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Middle East/Mediterranean Calendar for May 2003
[To learn about getting events listed, email the Calendar Editor. Send all photos as small jpegs or gifs to Photos.]
May 3 (Sat.), 7-9:00 pm—Suture/Rapture: Register the Distance: Istanbul-Los AngelesReception/Exhibition
Crazy Space has organized an exhibition of four Turkish artists dealing with intersecting visions and shifting perspectives of cultural identity. Conceived by renowned Turkish curator Beral Madra, Suture/ Rupture: Register the Distance: Istanbul-Los Angeles will be on view from May 3 through May 24, 2003 at Crazy Space and will feature works by DAMLA HACALOGLU, SEYDA CESUR, HAKAN TOPAL, AND GUVEN INCIROGLU
At Crazy Space, 18th St. Arts Complex, 1629 18th St., #2, Santa Monica, CA 90404, one half block north of Olympic. Call (310) 829-9789
Although the critique of orientalism has had a major impact within the context of western and American art, orientalist representation, and the orientalist evaluation of Islamic art still remains deeply marked by racist legacies. Despite such a depiction of the orient from the western point of view, contemporary Turkish artists are determined to represent and present themselves in their own terms and to reverse cultural misconceptions by employing seductive and repulsive strategies in their art production.
May 7 (Wed.)., 8:30 pm, Diana Abu-Jaber appears at the Center for a reading and book-signing of her novel, Crescent.
Join us for a reading and signing by Diana Abu-Jaber from what is a very lush and intricately-woven novel of Arab American life, post-Gulf War I. Free to the public. At Levantine Cultural Center/PAC, 10469 Santa Monica Blvd., LA 90025, just west of Beverly Glen Blvd. Street Parking. Reservations are recommended as seating is limited. Please call 323.650.7010.
By the way, on April 24, the Levantine BookGroup discussed Crescent, both appreciating and arguing over it! Come down on May 7 to get your own signed copy.
"—An Iraqi love feast spiced with despair; a culinary romance set in a Middle Eastern cafe..."
The story takes place in Los Angeles, but like the rest of us at the moment, every character is fixated on the Middle East.
Read Andrea Shalal-Esa's feature on Diana Abu-Jaber in Al Jadid magazine.
May 10 (Sat.), 2:00-3:30 p.m.Video-Mystic Iran, The Unseen World. World Premiere-2002, video, 52 minutes, written by Aryana Farshad and Janelle Balnicke, and directed and produced by Aryana Farshad. At LACMA's Bing Theater. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LA 90036.
May 17 and 31 (Sat.), 9:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m.—"The Myth of Theseus and Ariadne" Writings Workshops at the Writing Studio
Each self-contained workshop is offered twice.
"In the Greek Myth," explains Elana Golden, "Theseus descends into the labyrinth to conquer the Minotaur, a half man, half bull, while Princess Ariadne holds the thread guiding him in his descent. In this day-long workshop, you'll write about a time in your life when you descended into a labyrinth, faced Minotaur-like figures, and gave or received help. Whether facing political challenge, racism, prejudice, addiction or heartbreak, the process of turning these events into literature will be deep, transformative, cathartic and healing."
"Elana is an inspiring guide, creating a mix of instruction, encouragement and safety for us to go beyond our perceived limitations." Simone Wallace, writer, co-founder Sisterhood Bookstore"I didn't know I could write until I met Elana. I am totally amazed." Ivona Jezierska, team member Women's Chess Olympics
"Elana reminded me how much I love writing." Jimmy Cummings, screenwriter
Several professional writer members of Levantine Center (as well as non-writers who wish to express themselves on paper) have attended Writing Studio workshops, which take place in a very quiet, relaxing atmosphere in the Hancock Park area. Attendees can expect to arrive at an epiphany or two while producing material that may surprise even themselves. The cost of the workshop is $100, including lunch (active Levantine Cultural Center members receive 10% off).
Founder of The Writing Studio and an artist member of Levantine Cultural Center, Elana Golden is a writer, director, and teacher with a BA in Film from NYU, and MA in Spiritual Psychology from USM. A student of Eastern philosophy and meditation for 20 years, Elana combines art, spirituality and politics in her teaching.
For further information or to register, please contact Elana Golden at 323.936.2601, or email her.
May 17 (Sat.), 7:30 pm—"From Uzbekistan to Morocco: Dance and Music of the Islamic World" at Levantine Cultural Center SOLD OUT!!
