100 Artists From the Arab World Take Part in London’s First Festival of Contemporary Arab Culture
The curtain is raised today, Monday 4 July, on London’s first ever celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab world, organised by the Mayor of London and sponsored by HSBC. Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture, will feature around one hundred artists in over seventy events in more than thirty key cultural venues throughout the city for three weeks from 4 – 24 July 2011.
Shubbak (the arabic word for ‘window’) will feature a wide-ranging programme of events including visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and discussion, many of them free.
Among the highlights of the programme are:
Monday 4 July: A Musical Revolution into the Arab World, a free concert to open the Festival at The Scoop featuring three of the hottest new generation stars of the Middle East’s music subcultures: Zeid Hamdan from Beirut, Tamer Abu Ghazaleh from Palestine, and Maryam Saleh from Egypt.
Until 23 July: A Girl in her Room, an exhibition of photo works by highly acclaimed Lebanese/American artist, Rania Matar, at the Mosaic Rooms, one of London’s leading centres for Arab contemporary arts.
Until 24 July: Shopopolis, produced by Delfina Foundation. Artists from the UK and UAE have been developing a special commission for Shubbak, involving shoppers at Westfield Shopping Centre in a series of collaborations, drawing on the contrasting shopping experiences of the luxury Malls in the UK and the Emirates.
Wednesday 6 July: Inauguration, a unique concert at LSO St Luke’s to celebrate the opening of Brunel University’s new Institute for Contemporary Middle Eastern Music, the first of its kind in the world. Including works by composers from Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey.
Friday 8 July-Sunday 10 July: Interference, a free weekend of films, talks and workshops at the ICA curated by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha in a close collaboration between the two organisations. Speakers include curator Jack Persekian, artist Emily Jacir, film director, Ahmad Abdalla, Deena Chalabi, Head of Strategy at Mathaf. Friday evening will include a screening of Microphone (2010), directed by award-winning director Ahmad Abdalla, followed by a Q&A with the director and James Neil, film curator of Parallax Media.
Monday 11-Saturday 23 July: In the Penal Colony, Kafka’s classic play presented by Young Vic Theatre, adapted by director Amir Nizar Zuabi and Palestinian company ShiberHur, performed in Arabic with English surtitles.
Tuesday 12 July: The BIdoun Library in Residence at the Serpentine Gallery opens, a travelling collection of 50 years of books, magazines, videos, music and ephemera from and about the Middle East, of interest to artists, researchers and art lovers. Until 11 September.
Wednesday 13 July: Palestine/Lebanon/Syria: Poetry and Political Protest presented by Poet in the City at City Hall, featuring renowned Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish.
Friday 22 July: A Night in Tahrir Square presented by the Barbican Centre featuring a line-up of artists who helped to create the soundtrack of Egypt’s revolution including street music group El Tanbura, Azza Balba, oud virtuoso Mustafa Said and singer-songwriter, Ramy Essam.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:
“The Arab world is changing fast; in some ways beyond recognition. In London we want to look beyond the stereotypes and understand a region that is diverse and dynamic in arts, culture, ideas and belief. Shubbak provides a ‘window’ through which to see the extraordinary breadth and excitement of contemporary Arab arts in key London institutions, building on a powerful sense of connection and respect. At a time of remarkable political and social change, and in a city which has welcomed many Arabs over the years, I hope this festival will make us think again about Arab culture today.”
Zarir J Cama, Group General Manager, Group Management Office, HSBC Holdings plc said:
“Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture will provide real insight into the Middle East and we are pleased to announce this sponsorship as the first event of our 2011 and 2012 global Cultural Exchange programme, Arabian Journeys. Celebrating the rich and diverse culture of the region, the programme will include research with the Economist Intelligence Unit, Arabia Offscreen – an international education project involving an expedition to Saudi Arabia – and exclusive cultural experiences for clients and stakeholders, with further announcements to be made shortly. Following our previous spotlights on the emerging markets of China, India and Brazil, our Cultural Exchange programme reflects the value we place on appreciating and understanding different points of view when building successful working relationships.”
Munira Mirza, Advisor for Arts and Culture to the Mayor of London, said today:
“We are absolutely delighted at the response we’ve received from cultural organisations all over London and across the Arab world to our invitation to take part. There is a real sense of excitement and collaboration amongst artists and I believe the festival will demonstrate the power of culture to bring people together.”
Presenting organisations include: Arab British Centre, Arab New Trends, Arts Canteen, Barbican Centre, The British Museum, Brunel Institute of Contemporary Middle-Eastern Music, Cadogan Hall, Café Oto, Dash Arts, Delfina Foundation, English Chamber Orchestra, Foyles Bookshop, Freeword, Gate Cinema, ICA, The Idler, iniva, Land in Focus, Leighton House Museum, LIFT, London Review of Books, London Walks, MICA Gallery, The Mosaic Rooms, Museum of London, Musicstage Promotions, Nous, Poet in the City, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, Resonance FM, Rich Mix, Royal Institute of British Architects, Sadler’s Wells, Saqi Books, Scoop at MORE London, Selma Feriani Gallery, Serpentine Gallery, Six Pillars, SOAS, Sotheby’s, Southbank Centre, Tate Modern, V&A, Young Vic, Westfield Shopping Centre, Zenith Foundation.
Countries around the world will be represented including Algeria, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, USA and the United Arab Emirates.
Full details of the Festival are available on: www.london.gov.uk/shubbak
Great London Authority