Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 

Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 
Alfred Tarazi was born during the civil war, and much of his work portrays his recollections of that time. (Supplied)
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Updated 19 January 2023
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Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 

Meet Alfred Tarazi — the artist carrying ‘the weight of Lebanon’s history’ 
  • Tarazi’s latest installations examine his country’s cultural heritage from a personal perspective

DUBAI: An eye-popping mixture of images from the era of the Lebanese Civil War can be found at The Hangar, an exhibition space in Haret Hreik, Lebanon, run by UMAM Documentation and Research.  

UMAM is a local nonprofit dedicated to “understanding Lebanon’s present by dealing with the past.” So it makes perfect sense that the group is hosting Beirut-based artist Alfred Tarazi’s installation “Memory of a Paper City” —a vibrant, dynamic large-scale work which uses cut-out images and old photographs to capture not just the violence of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, but also the cultural response to it in the form of cultural figures including composer Ziad Rahbani, women scantily dressed in the bold attire of the era, images from the popular press that tell of a breakdown of social norms, photographs from the conflict and of other global celebrities and leaders such as Sylvester Stallone (as Rambo) and Che Guevara.  

Tarazi was born during the civil war, and much of his work portrays his recollections of that time — both personal and societal — and his desire to preserve his country’s history and heritage during the tumultuous present. 

In many ways, “Memory of a Paper City” is a call to action to celebrate Lebanon’s vibrant cultural heritage amid the current disintegration of state institutions that has led to the neglect and destruction of that heritage. Beirut, once a rich creative hub, is presently in disarray.  

During the first days of 2023, Lebanon’s only functioning power plant was shut down due to a worsening, long-running political dispute. While the country plunges into darkness, artists like Tarazi are working to keep the lights on, at least metaphorically.  

Tarazi is quick to stress that the installation doesn’t just portray Lebanon’s heritage, but that of the wider Middle East. 

“The ‘Paper City’ exhibition (takes) a lot from paper archives of magazines and newspapers from the 1930s until the end of the 1980s,” Tarazi tells Arab News. “While I was collecting material for the exhibition, I found a lot of archives from some seminal (regional) newspapers in Lebanon from the Thirties onwards. If you were working in the press in Lebanon (at that time), you were contributing to the entire Middle East.  

A series of external factors meant that huge amounts of such content were lost — “thrown away in the garbage due to numerous errors, lawsuits and bankruptcies,” as Tarazi puts it. Tarazi’s installation is a small step to restoring some of what was lost. 

“We looked at over 100 publications to collect their archives. These are magazines that existed from the 1930s to the end of the 1970s. It’s a vast, vast heritage. The installation thus has this national endeavor,” he says. 

Tarazi has a second installation being shown simultaneously — on the steps of The National Museum of Beirut and in a derelict warehouse nearby. “Hymne A L’Amour” highlights the country’s largely overlooked heritage of craftsmanship, though the lens of his own family’s artisanal legacy. While “Paper City” takes a more national, collective approach, “Hymne” looks at Lebanese history from a personal standpoint. 

In the warehouse there are thousands of handcrafted decorative works created by the Tarazi’s family, including Baghdadi ceiling panels, colored glass lanterns, copper and brass vessels and 19th-century doorframes. Many of the pieces are in need of restoration.  

“I come from a family of craftsmen and antique dealers which means there are a lot of objects that were passed from one generation to the other, and they fill a huge warehouse, where they’ve been rotting away for the past 50 years,” says Tarazi. 

His great-great-grandfather Dimitri Tarazi opened the first Maison Tarazi antiques store in Beirut in 1862, after escaping Damascus during the 1860 Civil War. The store soon became renowned for its high-end craftsmanship and the Tarazis became the official supplier to the Imperial Ottoman Sultan from 1900.  

Tarazi’s installation is a way to share these historically significant artefacts with the public. But there was also a very personal reason for him to stage the exhibition as soon as he could. 

“It was crucial for me to get the material out of the warehouse to work with it while my father is still alive,” he explains. “It entails a conversation between father and son. It has always been extremely difficult for me to extract information from my father about this vast cultural heritage, due to the war and everything that happened afterwards. It’s difficult for my father to speak about.” 

