MANAMA: Bahraini national best-selling author Ali Al Saeed is presenting the first of a new series of workshops on creative writing this month (March) for budding writers on the island. The workshop will be held over four sessions, every Saturday, starting March 20.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the skills, techniques and styles of writing fiction, focusing on short stories and novels, and be encouraged to produce new writing or complete a work in progress during the workshop. They will also get an insight into the process of writing and its essential components such as plot, character, pace and tone. Al Saeed will also give tips to budding writers on the current trends in the publishing industries and the various ways of getting published.

“My approach to writing is not academic. So the workshop won’t be linear, but instead will build on the idea of honing your imagination as a skill and get you to lose your inhibitions as a writer,” explained the award-winning writer, “It should be fun, after all.”

Al Saeed is the award-winning author of three critically-acclaimed books, QuixotiQ, Moments and Sad Man Dancing. The workshop is being held in conjunction with the launch of his latest book, a creative non-fiction book titled, The Randomist. He has also conducted talks and workshops in Bahrain and abroad. His work has been published internationally in various literary journals, magazines and anthologies.

The workshop is one of several events building up to Elham’s upcoming major event, the third edition of its annual alternative arts festival held between May 5^th to 15^th. The Elham Arts Festival 2010 will feature a wide range of performative and visual arts, live music, film screenings, art exhibitions, talks and a number of workshops conducted by local and international artists.

“All our workshops, including this one, will focus on producing work, collaboration and interaction. They will be a unique experience for the participants,” said Elham event manager Sarah Sulaiman, “Participants in this workshop will also have the opportunity to take part in the festival and read their work to the public.”

The sessions for the creative writing workshop by Al Saeed will be held on Saturdays from 10.30am to 12.30pm at a venue yet to be confirmed. Registration fee is BD40 and is open until March 15. Seats are limited. To register send an email to elhambahrain@yahoo.com or contact 39416121.

Elham’s second event of the new season will see it return to a favorite spot, Albareh Art Gallery in Adliya. ELHAM20 will be held on October 27th and bring together another group of artists that will engage you with their art and talent.

Bahraini 24-year-old Sarah Al Aradi, holder of a Bachelor’s degree in arts and humanities, launched herself into the local art scene earlier this year and has been making waves since. As a lover of Classical Realism Art, Sarah has been developing her own style, influenced by the likes of J.W Waterhouse, William Bouguereau, Frederic Lord Leighton, John White, Rossetti.

Shabana Feroze will be sketching faces from the crowd throughout the evening with her own unique style and show off some of her oli paintings while one-man-band The J.A.M. Project will perform for the first time in Bahrain. Started as a side project in December 2008 by Anthony Muthurajah, the band has been busy working on its first recorded, an independent E.P featuring music infusing Metal, Acoustic, Funky and Alternative rock.

Also debuting at Elham in October is journalist, poet and award-winning playwright Mahdi Salman who will recite some of his Arabic poetry. Mahdi participated in numerous poetry and theater festivals locally and regionally and has had his works published in a variety of print and electronic publications. Mahdi has also had two books of poetry published in Arabic.

The event will be held from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Entrance is free and all are welcome.

PRESS RELASE

A Bahrain-myth inspired story will “touch” the art community all the way down under, in Australia, during a special art festival. Award-winning author Ali Al Saeed will be taking part in the Arc 2009 Biennial of Art in Brisbane between September 4^th to 27^th.

An art installation based on the short story written by Al Saeed will be created by the author in collaboration with Irish artist Keith Winter. The installation will expand on the concept of the story, which was published in a 6-part series in the monthly FACT magazine, illustrated by Bahraini digital artists Fawaz AlOlaiwat.

The “Red Hand” tells the story of a mysterious supernatural phenomena that spreads in an primary school for boys in the mid 80s and leaves a trail of troubled victims behind.

“It was something that I remember from my school days as a youngster and as with things like that, they tend to stay in your mind as a kid,” explains the author, “In the story, I wanted to discover the mystery and delve into my own interpretation with it, while attempting to delver an important message,”

The art installation in Brisbane will be an interactive piece that will pull people to be involved with it, painting their hands in red, splattering their hand prints on the walls, and even writing their own “Red Hand” story.

