Nour returns this autumn with a hugely expanded line-up of artists and partners including some of the UK’s best known cultural institutions.Created by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Nour – which means ‘light’ or ‘illumination’ in various Middle Eastern languages - has now expanded beyond its original venue of Leighton House, a remarkable symbol of east meeting west, to embrace the entire borough.
Event listings: October – December 2012
This year’s festival takes place in globally renowned cultural centres across the borough, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, the Ciné Lumière, The Tabernacle, and the Mosaic Rooms. The programme embraces film, exhibitions, talks and debates, literature, music, politics, visual arts, fashion and cuisine.
Major artists involved include the British Palestinian author Selma Dabbagh, the Iraqi music artist Attab Haddad, and the Arab musician and broadcaster Reem Kelani in a thought-provoking programme that tackles taboos, provides a platform for emerging voices, and showcases international talent.
EVENT LISTINGS
EXHIBITIONS
Nuclear Nuqta
The fission of Islamic art from the classical to the contemporary
Leighton House Museum 12 Holland Park Road Kensington W14 8LZ
3-29 October, open 10am-5.30pm daily. Closed Tuesdays. Museum admission applies / www.leightonhouse.co.uk
Nuclear Nuqta is Muiz’s debut solo-exhibition in the United Kingdom. Leighton House will be hosting a selection of Muiz’s work, whose characteristic exploration of the Arab and Muslim identity and how they are informed by culture, language, geography and politics has become even more relevant in the post-911, revolutionary era.
Kütmaan
Exploring the realities of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT ) lives and culture in the Middle East
Leighton House Museum 12 Holland Park Road Kensington W14 8LZ
5-30 November, open 10am-5.30pm daily. Closed Tuesdays. Museum admission applies / www.leightonhouse.co.uk
‘Kütmaan’ is the Arabic for the act of hiding or concealing. This exhibition forms part of a five-year photographic project documenting the realities of life for some LGBT individuals in the Middle East between 2010 and 2012. The images in this exhibition tell diverse personal stories and relate the experiences of those LGBT people who are forced to claim asylum based on their sexuality or gender identity.
Translations
Leighton House Museum 12 Holland Park Road Kensington W14 8LZ
6-30 November, open 10am-5.30pm daily. Closed Tuesdays. Museum admission applies / www.leightonhouse.co.uk
Dia Batal will be installing pieces from her Translations collection throughout Leighton House, responding to the context of the space and building on Leighton’s own collection of objects from the Arab World. In Translations Batal borrows from the traditional Arab art of working with text to create pieces that tell a story. These objects use possible transformations of the text and the corresponding shifts in meaning to relate to the space that the object occupies, and the function of the object itself.
Working from Life
The Mosaic Rooms, 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW
28 Sept-16 November, open 11am-6pm Tues-Sat. Special Sunday opening: 11 November 12-5pm Free / www.mosaicrooms.org
The Mosaic Rooms is delighted to present Working From Life, the first UK solo exhibition by one of the leading contemporary Moroccan artists, Abderrahim Yamou. This exhibition will feature new and recent paintings, previously unseen.
The Watchtower of Happiness and other landscapes of occupation
The Mosaic Rooms, 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW
26 Nov-12 December, open 11am-6pm Tues-Sat Free / www.mosaicrooms.org
Febrik will take over The Mosaic Rooms transforming it into A Watchtower of Happiness and other landscapes of occupation. The main gallery room will be transformed into an interactive space to be activated by members of the public using altered mobile objects, a watchtower structure, and landscapes of domesticity. The work engages with the current public occupation and displacement practices happening in the Middle East for political and economic motives. There will be a programme of associated events, whose highlights include The Watchtower Of Occupation at the V&A Friday Late on 30 November, from 6.30-10pm.