In other parts of the world, these historical pieces may have found their way into museums and private collections, but in Lebanon they are largely without a home. Tarazi says there is no institution in the country that presents how people once worked with wood, copper and fabrics.  

“All these materials are the fabric of life; they are life itself,” he says. “This is how people used to decorate their houses. This is how people used to build their lives. I became interested in seeing to what degree I could take the objects of my family and transform them into works of art.”  

On the steps of the museum, Tarazi has built a scale replica of the grand French embassy residence in Beirut, Residence des Pins. It was here that General Henri Gouraud declared the creation of the state of Greater Lebanon, on Sept. 1, 1920. 

Tarazi says the residence was first designed as a casino and was based on a model that has been passed down to him by his family. The original replica is one, Tarazi says, that he would have liked to have seen preserved in a museum. But since this never took place, he did it himself via a work of art. 

“Both projects are common examples of broken transmissions of history from one generation to the next that are harsh and abrupt,” Tarazi says. “Through my work, I’ve had the tendency to want to carry the weight of the history of Lebanon.” 

While it is painful to examine this history, it also, as Tarazi so eloquently expresses, offers a chance to revive memories of a Lebanese identity — and hope for a better future.  


AlUla, Italian city in twinning agreement to promote cultural heritage

AlUla, Italian city in twinning agreement to promote cultural heritage
Updated 11 December 2023
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AlUla, Italian city in twinning agreement to promote cultural heritage

AlUla, Italian city in twinning agreement to promote cultural heritage
  • RCU and Matera will collaborate through cultural exchanges, joint initiatives, and knowledge sharing

RIYADH: Officials from the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Italian city of Matera have inked a twinning agreement aimed at safeguarding and promoting their cultural heritage.

The signing ceremony was held at Sassi di Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the south of the country.

Matera, best known for its Sassi inhabited caves, celebrated its 30th anniversary as a World Heritage Site this year, while AlUla, home to Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, boasts a 2,000-year-old legacy shaped by the Nabataean kingdom.

Under the new deal, the RCU and Matera will collaborate through cultural exchanges, joint initiatives, and knowledge sharing in areas such as cultural preservation, education, economy, and social development.

RCU chief strategy and digital officer, Waleed Al-Dayel, said: “The agreement with Matera supports our efforts to create a global destination in ways that benefit the AlUla community, economy, and environment, provide opportunities for residents of both cities to learn about different cultures, build personal connections, and explore shared challenges and opportunities.

“The partnership will reimagine the ways in which destinations connect the culturally curious to history and heritage, as we continue to share Saudi Arabia’s culture with the world and understand the significance of the Arabian Peninsula in human history,” he added.

Tiziana D’Oppido, a member of the Council for Culture, Tourism, and Events and a Matera city official, said: “The exact date of the 30th anniversary since Matera became a UNESCO World Heritage Site has been the best possible day to highlight the twinning agreement between the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Municipality of Matera.

“The activities calendar that we will carry out in synergy, with a great, mutual collaborative spirit and in compliance with the sustainability objectives of the two destinations in the conservation of their respective UNESCO sites, is ambitious, operational, and rich — culture as an engine of the economy, tourism, cinema, events, design, arts, archaeology, architecture, accessibility, Sassi as a successful urban ecosystem and much more for two geographically distant realities but having many elements in common.

“Matera, European Capital of Culture in 2019, is a case study for the ability to recover the value of a city that the world has long neglected, and which risked being abandoned and forgotten by history, just like AlUla, becoming instead, both a land of redemption and virtuous examples to follow.”

The twinning program is part of a broader agreement between AlUla and Italy. Other initiatives have included a five-day Saudi village cultural gathering at Rome’s Villa Borghese in September, and a partnership with the Cortona on the Move photography exhibition at the AlUla Arts Festival in 2022.

Meanwhile, young Saudis are receiving training in heritage conservation at the Centro Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale, near Turin.
 


Al-Majaridah Winter Festival draws 30,000 visitors

Al-Majaridah Winter Festival draws 30,000 visitors
Updated 11 December 2023
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Al-Majaridah Winter Festival draws 30,000 visitors

Al-Majaridah Winter Festival draws 30,000 visitors
  • Festival’s recreational activities include theatrical shows and competitions for children, with folk groups presenting popular shows, such as the Ardah dance
  • A honey festival was held in the exhibition hall on Art Street, in which 41 exhibitors, including beekeepers and honey producers, took part

RIYADH: The Al-Majaridah Winter tourism festival has attracted more than 30,000 people since launching two weeks ago.

