It’s back. After closing over the summer, creative arts group Elham is launching its third season on Tuesday 23rd September 2008 in collaboration with Albareh Art Gallery and a talented cast of emerging artists traversing the creative spectrum.

For starters, there will be a screening of digital artworks by graphic designer, artist, photographer, writer and DJ Fawaz Alolaiwat, who will spin music as his dramatic images flash across the screen. A visual-communications graduate from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, USA, multi-talented Fawaz revels in the opportunities offered by the “nu-digital age” to express his experiences, dreams, hopes and imagination ever more creatively. But, if the effect is sometimes futuristic, his inspiration is very much in the here and now: “Growing up in Bahrain, a place of culture, history, beautiful people, worn textures, orange skies, wide open sea and silent desert, has given me much inspiration over the years,” he says.

Next up, there’s a reading by Yacoub Salman Al-Slaise, who started his writing life aged 10 when he penned his first detective story, “The adventures of Inspector Yak: in search of the missing Shampoodle”. Today, when he’s not training teachers, he blogs and writes short stories about “the little things in daily Bahraini life that nobody notices” (they will now). This will be followed by a screening of the intriguing short movie “Woken Shell”, shot in a Manama office block by Vijesh Rajan, who studied filmmaking in Australia and currently works in the advertising industry.

And hot young musician Ali Milad will round things off with a solo performance on the bass, influenced by funk, rock, indie, and post-rock music. “The bass guitar is generally used as a rhythmic rather than a lead instrument, and is viewed by some as boring,” says Ali, “but, by playing purely instrumental music, I aim to show people that it’s an important and interesting instrument in its own right.” Come along and see if you agree.

Elham’s second season saw attendance at monthly sessions swell, and culminated in the group’s first F1 arts party, Live Art ’08, at the Palace Bahrain Hotel, which was a resounding success. This season, the group will continue to showcase exciting new talent at Albareh Gallery, now Elham’s official gallery partner, and at several alternative venues such as Cocoon Lounge in October. The group also has plans to shake things up with a few satellite events, including its first fringe arts festival early next year, for which it is currently seeking sponsorship.

“Over the past two years, Elham has been a real passion for the team and it’s been a privilege to share it with so many,” says founding member Ali Al Saeed. “There’s so much talent and creativity in Bahrain and we’re extremely excited about our third season, when we plan to further expand our scope by introducing some new creative concepts to the mix. We believe in the power of art and literature and hope that even more people will participate this season; we also hope to gain the support of commercial entities to help us grow and bring some of our bigger ideas to fruition.” Elham (Arabic for ‘muse’) is open to anyone with a creative cell in their being.

Elham’s upcoming session takes place at 8.30pm at Albareh Gallery in Adliya; the gallery café will be open from 6pm for Iftar (see www.albareh.com for a map). For more information or to be added to Elham’s mailing list, visit, www.elhambahrain.net, email: elhambahrain@yahoo.com or call Arthur on 3962 3381.

Attachments: included are portraits of the musician Ali Milad and writer Yacoub Salman Al-Slaise, as well as images created by digital artist Fawaz Alailowat whose work can be viewed at www.fawazalolaiwat.com. For more information or to arrange an interview with any of the artists, please contact Melissa van Maasdyk on 392 39308 or Ali Al Saeed on 366 96536.

How it works:
1. You send us a headline and a 100-word summary of your true story in/about Bahrain.
2. We carry the top 5 entries in FACT.
3. You vote for which one you want to read.
4. We pay the winner BD100 to write their true story, and publish it in the next issue!

Entries to: getpublished@factlive.com
Subject: [your true story's headline]

Details:
All stories must have taken place in Bahrain, or be about Bahrain. Applicants may send as many entries as they wish. Any subject and/or topic will be accepted. Alias’s and pen-name’s can be used, but all stories will be thoroughly fact-checked and cross-referenced by FACT editorial team.

Fraudulent entries will be reported to authorities. All entries must be received by August 15th. Shortlisted candidates will be decided by FACT editorial team. Top 5 entries will be shortlisted and featured in the September Issue.