‘The Original Arab Spring – Palestine Rising’
Mica Gallery, Mica Creative CIC & FQMS
2-20 October, open Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturdays by appointment Free / www.micahub.com
The Original Arab Spring – Palestine Rising’ showcases contemporary art inspired by and responding to Palestine. The exhibition seeks to capture an array of visual observations of the Original Arab Spring and intertwines this with the essential role of medical services and education in the region both historically and to the present day adopting a unique creative approach to promoting awareness and raising funds for charity.
MUSIC
Youssef Hbeisch and Ahmad Al Khatib in concert with John Williams
A. M. Qattan Foundation, Beit Almusiqa, Edward Said National Conservatory of Music
Cadogan Hall 5 Sloane Terrace London SW1X 9DQ. 23 October 7.30pm / www.mosaicrooms.org
This special concert featuring Youssef Hbeisch, Ahmad Al Khatib and John Williams is in support of the Gaza Music School and the Beit Almusiqa (Shafa’amr) programme.
Attab Haddad Ensemble
Leighton House Museum 12 Holland Park Road Kensington W14 8LZ
26 October 7.30-9.30pm (Doors open at 7pm). £10, £8 concessions (Pre-booking recommended) / www.nourfestival.eventbrite.co.uk
Of Iraqi heritage, Attab Haddad’s original compositions draw on Flamenco, Arabic and Turkish music to describe a scintillating instrumental journey through Andalusia and the Middle East.
Reem Kelani
The Tabernacle 35 Powis Square London W11 2AY
22 November 8-9.30pm (Doors open at 7pm). £10 advance £12 door / www.nourfestival. eventbrite.co.uk
Concert night with Reem Kelani, one of the most important female Arab singers of her generation.
Emel Mathlouthi
The Tabernacle 35 Powis Square London W11 2AY
23 November 8-9.30pm (Doors open at 7pm). £10 advance £12 door / www.nourfestival.eventbrite.co.uk
Emel Mathlouthi’s tracks are anthems to popular risings from the Jasmin Revolution in her home country Tunisia. While the future still looks uncertain, her music maintains its stridency.
DEBATES AND TALKS
Syria’s Art of Resistance
Leighton House Museum 12 Holland Park Road Kensington W14 8LZ
19 October 7-8.30pm (Doors open at 6.30pm) £5 per person / www.nourfestival.eventbrite.co.uk
In an illustrated lecture about the exhibition Culture in Defiance: Continuing Traditions of Satire, Art and the Struggle for Freedom in Syria, Malu Halasa examines the role of culture in a country scarred by violence.
Art and Botany
The Mosaic Rooms 226 Cromwell Road London SW5 0SW
20 October 12pm Free / www.mosaicrooms.org
The Moroccan artist Abderrahim Yamou will discuss his work with the internationally renowned Dr Wolfgang Stuppy from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Yamou’s work is inspired by the natural world, and this talk will give a unique insight into the relationship between art and botany in contemporary art practices, and reveal the inspiration behind the works in his exhibition at The Mosaic Rooms, Working from Life.
Arts in Iran: Political, historical and social context
Leighton House Museum 12 Holland Park Road Kensington W14 8LZ
15 November 3-5pm £5, £3 concessions (Iranian tea & biscuits included) /
www.nourfestival.eventbrite.co.uk
A panel of Iranian female academics and artists discuss the socio/political and historical context within which art and culture operate in Iran. The session is chaired by Dr Sahar Rad, of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Day Symposium: Middle Eastern and North African Music:
Contemporary Contexts, Future Trends
Ismaili Centre 1-7 Cromwell Gardens South Kensington London SW7 2SL
24 November 10am-4pm Free limited tickets / www.arabnewtrends.com
This day symposium, the first of its kind to be held in Europe, discusses the position of Middle Eastern and Arab music within the wider music industry of the UK and Europe. With key opinion formers, musicians, music labels, publishers and programmers from the UK and Europe, the day will explore the future promotion and development of Arab music.
LITERATURE
Selma Dabbagh: Festival Writer-in-Residence: ‘Who Are You to Write That?”
