Search: “ace”

The Contemporary Art Platform has a couple of interesting exhibits taking place right now but the one I got to check out recently and found fascinating is “Scattered, Gathered”. Part of the “Scattered, Gathered” is the works of Syrian artist Issam Kourbaj who I was lucky enough to meet when I was visiting CAP. I thought his exhibit was really interesting because of the story behind it and the the result of it. Issam had been working on an architectural project in the city of Cambridge for a couple of years and as the project was about to move forward with construction it suddenly got canceled. That put Issam in a depression and he retreated to his apartment where he spent the next 10 months venting out his anger and frustration on twelve volumes of the 1890 Britannica encyclopedia. He superimposed his visual diaries onto 10,232 pages of the now they’re being displayed for the very first time at CAP.

The exhibition is running until February 8th and its worth checking out. For more information on the exhibit click [Here]

A couple of days back I passed by the Kuwait National Museum for a little bit of exploration. Last week some friends of mine were given a tour of the two buildings that were still vacant and in shambles since the 1990 invasion and I really wanted to go check it out for myself. I’ve always been curious to see whats inside so I headed there on Thursday to take a look.

The museum is made up of four main buildings with two being occupied and two vacant. One of the vacant ones had under construction hoardings all around but the other building didn’t and the door was open so I just walked in. I took some photos which you can check out above, the black and white ones are from the first building I walked to while the colored ones are from the second building. There was nothing really to see since it looks like they’re finally renovating the building but at least I got to satisfy my curiosity.

If anyone knows where I can get some photos of the museum taken right after the invasion let me know. Also if anyone can get me access to the abandoned Al-Salam Palace then please email me.

I just passed the scene above awhile ago on my way home on the First Ring Road. From my position it looked like a nasty accident but I just saw the video below and the accident turned out to be a lot more horrific than I first imagined. This took place during rush hour which means there was heavy traffic. How can such a terrible accident occur during rush hour? It’s insane, it doesn’t make any sense.

Qatar Airways have a 3-day sale taking place that started yesterday and finishes tomorrow. They’re offering 30% off on flights so Kuwait to London for example now costs KD168 and to New York just KD238. If you’re planning to travel next month during the national holiday, this could be a good deal. Check it out [Here]

The World Design Rankings is based on the number of designers that have been granted an A’ Design Award. Kuwait is ranked 16th (which is pretty high) mostly because of AGi Architects who’ve won 14 awards so far. AGi are the guys behind projects like the Secret House pictured up top and the Star House pictured below.

I absolutely hate the architecture of residential buildings in Kuwait so it’s always great seeing how buildings can be beautiful in Kuwait if they’re done right. Check out all their projects on their website [Here] and their Facebook page [Here]

The friendly American Football game between the Kuwait Gridiron team and the Swiss Neuchatel Knights is taking place tonight (January 18th) at 6:30PM at the Kuwait University Stadium. Entrance is free and it’s not everyday an American Football match involving a Kuwaiti team takes place. So pass by if you can. [Link]

The SIRBB Circuit Classic Car Festival will take place tomorrow (Saturday 18th) at the Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum from 3PM to 9PM. For the full program and location map click [Here]

Shakshooka, the nomadic farmers market is taking place today from 3PM to 5PM at Bnaider exit 258. It will be hard to miss since it’s taking place under the kites. Here is the location on [Google Maps]

Don’t forget to bring cash and a carrying bag if you will be buying stuff.

There are a number of places to get your digital photos printed but my favorite place is Boushahri in Salmiya. I’ve been going to Boushahri ever since I was a kid when they were THE photography store/studio. Nowadays things are a lot different. They moved from their large location in the old Salmiya Salem Al Mubarek street into a building off of Baghdad street. They’ve even closed down their portrait studio and all that’s left really is a tiny store that sells a few Fuji and Leica cameras and a corner where they print photos.

I like them cuz they’re conveniently located near my place, they’re not in a mall and they’re fairly quick. If I have a few photos they usually print them out while I wait and if I have a bunch like 30 or more I usually pick them up a few hours later. Their prices are pretty cheap as well, a regular small 10x15cm photo costs just 100fils to print while a larger 10x15inch photo costs KD1.5.

They open every day (except Friday I think) from 9:30AM to 1PM and then again from 4:30PM to 9PM. Here is their location on [Google Maps]

Update: They’ve changed location and updated their prices. For more information click [Here]

This is just a quick post for anyone that’s interested in silkscreen printing. I found a small place in Shuwaikh that sells pre-stretched aluminum screens in various sizes along with squeegees and silkscreen ink.

The prices are pretty reasonable, I picked up a small sized screen with a squeegee for KD11. The screen alone was KD7 which is a bit cheaper than the KD7.5 I paid for my wooden screen of similar size which I had purchased from Dasman Complex. The inks cost KD5 per color but each can will probably last you forever since you only need such a small amount to print. They also had metalic colors like gold and silver but I think they were for KD12.5.

The store is called Bin Naji and their phone number is 24929993/4. They’re located next to the Shuwaikh police station and here it is on [Google Maps]

Update: This place has moved. The new location is here. Also there is a second silkscreen supplies and printing place down the street from it called Fine Arts. Here is the location for it.

[YouTube]

The Remal International Festival will be opening next month alongside the 7th Proud 2 Be Kuwaiti (P2BK) event. According to the organizers, the sand park will be the world’s largest and looking at the photos that looks very possible. 73 of the world’s best sand artists came to Kuwait and worked together to reimagine the stories of 1001 Nights.

The video above and some of the photos below were taken by one of the artists who came to Kuwait (Lucinda Wierenga) while most were taken by Sand Sculpture Company (a lot more photos at that link).

Will post the exact dates of the event once I get them.

The event section on the blog has gotten a makeover. I’m trying to make it much easier to find out about events and the section is still a work in progress. I’m planning to add the ability to find events by category as well as adding a full month view.

There are a lot of events taking place all the time so I’m posting all of the ones I find in the events section and only posting the ones I think are interesting here on the main blog page. So let me know your feedback, check it out [Here]

Note: I took the photo above at the Fired but Unexploded exhibit

Fast Company released an infographic showing the life expectancy of nearly every country in the world including Kuwait. In Asia, Kuwait came in at 11th place with a life expectancy of 77 while Macau and Japan both topped Asia’s list with 84. Regionally, both Bahrain and Qatar performed better than Kuwait with a life expectancy of 78.

So where would you have to be born to live the longest? The answer is Monaco where the life expectancy is 90 years of age. Check out the full article [Here]

Thanks John

Shakshooka, the nomadic farmers market is taking place tonight from 6PM to 8PM (Jan 9th) at AlOthman Fashion store in Salmiya. Here is the location on [Google Maps]

Don’t forget to bring cash and a carrying bag if you will be buying stuff.

Photo above by @faisalthef

The GulfRun 9 car show is going to take place this weekend at 360 Mall featuring a ton of super cars including the new Corvette C7 Stingray which I have yet to see from up close. The cars will be on display for two days, Friday the 10th and Saturday 11th from 10AM to 10PM so make sure you pass by and check them out. Below is the full list of cars that will be on display at 360 Mall.