The organizers said diverse activities are being held near Art Street in the center of the Al-Majaridah Governorate in the Asir region, such as shopping and entertainment, providing dozens of seasonal jobs for young men and women.

Citizens and visitors are visiting the festival’s shopping hall where household items, clothes, perfumes, sweets and other products are displayed.

The festival’s recreational activities include theatrical shows and competitions for children, with folk groups presenting popular shows, such as the Ardah dance. The festival also incorporates an amusement city with a range of games.

A honey festival was held in the exhibition hall on Art Street, in which 41 exhibitors, including beekeepers and honey producers, took part.

Several government authorities also took part in the event, in addition to farmers and producing families.

The festival showcased some of the most popular types of honey, such as sidr, sumra, shouka, Al-Majarah and Al-Dhahyan, as well as honey products, and beekeeping tools and wax.

The Al-Majaridah Governorate is a prominent winter tourist destination, attracting people seeking a warm climate and breathtaking nature.


Netflix film ‘Naga’ is a universal tale, says award-winning star Adwa Bader

Netflix film ‘Naga’ is a universal tale, says award-winning star Adwa Bader
Updated 11 December 2023
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Netflix film ‘Naga’ is a universal tale, says award-winning star Adwa Bader

Netflix film ‘Naga’ is a universal tale, says award-winning star Adwa Bader

JEDDAH: Netflix movie “Naga” blends tradition, bravery and vulnerability in a unique narrative — and its lead star, Saudi actress Adwa Bader, spoke to Arab News about why it is a “universal tale.” 

Directed by Meshal Aljaser, the film follows Sarah (Bader), who sneaks out on a date and hopes to return before her curfew. What begins as a quiet drive in the desert soon spirals into an adventure involving an underground party, a broken-down car and a vindictive camel. With nothing to rely on but her wits, she must escape a series of bizarre situations to meet her father before the clock strikes 10.

The Netflix Original production premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and screened at the recent Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah before it hit Netflix on Dec. 7. 

Bader shared insights on her preparation for the role, saying: “Meshal and I rehearsed a lot, going over the script and merging our perspectives on Sarah. It was a collaborative effort.” 

The actress added audience reaction so far had been gratifying. 

“What was so rewarding about Sarah was seeing how people relate to the story, because it’s such a universal tale. It’s just a day that turned really bad. I understand her, I have so much love for her. I wish her well. I feel we can all relate to the feminine rage to an extent,” she said. 

A poster for Netflix film 'Naga.' (Supplied)

The protagonist’s character arc is another element that drew the actress to the role, which landed her a spot in the TIFF 2023 Rising Stars program for outstanding lead performance. She also scored the TIFF Share Her Journey fellowship and award.

“I think what’s really interesting is that she’s a product of her environment. She was really passive in the beginning and her environment forced her to react and respond and really express herself. I think Meshal’s perspective is that Sarah is an independent, strong-willed and resilient character and I agree with that,” Bader said. 

Meanwhile, Aljaser told Arab News it was a conscious decision to create an off-kilter film. 

“You don’t have to see a reference of success and think that is the only way to succeed — you can succeed in so many different styles,” he said. 


Saudi Music Commission CEO sets sights on education sector at XP Music Futures

Saudi Music Commission CEO sets sights on education sector at XP Music Futures
Updated 10 December 2023
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Saudi Music Commission CEO sets sights on education sector at XP Music Futures

Saudi Music Commission CEO sets sights on education sector at XP Music Futures

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission is aiming to see 1.3 million Saudi students enrolled in music classes at school, the CEO of the Music Commission Paul Pacifico said at an XP Music Futures panel in Riyadh tilted “Sound Governance: Crafting the Future of Music Policy.”

Pacifico said that 26,500 kindergarten teachers are being trained to teach music and “music is going into school as a compulsory subject” for kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students in the Kingdom. 

