Dedicated to the Film Crew, Who Suspended Doing Their Job, and Gave Their Precious Hands to Install My Tree Within The Glasgow Tower

photo credit: Ali

photo credit: Ali

photo credit: Ali

Tunnels and Tyres of Glasgow

by Tom Harrup

Seventh of March, Two Thousand Twelve

Today is the day I might have had my penultimate day of working on my project at Tashkeel. But it is also the day I fearfully noticed that the opening of Sikka is actually next week!

It was also today I got very much disappointed with my sudden realisation of the fact that I cannot remove the palettes from underneath my sculptures, so I am afraid I need to learn how to get along well with them. I will dress them up nicely, and put some make up on, so they look a bit presentable, or just as if an intentional part of the work. (Shhhhh.. just between me and you)

Today we celebrated Fayçal’s birthday at our traditional Wednesday presentations, so I had my second cake party in two days in a row. Nasır rehearsed his magic writing box, the Story Converter. We were awarded with a lovely handmade book, in return for our illegible scribbles. He is such a lovely soul, and I really like his work that’s coming together for Sikka.

The first cake party, Hadeyeh's treat

The second cake party, Ali's treat

And this is Zeinab's treat, a pre-cake Emirati Schawarma celebration

Today is the day I acknowledged that we officially own a cat at number 47. The talkative red cat (he is literally red, I can’t call him ginger) does not at all leave the garden, although he sees us off everyday one by one from the door, remains inside. He loves us so much! I am feeling a bit upset thinking of his future. He already looks much healthier, hope he remains like this and stores some strength for the difficult rest of his life, after April; after we leave.

 

Tomorrow, I am going for tree shopping, which is the one last thing left to arrange. Nasır is so nice to arrange 40kg of ground coffee from Sharjah. Fingers crossed for the amount, inşallah that will be enough.

After specifying the importance of today with a prose-poetry, I can give a short summary of what has happened in the last week.

Ali participated to one of the Art Dubai talks that took place at Downtown Pavilion, which I really like as a space. I think her presentation was very impressive, which brought a ‘fresh breath’ to what people are used to seeing and listening to.  At the rest of the week, I basically worked like a construction worker continuously carrying sand with a wheel barrel, back and forth. And finally my little desert within my Dubai tower is completed. I couldn’t achieve showing cars from the arches/windows as I did not calculate the fact that sand completely acts like water, filling up every micro millimetre squares. Silicon was not enough to sand-proof the container, so I had to unscrew the bottom part, and gaffertape the box from underneath. Finally the cars got parked on the top of the sand.  Waiting for people to narrate their own versions of what has happened before, and what might happen later, for this staged story within the Dubai tower.

The 13 plain frames for my studio display is completed by today, and the top shelves will be completely finished on Friday. I left some work for the film crew who is commissioned to film our process of making our work. I am very much excited about how the documentary is going to be. They have a very thoughtful process, and I don’t expect cheesy interview questions, so I already feel comfortable with their camera, as they are the makers of Teta Alf Marra, I mentioned in my  previous posts. How cool is that!!

 

Although I am enjoying my experience and time here, I am also counting days to see Tom again.

It’s quite late now, I think I should go to bed.

With Special Thanks To Tom Harrup

Although I neglected writing my blog for more than a week, I was incubating for my work and for more experience.  Tom left last night, providing me lovely memories, his two skillful hands and a precious mind; thus the work easily came together in these couple of weeks. There are still a few things that need to be completed but it is nothing to stress about. It's now time to more concentrate on workshops, panels and interviews. Now I would like to respectively talk about how amazing and productive the last week was.

Global Village, photo credit: Tom

Last Thursday, after visiting Dragon Mart earlier in the day, Tom and I went to Global Village; such a nostalgic funfair with folkloric shows and various food and cloths markets. Each pavilion is almost like a humorous embassy representing and occupying the land of their own country. I finally bought the Turkish coffee cups I was willing to get. The guy from whom I bought it remembered me from my previous visit, and asked how my sculpture was going. He has such a big heart; as he wanted to give me the cups as a present, as a contribution to my work. He uttered this in a Turkish manner saying “I want my salt to be in the soup”. It was such an emotional moment, and finally I could convince him at least to accept his importing cost for the goods. Thereafter, we had Iranian dinner, Turkish baklava, Brazilian smoothie, and a pretty Pakistani dress.

Just before we left for the wedding

Friday, was the day of Khawla’s sister’s wedding which Ali and I was invited long time ago. I took out my skanky boiler suit, and put on my fake eye lashes (Ali’s lovely treat) and my fancy high heels that pretend to be two phoenixes. The wedding was an example of ultimate Emirati hospitality, and there were hundreds of beautiful Emirati ladies almost appearing from One Thousand and One Nights.

Back at Tashkeel, things were coming together pretty quickly and nicely. We now have a very sweet welding corner, whose walls are composed of graffiti workshop screens. My experience at my outdoor studio at Tashkeel is so much intertwined with the skateboard ramp. I even got used to the noise of wheels hitting the ground (as long as they are on the big ramp), or kids running around. My work is completely composed of the scrap materials left from the ramp, so I am grateful. 

Tom has an amazing gift of being able to transform anywhere into cosy domestic places. So he decorated this little room with hooks for grinding discs, welding masks and for other various equipment. I will be very soon giving a welding workshop here, so it is better if I start studying!

Coffee Mixer. Photo credit: Tom

Photo credit: Tom

Photo credit: Tom

On the left, skeleton for the cloud; individually drilled for each rain drop. Photo credit: Tom

After building up half of the cloud, each hole for individual rain drop had to be poked again with hot wire through the foam. Photo credit: Tom

 

As a couple, we enjoy working together and walking together the most, as we even uttered in our wedding vows. So once we started doing the metal work, the piece came together pretty quickly, and I am very satisfied with how it looks. Tom built the crane and the drum beater, and I made the stirring mechanism and the clamp system of the coffee mixer, whereas the Glasgow tower was constructed collaboratively. After our working hours, we just walked walked and walked.  Walked by the creek, by various highways, through deserts within the city and even once walked to the airport. Mapping a city with foot steps is definitely the best way of defining and experiencing a city. Not necessarily seeing spectacular pretty pieces of land, but spending some time on the neglected inbetween areas, that are not supposed to be seen by an occupier. 

From the wall of one of our favourite restaurants, Al Special Ostadi. They have a lovely collection of old mobile phones

Creek, with one of the burnt ships in the front. Photo credit: Tom

Can you see the flying car? Photo credit: Tom

Yesterday, we finally visited the flamingo sanctuary in Ras Al Khor, which was this time truly spectacular.  It is a very big natural reserve with an unsettling view of  skyscrapers appearing from behind. After visiting the first observation shed, we wanted to walk to the other one. For people living in Dubai, it is a crazy idea to walk anywhere in the city. It is not a habit here to be just a pedestrian, that’s why the signage in the sanctuary about the restrictions or a walkable path was not clear enough. Eventually we got told off for taking the wrong path. But overall I really enjoyed at the sanctuary, it was such a peaceful and rememberable moment. 

Ironing on the desert is forbidden. Photo credit: Tom

That night, Tom had to fly away after our Wednesday presentations. Now I am trying to get used to the idea of being half again. I should keep myself busy busy busy...

PS: Forgot to mention about the second sand storm. Impossible to believe, a sand storm once a week!