Featuring Robyn Friend, Helene Eriksen and Neil Siegel. At Levantine Cultural Center. Now is your chance to see the fabulous Helene Eriksen perform! She will be appearing together with Robyn Friend and Neil Siegel in "From Uzbekistan to Morocco," featuring music and dance from the Islamic World, including dances and songs from Uzbekistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco, a show that has delighted audiences in Europe and the United States since 1990. Neil Siegel performs on Persian tar, Azeri tar, Turkish baglama, oud, and ney, with percussion by Susan Rudnicki and Catherine Alexander.
"A master instrumentalist...wonderful performances." (Munich)
"Spirited and elegant dancing." (Frankfurt.)
"Outstanding...the singing was rich and expressive...lovely...sinuous." Los Angeles Times
Tickets $15, $12 members. Limited seating, advance reservations required. Book your seats now, call 323.650.7010.
May 18 (Sun.), 10:30 a.m.-4:00 pm—"Jewish Iranian Artists, a Program of Merging Cultures" at Sinai Temple
"A day of music and culture, featuring short films, writers, poets, visual and performing arts." Organized by Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, One Degree of Separation, and Sinai Temple, at Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 90024, corner of Wilshire and Beverly Glen Blvd. Tickets $12, $10 members. For reservations, call 310.481.3243 or email skreitzman@sinaitemple.org.
May 22 (Thurs.), 8:00 pm—Levantine BookGroup Discusses The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif at Levantine Cultural Center
Free to the public. Reservations recommended, call 323.650.7010. The Map of Love is readily available in paperback. Please read our BookGroup page for full details!
10469 Santa Monica Blvd., LA 90025, just west of Beverly Glen Bd. in the blue Pacific Arts Center building.
May 31 (Sat.), 7:30 pm—In "West of Babylon" Sufi Musician Saadoun Al-Bayati" Comes to Levantine Cultural Center
With a soulful voice and kinetic performance style, Saadoun Bayati brings Iraq's music, influenced by a Sufi upbringing in Baghdad, to an exclusive full-length performance at Levantine Cultural Center, on Saturday, May 31st, 2003, at 7:30 pm. As Iraqis struggle for freedom and prosperity, in what may become a new era of cultural exchange between Iraq and the United States, Al-Bayati celebrates Iraq through traditional and mystical music, offering an inimitable hieratic interpretation of Iraqi melodies and maqams. In "West of Babylon," Saadoun Al-Bayati will be accompanied by Summer Dadah, Jim Knight and Ensemble. The evening includes a healthy banquet buffet of Iraqi and Lebanese dishes, included with the price of the ticket.
Born in Baghdad, Iraq, the son of a Sufi woman of the Na'imiyya order, Saadoun Al-Bayati was exposed to the meditative states produced through percussion and vocalizing as a child while attending Sufi rituals and ceremonies with his mother and maternal uncle, Shaykh Jasim Abd al-Sittar. His voice training took place through Qur'anic recitation, and as a young man, Saadoun often substituted for the muezzin at his neighborhood mosque, calling Muslims to prayer. Having internalized the spiritual essence of a Middle Eastern/Islamic aesthetic, Saadoun has performed the music of Iraq and other parts of the Arab Middle East since childhood.
In the United States Saadoun pursued studies in acting and graduated from the Goodman Theatre at the Art Institute of Chicago. His many accomplishments as an actor included playing Dr. Aziz to Lillian Gish's Mrs. Moore in "A Passage to India" and working with such theatrical talents as Morris Carnovsky in "Mother Courage" and "King Lear "and Sam Wanamaker in "MacBeth." But throughout his life and studies, music has been a focal point for his intense musical energies. Saadoun's unique musical expression emanates from the depth of his soul and transcends all geographical boundaries. He possesses a voice that stirs profound emotions and utilizes a technique that is at once powerful and sensuous.
In addition to vocals and percussion, Saadoun studied the oud, initially to better understand the musical structures of Middle Eastern music — specifically the maqamat or modal structures, with their distinct ascending and descending scales — and eventually to provide a reliable support for his singing voice (not easy, when one has perfect pitch). Saadoun was fortunate to be able to learn from close personal friends such as the pre-eminent Nubian musician Hamza El-Din, the Lebanese musician George Khayyat, and the Syrian oud-player Hussny El-Zaim.
“West of Babylon" with Saadoun Al-Bayati, takes place at Levantine Cultural Center/PAC, 10469 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025, just west of Beverly Glen Blvd. Street parking. Saturday, May 31, 7:30 pm, tickets with delicious healthy Iraqi/Lebanese dinner are $28 general, $25 members. Advanced purchased recommended as seating is limited. Call 323.650.7010.