He added: “1.3 million Saudis will be doing music school for the first time. And we'll be developing that program up through middle school. It'll be elective in high school. We're working with the first four universities in the Kingdom to build lots of faculties and support music programs.” 

The panel discussion featured industry professionals Lutz Leichsenring, co-founder of Vibelab, and Mai Salama, founding partner of Creative Industry Summit. It was moderated by Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt, director of innovation and education at the International Music Managers Forum.

Pacifico says the Music Commission has three main objectives: Music policy, education, and the commercial sector.

“(Firstly) The development of copyrights, intellectual property, licensing, recreation, all the aspects you think of when you think of government. Secondary is education. So, we are responsible for taking the lead on the education strategy for the Kingdom … (for) the entire commercial sector. We're responsible for supporting the development of the live music sector, recording and publishing.” 

He told Arab News that the commission aims to support non-mainstream music genres through programs and festivals like the International Jazz Festival in Saudi Arabia.

“The thing is to not treat these genres in silos, to look at them as an intersecting creative community. How do we support the community and how do we let the grassroots tell us what music is needed? … it's about fostering creativity and enabling a young population,” he said.


Nicolas Cage shares career insights and teases ‘Dream Scenario’ at RSIFF

Nicolas Cage shares career insights and teases ‘Dream Scenario’ at RSIFF
Updated 09 December 2023
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Nicolas Cage shares career insights and teases ‘Dream Scenario’ at RSIFF

Nicolas Cage shares career insights and teases ‘Dream Scenario’ at RSIFF

JEDDAH: During an “In Conversation” panel at Jeddah’s Red Sea International Film Festival, Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage captivated the audience in an hour-long discussion on his notable performances.

Moderated by Lebanese presenter Raya Abirached, the event saw Cage start off by sharing the story of his name change from Nicolas Coppola to Nicolas Cage at the beginning of his career.

He recounted instances of on-set bullying during the filming of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” where his talent was called into doubt due to his relation to renowned filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

 

 

Cage disclosed: “They would quote lines from ‘Apocalypse Now’ and change them to ‘I love the smell of Nicolas in the mornings’ instead of ‘napalm in the morning.’”

He acknowledged how directors and filmmakers might not want the name Coppola associated with their work, which led him to change his name. Cage explained: “I didn’t think any filmmaker in their own right would want the name Coppola above the title of their movie. So, I changed my name predominantly for business reasons.”

Reflecting on his role in the 1987 comedy film “Moonstruck” alongside Cher, Cage shared an amusing conversation in which he asked the singer why she wanted him in the movie. Cage recalled her response: “‘I saw you in ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’ and thought it was like a two-hour car accident, and I had to have you.’”

 

 

Cage evaluated his past works with enthusiasm, naming “Vampire’s Kiss,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Raising Arizona,” “Adaptation,” and the highly anticipated A24 production “Dream Scenario” as the five scripts he considers to be the pinnacle of his 45-year journey in the industry.

Providing a glimpse into his future endeavors, Cage unveiled details about his upcoming film “Dream Scenario,” where he will portray an ordinary man who mysteriously starts appearing in the dreams of others.

Cage also expressed his interest in exploring television and said: “I’m thinking about television. My son turned me on to ‘Breaking Bad,’ and I saw Bryan Cranston stare at a suitcase for one hour. I never get time to stare at a suitcase for an hour. I said, ‘Let’s do some TV.’”

He revealed his intention to transition to television while maintaining a selective approach to film projects, citing his desire to spend more time with his 15-month-old daughter as a motivating factor.

Cage also discussed the impact of winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Mike Figgis’ “Leaving Las Vegas” in 1995. He credited the award for providing him with creative freedom and the opportunity to pursue his artistic vision. Cage joked that the award gave him a “tenure” to make movies, allowing him to work with directors while still retaining creative control.

During the conversation, Cage revealed a fascinating tidbit about almost starring in a “Superman” film directed by Tim Burton.

However, this exciting project was ultimately shelved due to the apprehension of studio executives. Cage explained: “Tim was riding high after the success of ‘Mars Attacks!’ Initially, they considered Renny Harlin to direct, but I knew that playing such an iconic role required hitting the bull’s eye. We came incredibly close, but the studio made the decision to cancel the entire production. I believe they were concerned about the potential cost and whether they would recoup their investment.”