Thursday February 12 2009 / Internationalization
Café Mediterranée VIII Special: The Human Body
In this edition, Dare2Connect welcomes artist Akram Zaatari (1966 Saida, Lebanon), and Malu Halasa & Rana Salam, authors of The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie.
Akram Zaatari is an artist preoccupied with the collection and study of documents that testify to the socio-political context of Lebanon and the Middle East. Interested in the notion of collecting as an art practice, he co-founded the Arab Image Foundation (AIF) in 1997, in which he recently focused on studying and archiving the photographic work of the Saida-based photographer Hashem el Madani (1928) as a register of social relationships and photographic practices. He is author of more than 40 videos, including Nature Morte (2008), In this House (2005), This Day (2003), and All is well on the Border (1997). In Café Mediterranée Zaatari will talk about picturing the body in vernacular photography in relation to his work such as Another Resolution (1998), Video in 5 Movements (2006) and Untold (2008).
The book The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie reveals a previously unknown side of Arab design, fashion and sexuality. The most outrageous and exuberant lingerie in the world comes from a place you'd probably never expect: Syria. Adorned with everything from faux fur, artificial flowers, and feathered birds to plastic toy cell phones, these intimates flash lights, play music, even vibrate. The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie sheds light on social mores of Syrians, both Christian and Muslim, thereby questioning Western preconceptions of Islam. The book also celebrates other design aspects of Syria, from traditional textiles to fashion and images of women in traditional illustrations, prints and popular packaging. The book was published in the Prince Claus Fund Library. Some examples of Syrian lingerie will be shown at the meeting.
The meeting is chaired by Chris Keulemans.
In the Café Mediterranée series, international professionals from the cultural field in the Middle East and North Africa meet to analyze and discuss cultural topics in the Arab and Islam world.
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