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A KISS, A ROLLS, A SNAKE DANCER: THE MIDDLE EAST THROUGH ITS OWN LENS
CNN World
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/09/15/arabic.photos/
Sept 15 2010
(CNN) -- A woman in outrageous flared trousers kisses the cheek of a
young girl. A snake slithers around another woman wearing a two-piece
bathing suit. And elsewhere, a camel crosses ponderously in front of
a gleaming Rolls Royce.
To Western eyes more used to the region portrayed through images
of religion, conflict or conservative societies, it may come as a
surprise to learn these photographs represent a snapshot of life in
the Middle East.
But these and 300,000 more gathered in an archive in Beirut tell
a different story: One of a long-forgotten belle epoque of glamour
and innocence.
This sprawling photographic collection is the work of the Arab Image
Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated safeguarding a local
perspective often overshadowed by the works of Western photographers.
"We were interested in showing the Arab world as we know it; as we
see it in our photographic album," foundation director Zeina Arida
told CNN.
Video: Preserving a culture through photos This lovingly-curated
collection boasts many gems, not least the noir-ish work of Van Leo,
an Armenian-Egyptian portrait photographer who attracted the rich
and famous to his Cairo studio.
Active during the 1940s and 50s, Van Leo also pursued his own artistic
vision, posing for fantasy self-portraits, re-imagining himself as
a heroic pilot, prisoner -- or even a chiffon-robed young woman.
Says Arida, Van Leo, whose work predates similar projects by celebrated
American photographer Cindy Sherman by almost 40 years, is among
several "enthusiastic" supporters of the 13-year-old foundation.
But, with most of its funding coming from Europe and the United States,
she says more Middle Eastern donors, who tend to back charitable
rather than cultural organizations, need to step up to help preserve
their own past.
The foundation's new research center in Beirut, where white-gloved
curators carefully handle the slides, plates, prints and negatives
that make up the collection, should help, she says.
It is hoped the research will offer new insight, not only into a
golden era for the region, but also into the techniques of those who
strove to capture it.
Adds Arida: "We do have important historical documents, but the main
interest in these images were what the images can tell us about the
relationship between the photographer and his clients."
From: A. Papazian
CNN World
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/09/15/arabic.photos/
Sept 15 2010
(CNN) -- A woman in outrageous flared trousers kisses the cheek of a
young girl. A snake slithers around another woman wearing a two-piece
bathing suit. And elsewhere, a camel crosses ponderously in front of
a gleaming Rolls Royce.
To Western eyes more used to the region portrayed through images
of religion, conflict or conservative societies, it may come as a
surprise to learn these photographs represent a snapshot of life in
the Middle East.
But these and 300,000 more gathered in an archive in Beirut tell
a different story: One of a long-forgotten belle epoque of glamour
and innocence.
This sprawling photographic collection is the work of the Arab Image
Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated safeguarding a local
perspective often overshadowed by the works of Western photographers.
"We were interested in showing the Arab world as we know it; as we
see it in our photographic album," foundation director Zeina Arida
told CNN.
Video: Preserving a culture through photos This lovingly-curated
collection boasts many gems, not least the noir-ish work of Van Leo,
an Armenian-Egyptian portrait photographer who attracted the rich
and famous to his Cairo studio.
Active during the 1940s and 50s, Van Leo also pursued his own artistic
vision, posing for fantasy self-portraits, re-imagining himself as
a heroic pilot, prisoner -- or even a chiffon-robed young woman.
Says Arida, Van Leo, whose work predates similar projects by celebrated
American photographer Cindy Sherman by almost 40 years, is among
several "enthusiastic" supporters of the 13-year-old foundation.
But, with most of its funding coming from Europe and the United States,
she says more Middle Eastern donors, who tend to back charitable
rather than cultural organizations, need to step up to help preserve
their own past.
The foundation's new research center in Beirut, where white-gloved
curators carefully handle the slides, plates, prints and negatives
that make up the collection, should help, she says.
It is hoped the research will offer new insight, not only into a
golden era for the region, but also into the techniques of those who
strove to capture it.
Adds Arida: "We do have important historical documents, but the main
interest in these images were what the images can tell us about the
relationship between the photographer and his clients."
From: A. Papazian