYHUV a wide range of techniques and subject matter, from photojournalism to staged and digitally manipulated LPDJHU\ 7KLV H[KLELWLRQ KDV EHHQ HQDEOHG WKURXJK the establishment of the Art Fund Collection of Middle Eastern Photography at the V&A and the British Museum. 6KDGL*KDGLULDQ)URPWKHVHULHVQajar, 1998 Nour Festival of Arts ([KLELWLRQV Working from Life The Mosaic Rooms 28 Sept-16 November Information: 226 Cromwell Road Open 11am-6pm Tues-Sat w: www.mosaicrooms.org London Special Sunday opening: t: 020 7370 9990 SW5 0SW 11 November 12-5pm e: [email protected] Free Abderrahim Yamou was The Mosaic Rooms is delighted to present Working From born outside Casablanca Life WKH ƪUVW 8. VROR H[KLELWLRQ E\ RQH RI WKH OHDGLQJ in 1959. He left Morocco contemporary Moroccan artists, Abderrahim Yamou. to study biology in 7KLV H[KLELWLRQ ZLOO IHDWXUH QHZ DQG UHFHQW SDLQWLQJV France, before changing previously unseen. to sociology with a focus on researching Yamou is inspired by the natural world, by organic contemporary Moroccan processes, continuity and change, the tensions and art. He gave up formal instabilities of boundaries