In Partnership with Bloomsbury Qatar Publishing and the Arab British Centre
October-November, For venues and dates, please check our festival website for details - www.nourfestival.co.uk
Lectures & Workshops, £10, £8 concessions / www.nourfestival.eventbrite.co.uk
Selma Dabbagh’s residency, ‘Who Are You to Write That?’ questions the assumptions placed on writers to stick to certain subjects, perspectives, national identities and even geographical terrains when writing fiction.
In Ramallah, Running
The Mosaic Rooms 226 Cromwell Road London SW5 0SW
25 October 7pm / www.mosaicrooms.org
To celebrate the recent launch of In Ramallah, Running, The Mosaic Rooms is pleased to present a discussion led by the author Guy Mannes-Abbott. The book is a uniquely personal encounter with Palestine interweaving short, poetic texts with exploratory essays. Guy will be joined by a panel of special guests to discuss and explore further the issues, thoughts and experiences raised through the book.
Ghassan Zaqtan
The Mosaic Rooms, 226 Cromwell Road London SW5 0SW
1 November 7pm / www.mosaicrooms.org
The Mosaic Rooms is pleased to celebrate the launch of Ghassan Zaqtan’s most recent collection of poetry in its award winning English translation. In Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, Ghassan Zaqtan’s tenth poetry collection, translator Fady Joudah brings to English-language readers new work by one of the most important and original Palestinian poets of our time. Ghassan Zaqtan will be in discussion with Fady Joudah.
FILM
The London MENA (Middle East & North Africa) Film Festival – LMFF
Leighton House Museum, 12 Holland Park Road, Kensington W14 8LZ
31 October-2 November, Doors open 6.30pm. Films start promptly at 7pm. Tickets: £7 per person / www.nourfestival.eventbrite.co.uk
Wednesday 31 October LMFF Short Film Night
The Pillars
UAE / Egypt, 2012
l: 15 minutes d: Moustafa Zakaroa
We follow various people who are going through changes in an ever-changing society, in this cinematic adventure which is anchored around the five pillars of Islam.
The Portrait
Egypt, 2012
l: 8 minutes d: Ahmed Magdy
Taking place on a Friday, with protests at a high in Tahrir Square in Cairo, an artist is isolated in her studio and we discover what is more important to her – her own needs or the ideology of the protesters.
Visualising The Past: Rebranding The Present II
UK, 2010
l: 10 minutes d: Jessica Jacobs
A short documentary exploring the interest and, in some cases, love that various visitors feel towards the historic city of Damascus in Syria.
Soul
UAE, 2011
l: 9 minutes d: Fatima Abdallah
A mysterious man asks a sculptor for a strange request – to create an exact replica model of himself in clay. A conceptual film, which questions the meaning of existence and the journey of a soul.
Transition
Iraq, 2011
l: 5 minutes d: Abbas Al Badri
The animated story of a snail who finds himself in a tricky situation, and the adventures which can come with change and transition.
Zafir
Egypt, 2010
l: 20 minutes d: Omar El Zohairy
An elderly couple go about their daily routine, where they can hear the clamour of Cairo’s hustle and bustle outside the closed window.
Ostora
UAE / Syria, 2012
l: 8 minutes d: Hani Kichi
Set in the depths of the ocean, Erato the mermaid falls victim to her own curiosity and breaks the ultimate laws of the sea. Can a young Bedouin who dreams of uniting his people under one goal save her from her destiny?
Five Pounds
UAE / Egypt, 2011
l: 11 minutes d: Mohamed Adeeb
An older woman is followed through the dark streets of Cairo by a mysterious young man. Why does he follow her? Who is he and what does he want?
The Hardest Question
Jordan, 2012
l: 15 minutes d: Ahmed Samara
What would you do if it was your last day on earth? This short film documents the entertaining and moving answers of some of Amman’s residents.
LMFF Documentary Night: 1 November
Missing
UK / Jordan, 2010
l: 3 minutes d: Tariq Rimawi
An animated story a window opens on a child in a war-torn area, where he longs for his past peaceful life.