June 1 (Sun.), 6-8 pm, Special Double Bill: Laura Morton on "Islamic and Mediterranean Gardens," followed bySafaa Fathy, Egyptian poet and filmmaker.
A slide lecture by Laura Morton, award-winning published landscape designer in Los Angeles and world traveler. Ms. Morton covers the history and development of Islamic style gardens and their influence throughout the Mediterranean. She reveals the development and design of her own garden in Los Angeles, which has been described as a Mediterranean oasis in the heart of West Hollywood, and has been on several garden tours, and featured recently in Garden Design magazine. Laura Morton works out of her West Hollywood studio, consulting and designing extraordinary landscapes for a wide variety of residential and commercial clients. She won 1st-place awards for her work on the Corono High School Campus, and the Huntington Japanese Zen Garden.
Safaa Fathy, who made "Derrida's Elsewhere" (2000) about philisopher Jacques Derrida, presents her newest book of poetry and gives a talk in Arabic, French and English, on Egypt, Paris and more. Fathy was born in Minea, Egypt and studied theatre arts in France, where she wrote her Ph.D. on Brecht at the Sorbonne. She has been a translator, and co-author with Jacques Derrida, and her poems have appeared widely in Arabic, in Egypt, and in French anthologies. She has been at the helm of a number of documentaries and short fiction films, including "Maxime Rodinson, Atheist of the Gods," "The Silence," and "Hidden Faces," a documentary for British TV. In Paris, she has directed both her own plays and works by Jean Genet, Heiner Müller and Witold Gombrowicz, among others.
Tickets for both programs, including mint tea and pastries, $10 general, $8 members. Seating limited, reserve early, this program will sell out: 323.650.7010.
The City
The streets of the big city
Are a summer’s mourning
And its air
A pale breath
On the borders the desert is girding itself
The place is a hostage
And large eyes glow with darkness
The heart of this city
Is a liquid rich in finitude
The roads leading to heaven
Stop on the edge of the clouds
And on the heights
Rest the symbols of deafness
Deaf is the air
And over the town
Slithers a sickness
And the passers-by, to avoid the road
Jostle each other
Fight
Swallow the stagnant air
… in sidewalk cafés
Empty of birds
The sky of this ancient town
Her children dance in utter peacefulness
Her inhabitants
Stop, and stop again, exhausted
They get used to it
And from the dusty minarets
Tired throats
Chirp a last cry.
—Safaa Fathy, from "...Où Ne Pas Naître.
And Save the Date...More events at Levantine Cultural Center!
Special Announcements
Learn Levantine Arabic at Levantine Cultural Center!
We currently offer a beginning and beginning/intermediate conversational Levantine Arabic (spoken in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan) class, taught by Nezar Andary, an excellent instructor who has lived in Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Students love this class! All classes take place at the center, 10469 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90069. Please call for schedule.
Board of Directors Meets Most Saturdays for LunchLevantine Center's Board of Directors is currently in formation, and welcomes inquiries—we are actively searching for more people with our passion and conviction! The board consists of diverse members of the community who are of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean heritage or who have a strong professional or artistic interest in furthering our mission. As directors, board members represent the organization officially, are responsible for its financial health, and make the priority strategic decisions, with counsel from Advisory Board members where possible. Board members work with activists heading specific committes, including the Film/Video, Literary, Education Performing Arts and Membership Committees.
Our Advisory Board is also in formation. Advisory board members are known professionally in their own communities and offer valuable counsel and services to the organization; they are eligible to attend the organization's annual retreat and receive other benefits.
To attend, you must RSVP for address and time. 323.650.7010.
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LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER
Cultures of the Middle East & Mediterranean
10469 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90025 [facilities]
8424A Santa Monica Blvd., N.789, West Hollywood CA 90069 [office and mailing address]
323.650.7010, info@levantinecenter.org
Levantine Center advocates for, educates about, and in general promotes and supports Middle Eastern and Mediterranean contemporary arts and traditional cultures. We present or cosponsor programs of music, literature, art, film/video, publications, new media and more, often from educational and historical perspectives. While acknowledging the value of entertainment, we emphasize scholarship and substance. We are strongly multidisciplinary and non-sectarian, do not embrace any political or religious doctrine, and are committed to the principle of cross-cultural cooperation. We support the strengthening of ties between all cultural, ethnic and religious communities of the Middle East/West Asia/Levant, as well as between all peoples of Middle Eastern descent in diaspora.
See what Levantine Center has been up to and take note of other recent cultural events.
See what Levantine Center was up to during our pre-opening season, late in '01.
