On Monday, I had a lovely trip to Dubai. This adjustable boomerang chair was outside in the Dubai Design District, lots of identical glass buildings and fancy looking young trendy folks. Saw a couple of shows and then wanted to run away to something a little toothier. So I went to the old souk (marketplace) along the creek and promptly got ripped off with bags of scarves and spices. I still kind of want to go back and get safflower petals and indigo powder, NOT used for dye apparently though that's all I know them for.
The final stop was the perfume house at Al Shindagha, the old section of the city that has a museum with separate houses. I was sad that the scent part of the museum was disabled but the info was great. Perfume made from specific extractions of whale poop that then has to cure in saltwater?! Incredible.
Though I wanted to get back to the hotel, I ended up doing a quick tour of the handicrafts house, and love these sandals that I think are made of date palm fiber but don't quote me because the tour guide really whisked me through. The next house I went to was for traditional medicine and that tour guide was the opposite, took forever. Then I got lost trying to find my way in the non-gridded area with a zillion little houses but eventually found my driver, who gave me great advice and comfort about navigating the culture here.
The next morning, I had a wonderful meeting with Nadia, the dean of the college of fine arts and design of the University of Sharjah, who had found me at my exhibit. She waited for me to return from a break because she had to find out who was here from Cleveland, the city where she had gotten engaged years ago. It turns out that the school has a papermaking studio that is unused because no one knows how to use it, equipped with a beater, press, and drybox by Dave Reina! Insane. She introduced me to Izmer, the chair of fine arts, and Elham, who is also a papermaker who has used this space a bit for the students.
For a space that no one knows how to use, it's decently equipped besides not having enough vats.
Missing the plastic shields but otherwise great! Next to the sliding door that used to lead to an outdoor space but now goes into a hallway that was built to expand the school.
It always feels crazy to have such good equipment not being used, when I would LOVE to own it but do not have the budget. After returning back to the hotel, I tried to catch up on rest and get a tiny afternoon nap before heading out to the exhibit I have to man every night. But it was fun to get some traditional food to share with the two women whose job it is to be there from 4:30 to 10pm.
This morning, I tried to visit some of the Sharjah Art Foundation. I forgot to photograph this label but I believe they are embroidered textiles in the shape of contested area maps.
There were a couple of shows across 6 buildings and I got very turned around finding all of them/their entrances. This one was the strongest, by Khalil Rabah.
This isn't good documentation of this part of it but the panels are all paintings that look like info signs.
Because I can't explain, this is the tag for the following installation of barbed wire, olive oil, thread, nails, etc.
And the tags for the following visceral set of objects
This feels like a great depiction of my experience last week trying to get the right tools for my workshop (we failed).
Then I headed to the Museum of Islamic Civilization, which had not let me in the other day because of lack of local cash. I love books with marginalia.
These are miniature books, but it's hard to show the scale.
Words all over this tunic as well, a talismanic shirt worn under armor covered in verses that are meant to protect the wearer in battle, from the 18th century Ottoman Empire.
A paper calendar in a silver case (1860 Ottoman Turkey)
Indigo and gold on parchment, Qur'an page (10th century, North Africa)
Duck! 11th century, Herat, Afghanistan
14th-century Mongol silk dress (Lampas weave), Iran or Central Asia
A shield made of wicker, lined with silk, and steel in the middle. In the show that had artifacts from Venice.
Woven shields! Anyhow, the cab driver thought I got lost in there, since I guess it's abnormal to spend time in a museum. But I don't blame him, since he has to sit outside in the car the entire time waiting for me. I was so glad to finally get in and there was tons of other things to see. Now, time to get dressed to head back to the art foundation and meet the Koreans from Abu Dhabi!
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