In My Mother’s Arms
Iraq / UK / Nethelands, 2011
l: 85 minutes d: Mohamed & Atia Al Daradji
A documentary focusing on some of the Iraq war’s most hapless victims – children. Husham works tirelessly to protect 32 of these children in a small orphanage in one of Baghdad’s most dangerous districts. When the landlord gives Husham and the boys just two weeks to vacate the premises, a desperate struggle ensues.
Plus Q+A with either the Director (Mohamed Al Daradji) or the Producer (Isabelle Stead).
LMFF Feature Night: 2 November
Majid
Morocco, 2010
l: 116 minutes d: Nassim Abaasi
A coming of age story about a ten year old Moroccan orphan called Majid. Following recurrent nightmares, he discovers that he can’t remember his parents’ faces anymore and there are no photographs of them apart from the charred remains of a family photo with his parents’ heads burnt away. With the help of his new friend Larbi, Majid decides to go on a quest to find a photograph of his dead parents. It’s a journey that will take them to the big city of Casablanca where danger and adventure await them.
The Mosaic Rooms Film Programme
The Mosaic Rooms, 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW
2 October 7-8 November 7pm £5 / www.mosaicrooms.org
The Mosaic Rooms launches its new film programme, with screenings held on the first Wednesday of each month celebrating films from the MENA region.
2012 UK Iranian Film Festival [UKIFF]
Ciné Lumière, 17 Queensbury Place South Kensington, London SW7 2DT
15-23 November £12 / www.ukiff.org.uk
The UK Iranian Film Festival is the only annual festival to present Iranian cinema in the UK. The festival aims to produce the best, and most diverse, Iranian film programme in the country, and to attract as many people as possible to view Iranian cinema. Regardless of who you are, where you come from and what you do, this is a cultural event where you can enjoy and exchange opinions. The Iranian Film Festival in London provides a chance to experience, enjoy, learn and discover!
SPECIAL EVENTS
The Dash Café: An Arab Spring?
A panel conversation and live music from U-cef and The Arab League
The Flyover 3 – 5 Thorpe Close London W10 5XL
25 October, talk from 7pm
Music from 9pm £5 per person (Pre-booking advised) / www.nourfestival.eventbrite.co.uk
A lively panel of journalists, academics, artists and activists with first-hand experience from the region, will debate how the media has shaped our ideas of the “Arab Spring”. The panel includes Dr Fatima El-Issawi, a journalist, analyst, and Research Fellow at POLIS, based at the London School of Economics; and is chaired by Turi Munthe, founder of the citizen journalism website Demotix.
V&A presents Friday Late with MasterCard: Record, Reframe, Resist
Victoria & Albert Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 2RL
30 November 6.30-10pm Free / www.vam.ac.uk
Change your vantage point – climb The Watchtower of Occupation to encounter experiences of control, surveillance and observation. To mark the V&A exhibition Light from the Middle East: New Photography, you are invited to immerse yourself in an evening of interactive art installations, award winning films, live underground music, experimental photography and a pop-up book club.
The Mosaic Rooms Supper Club: Sarah Al-Hamad
Secret West London location: to be disclosed on booking
11 October Dinner, 6.30-10.30pm £40 (3-course meal & wine) - 10 places – booking essential
11 November High Tea, 3-6pm £25 - 12 places – booking essential
The Mosaic Rooms launches a new programme celebrating Middle Eastern food and the stories and traditions that surround cooking and eating. We launch the programme with two intimate events led by Sarah Al-Hamad: a ‘Cardamom & Lime’ themed three-course dinner, and an ‘Arabian High Chai’ with special teas, cakes and savory nibbles. In both events guests will have the opportunity to help prepare several of the recipes, watch Sarah cook, and learn about the ingredients typically used in Kuwaiti and Syrian cuisine.
Yalda 2012 – Iranian celebration of the winter solstice
Leighton House Museum 12 Holland Park Road Kensington W14 8LZ
December 6.30-10pm (Doors open 6.30pm) £7, £5 concessions Pre-booking strongly recommended / www.nourfestival. eventbrite.co.uk
Come and celebrate Yalda, with poetry music and fine fare.