“Keith and I developed an interesting concept that will see the story expand to reach further grounds. I’ve always felt that the idea behind the story had the potential to become phenomena. I hope we will be able to achieve that in Brisbane and then take it across the world!”

Artist Winter has also introduced an element from his own culture, The Red Hand of Ulster, to the piece and draw comparisons between the two myths.

Al Saeed will also be involved in readings and talks during his trip to Brisbane, which is sponsored by House of Travel, and will be attending the Brisbane Writers Festival (from September 9 to 13) and the opening of the Brisbane Festival, one of Australia’s leading international arts festivals, on September 12.

Elham is working with several organisations, art galleries and similar art groups. These are people who have supported us and collaborated with us, and continue to do so.

We create with…

Delaweb (Irelane)
Cuboid (USA/Ireland)

Metasenta (Australia)

Albareh Art Gallery (Bahrain)

Alriwaq Art Gallery (Bahrain)

Qal’at Albahrain Museum (Bahrain)

Elham is gone on it’s annual summer hiatus.

Thanks for everyone’s support in our 3rd season, which was another huge success.

We will now begin planning our 4th season, set to kick-off in mid-September with a full line up of great events and projects including a few new surprises!

We are always looking out for new talent. Email us if you are interested in taking part in one of our future events or if you are willing to lend a helping hand.

Bahrain’s popular arts group, Elham, is set to launch it’s biggest event since it’s establishment three years ago with an exciting 4-day arts and cultural festival featuring a wide range of activities and events.

With the slogan of “Art to the People”, the group aims to provide a creative and artistic environment that will showcase local talent and expose Bahrain based art to the public. From poetry, to music and from film to art, the festival will promote cultural dialogue and artistic expression.

The festival, to be held between May 13 and 16, is organized in collaboration with the Qal’at Al-Bahrain Museum, which was officially opened last year and coincides with the International Museums Day on May 18, a day celebrated every year by the International Council of Museums.

Qal’at Al-Bahrain Museum will be transformed into an art hub for the four days, hosting a variety of events such as workshops, performances and screenings, and will be open to the general public.

“We are excited about this event which we believe is the perfect way to conclude our third season. It embodies the spirit of Elham and celebrates the creative diversity that we in Bahrain are privileged to enjoy,” said Elham founder and co- organiser of the festival Ali Al Saeed.
Ali Al Saeed, an award winning author with three books under his belt, will himself be one of the participants in the festival, joining a group of established and promising artists from Bahrain. Others include Bahraini folk singer/song-writer Ala Ghawas, Bahraini conceptual artist Mariam Haji, and Bahraini digital artist Fawaz AlOlaiwat.

Irish artist Keith Winters and American artist Steve Mykietyn will conduct a performance and installation art project and workshop titled “Speed Towerz”.

The festival will commence with the opening of a group art exhibition on May 13th at the Arts Center from 7pm. On Thursday, May 14th, visitors will enjoy a poetry recital accompanied by an oud and acoustic music set followed on Friday, May 15th, by a music concert featuring local musicians at the Cultural Hall (has this been confirmed?) from 8pm. A talk on documentary photography by Lebanese artist and photographer Camille Zakharia will be held on the same day (May 15th) from 10am to 1pm.

“Such initiatives cannot succeed without the support and participation of the public. We hope that people will not only enjoy the art being showcased but also be inspired to create their own,” added Al Saeed, “

For more information please visit www.elhambahrain.net , email elhambahrain@yahoo.com or call (973) 3662 1223.

A one of a kind cultural extravaganza coming your way in May!!!
Elham has pledged to always evolve and continue expanding, and that is what we have been working hard at on our third season. And now, as we near the end of yet another fabolus season, we promise you one last big surprise that will take the cultural and art scene in Bahrain by storm!

We are currently going into the next phase of organizing our second major event, to be held in early May, following the success of last years LIVE ART 08.  This four-day event will bring a new art in a new way to the people of Bahrain and turn it into a unique cultural experience unlike any other seen before. In the coming few weeks, look out for further announcements as we finalise our plans.

But in the meantime, we are in desperate need of volunteers! We are forming a organizing team that will be involved from the planning, organizing to the excution phases. So much work to do. So little time! So your involvement is NEEDED! We can’t promise you huge rewards, but one thing for sure, this will be an unmissable and unforgettable experience for everyone involved. This is you chance to be part of something special!