Voting will take place from September 1 - September 30. The Winner will be contacted on October 1. The winner must complete the story by October 15, with photography (photographer will be supplied by FACT Bahrain). The winner’s story will feature in the November issue of FACT Bahrain.

You can download this flier from here.

This article appeared in the GDN on April 20th 2008

It’s rare to find a true musical talent, but every once in a while a new star is born. But for one Bahraini young musician, breaking into the local and international music scene might not be that impossible a dream.

It’s easy to see why. He’s developed himself over the years and finally releases his first record last December, titled ‘Hums’, an EP containing five wonderful songs that he had recorded and produced during his time in Boston, USA.

Ala Ghawas (www.alaghawas.com) is venturing into a new territory, a place no other Bahraini has dared to before. His love for the music of Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and Jeff Buckley has led him to take up the guitar and make his own.

Folk music is a very challenging genre of music, taking into consideration the great legends it had produced over the past few decades. It’s certainly more than just music for the sake of entertainment. It’s a documentation, a statement and a storytelling.

When we look at what Dylan’s music had achieved for his generation, and the many generations that followed, one can’t help but feel overwhelmed by its power, be it songs about politics, religion, love or personal suffering.

It’s perhaps something that is unheard of, to have an Arab making western folk music, but Ala is a person who believes that it is a form of storytelling unlike any other and that is evident in the songs he makes. The songs on ‘Hums’ are very personal, heartwarming and, at times, sweetly delicate.

We’ve had artists, writers, poets and filmmakers breaking into the international scene with their creative work and I think it’s about time that we have a Bahraini name with the potential to launch themselves beyond the border. Because if there is one thing about music, it is that it is far more accessible and popular that any other art form.

Though the challenge that is laid ahead of Ala, like many other musicians, is great. There are no foundations for a proper music industry in the region, finding studios, production companies and record distributors is near impossible and any musician will have to depend on their own resources to try and make it happen.

But when it comes to music, especially in our modern times, there are many methods in which one can find their foothold by utilizing technology. Over the years we witnessed many new artists emerging globally thanks to the internet and through various websites.

One look online and you will find a plethora of Bahraini musicians doing their bit to create new music and putting their talents out their to share with the rest of the world; from hip-hop to pop and from traditional to heavy metal. One such effort that is worth noting is a new website www.bahraintelent.com which sheds light on some of the country’s hottest new talents in the music scene.

Word of mouth and generating a following is the key for any newcomer and I think that Ala is on the right path in that respect. There is no doubt in my mind that in time he, and others like him, will succeed.

In the meantime, do your part – and do yourself a favor – go out there and get ‘Hums’!

Time Out magazine talks to Ali Al Saeed about Elham in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue.

Download it here.

The Writing Craft
This class explores fiction writing techniques and how creativity is realized through the power of the pen. No creative writing experience is necessary but must have basic English writing skills.

Session A: Starting April 13th 2008, Sunday evenings, 6-8 pm, for six weeks **NEW Evening Class **
Session B: Starting April 12th 2008, Saturdays, 4-6 pm, for six weeks

Classes are limited to 8 people. Fee is 45 BD for the six-week course, refreshments included.

Deadline for class registration is April 9th. Email deonnakellisayed@yahoo.com

Advanced Writing Seminar
This course is for those with strong writing knowledge who are currently working on individual projects such as memoirs, essays, short stories, or novels. This class is for serious writers in search of a supportive environment and an opportunity to enhance their creative writing skills.

Session A: Starting April 9th 2008, Wednesday mornings, 9-11 am, for six weeks.

Fee is 30 BD for six-week course, refreshments included.

Deadline for course registration is April 5th. Email deonnakellisayed@yahoo.com

Deonna Kelli Sayed is a writer with FACT Bahrain and a member of Elham, Bahrainʼs Creative Arts Group. Her articles have appeared in various local publications as well as international newspapers.

Welcome to the new Elham website.

Elhamiyat section: You can read and comment on our team’s contributions.
Monthly Events section: Read reports of our monthly gathering.
Upcoming Events section: Watch out for upcoming art events and shows.
Newsletters section: Download our newsletters in pdf format.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please contact us at elhambahrain@yahoo.com.