6.30-7.15 pm
Hamid Navim performs popular Iranian songs in the Arab Hall
7.30-8.30 pm
Hafez hour in the studio
9.00 -10.00 pm
Live music in the Studio: Roya Arab presents Alamute performing songs old and new, with guests including Ash Koosha.
Silk Road Books will be present with publications relating to Iran and the wider region.
Mahdi Restaurant of Hammersmith will provide a range of Iranian delicacies.
Khayaal Theatre at Al Manaar: Tales from Arab Lands
Al Manar: The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre 244 Acklam Road London W10 5YG
10 November 6.30-8pm Free / www.almanar.org.uk
Revel in the humour, wit and wisdom of tales from the Arab world performed by Alia Alzougbi, a world-class storyteller from Lebanon. Our collection of stories has been chosen to celebrate the generosity and warmth of Arab culture and the Arab imagination that has shaped Western notions of wonder for centuries.
Tea & Coffee: A Portobello Wall Commission
Portobello Wall Portobello Road (Opposite the Spanish School) London W11
October 2012 - March 2013 Free
They are the drinks of first meetings and old reunions, rivals and lovers, enemies and friends, the poor and the affluent. The smell and taste can remind of you of home, holidays and endless moments. This work is a mix of documentary photography and scenes of fiction, depicting these very moments.
FAMILIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Science Museum at Al Manaar: The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre
Al Manaar The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre 244 Acklam Road London W10 5YG
13 October, 3 November 10 November 2.30-3.30pm Free / www.almanaar.org.uk
13 October
Glorious Blood a show for KS2 7-11 year olds and families
Did you know that the Arab physician Ibn Nafis (died 1288) first described the pulmonary circulation of the blood? Learn more about him, follow the journey of blood through the human body, discovering what it does; what’s in it; where it goes; and what happens when you start to lose it... This is a show for those with an interest in blood, guts... and all things gross.
3 November
Water Transporter a workshop for KS3-4 11-16 year olds 35 participants max
Hear more about the Kurdish engineer, artist and craftsman Al Jazari (1136-1206) who developed the earliest water supply system by hydropower. In this workshop you will face the problem of transporting water across a 6ft gap without carrying it. Your solution will consist of: a funnel, bamboo canes, guttering, string, hosing, plastic sheeting, elastic bands... and a whole heap of ingenuity.
10 November
Colourful Kaleidoscopes a workshop for KS2 7-11 year olds and families 35 participants max
The foundations of modern day optics were laid down by the Iraqi scholars Al Kindi (801-73) and Ibn Al Haitham (Alhazen) (965-1040). This workshop explores how we see the world around us. Do you understand your cones from your rods? Join us to find out all about the amazing jobs our eyes do without us ever realising, plus you even get to make your very own colourful kaleidoscope!
V&A CreateFutures
Artist-led photography workshops at Al Manaar and the V&A
Al Manaar The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, 244 Acklam Road London W10 5YG
3 November (Al-Manaar) 2.30-4.30pm
10, 17, 24 November (V&A) 11am-4pm Visit of the galleries & exhibition; digital photography workshops
Booking & information e: [email protected]
Audience type: 16-24 year olds
Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road London SW7 2RL
16 November (V&A) 6.30-8pm Curator tour
30 November (V&A) Display of completed work at the V&A (Art Studio, Sackler Centre)
The V&A is running a series of artist-led photography workshops for young people aged 16-24, who will explore the “Light from the Middle East” exhibition.
Looking at images and exploring different photographic techniques, participants will be encouraged to document real or staged aspects around their daily life in response to topics within the show. Working with artists, participants will have the opportunity to create a photographic work and display it at the V&A. Workshops will take place at Al Manaar, Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in North Kensington and at the V&A. Places are limited
Full festival brochure available for download at: http://bit.ly/Oe8wqk
