Christophe recently rocked a performance at the Italian Cultural Center in Jeddah, gaining adulation of his hometown that he now cherishes as a fragrant celebration.
He is a photographer, poet, songwriter and musician who also works with sound, video and film. He worked as a DJ and film director in the TV commercials production circuit for a few years after graduating from IESAV (Université Saint Joseph) in Beirut. Songs of his feature on two compilation albums produced in Lebanon in 2009 in his own alternative folk music genre, under the singer-songwriter alias, “Cristobal.”
During the 2006 war, he wrote consecutively and participated in a collective art exhibition, entitled “Nafas Beirut,” at the gallery, Espace SD, by contributing photos and poems, entering the art paradigm.
Ever since, he has been a part of exhibitions and artist workshops in Lebanon (Beirut, Saida, Tripoli, Jbeil) and abroad (Brussels, Copenhagen, Jeddah, New York, Damascus) with his photos, video and installation work.
Arab News managed an exclusive heart-to-heart with Cristobal of Arabia.
Cristobal really came to life when I took the music I write a little more seriously. After sharing a song I wrote and recorded in 2007 with a few friends, I was encouraged by the feedback to the song, my own wonder at how fast I wrote and recorded it, and how much I enjoyed listening to it myself.
Before that time, I never played, performed or wrote music in a consistent manner — I would sometimes not touch my guitar for over a year.
Cristobal was the name I had given to my Myspace musician page. It's my name in Spanish and a nickname that some friends use. When I started performing, recording and making public appearances, the name naturally became my musical alias.
I studied filmmaking and direct TV commercials from time to time, but my main focus these past five years, besides music, was building and developing an art practice based on photography, video making, sound and installation. I also deejayed for many years and still do it every now and then in one-off events. I'm also part of Lebanon's first capoeira group — it's Brazilian martial arts rich with music, culture, and rituals. My passions include nature, traveling and discovering things, places, people, tastes, cities, etc. I also love finding the beauty in the simplest of things and sharing it when possible, as well as appreciating the span of human creativity and creation from cinema to architecture to music to art and everything in between.
The moment that circumstances led me to start my artistic journey almost suddenly in 2006 after the July war. Every moment, something comes along to validate the path I have chosen, may it be just one person sharing their impressions on a concert or video I did, or an invitation to a coveted international artist residency, or someone being sincerely touched by something I created. One of these moments was when a friend messaged me to tell me they cried when they went and saw one of my installations.
My inspiration is a mix of my own life journey and how I took shape as a human being, coupled to the contexts and environment around me, the disruptions in them, the things that grab me, strike me, compel me and speak to me. There isn't one rule or mode of operation except trying to always be open and receptive to the world and people around me. Inspiration can come from love, as much as it can stem from war, and it can also be just one facial expression from a stranger.
I would advise anybody out there, not just people who love music or art, to make it a point to find what it is that makes them vibrate and pursue it if they are really passionate about it, against the odds and against common sense. They owe it to themselves to give themselves at least that chance. Sometimes, we don't have that luxury, that's why if you have the possibility, drive and desire, than you must go for it.
Just to keep growing, learning, creating, building and sharing. Every new step determines the next one and part of the excitement is sometimes just knowing the next step and not more. For instance, I am invited to an artist residency in Austria next summer as one of five international artists. The work we do there will be exhibited the year after and published in a catalog; we are also invited for that event.
Born in France, grew up in Jeddah in the French School. Traveled a lot to Los Angeles, Paris and Lebanon while growing up to catch up with close family members. Left Jeddah for Beirut in 1993 and studied filmmaking at IESAV in Université Saint Joseph. The nice thing about that is that it got me familiar with everything from photography, film, sound, acting, directing, lighting to writing. It comes in handy when I want to use different mediums in my artwork. After university, I deejayed a lot and worked in film production as a first assistant director then director. I was also writing poetry and snapping photos on the side throughout those years and going in and out of playing music of course.
My dream is to always have the capacity and opportunity to follow my dreams and not be forced one day to compromise on a large level.
I think the earliest things I started hearing and appreciating as a kid were Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tracy Chapman, Fleetwood Mac and the Cure. Then, as a teenager, I discovered rock and rap, adding Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Nirvana, Public Enemy, NWA and Ice cube to the repertoire. Throughout the years, my taste grew and incorporated jazz, blues, world music, especially West African and Indian.
Lately, I really appreciate the independent labels and artists, may it be rock (The Black Keys, Yo la Tengo), folk (Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine), electro (Four Tet, Hot Chip) or hip-hop (MF Doom, RJD2).
Cristobal is reminiscent of words by Plato, and he lives by it: “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."
