16th Monthly Gathering
Elham blends History, Music, Colours and Cultures in January
From the sounds of classic Indian rhythmus, to expressive paintings, cartoons and crafted words, creative arts group Elham promises you a multi-sensory experience at its 17th monthly gathering. The gathering will take place on January 27th at Albareh Cafe in Adliya and features four impressive individuals, a painter, a musician, a cartoonist and an author.
How has the Indian community contributed to the history of Bahrain? How has it affected the relationship between the two countries? What impact has the Indian presence had on Bahrain? These are questions that award-winning author Reena Abraham answers in her new coffee-table book entitled ‘Footprints in Time’. Ms. Abraham has a remarkable reputation built up over 20 years working as an editor and writer for various magazines and publications spanning several countries, including Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, USA and India, and is known for her ability to captivate readers by putting her thoughts across through a simple but enchanting choice of words. Living and working in the Arabian Gulf for a relatively long period of her life has given her a new perspective on and deep appreciation of the people living here, which comes through in her writings. ‘Footprints in time’ is animpressive and important historical account that plays out with all the drama, trial and triumph of a movie at times and Elham is delighted to have its author on hand not only to read from her book but to answer questions.
Indian vocalist Padmini Rao who delivers memories of India in song. Described as ‘a global ambassador for Indian classical music’ by the Hindustan Times, Padmini is a highly accomplished songster who has performed widely and has several CDs to her name; she also provided part of the haunting soundtrack to documentary movie ‘Shanti’, which was screened at Elham’s November session. ‘Music to me is a spiritual journey into the soul and I have felt this especially in the making of Krishn—Kanhai,’ says Padmini, whose passion for music was ignited at a very young age when she took singing lessons as a girl. She soon added the sitar to her repertoire, and her musical journey hasn’t stopped since, traversing 24 years and including training and mentoring by notable musical talents such as Ustad Z.M.Dagar and Dr. Prabha Atre. Today, she holds a post-graduate degree in music (achieved with distinction) from the SNDT University Bombay) and combines her love for the performing arts with its academic aspects, conducting various workshops and seminars on music education and theory. At Elham’s session, she will talk about her work and perform a blend of two of India’s most charming musical streams, the dhrupad and the khayal, live.
Another powerful experience - in this case, a visual one - is offered by the multimedia artworks of South African artists Anna Thackray, who will talk about her unique approach, which involves combining paint with fabric and stitching to create paintings with a distinctly sculptural quality. ‘The combination of different media and layering helps to create a multi-faceted, multi-sensory experience,’ says Anna, ‘and as one peels away layers, each viewer will experience and respond to my paintings in their own unique way.’ Before moving to Bahrain in March 2008, Anna lived and worked in South Africa and then the UK, and has participated in group and solo exhibitions in both countries as well as the USA.Working as a professional artist in the kingdom of Bahrain has, she says, taken here work in an interesting new direction. ‘The different cultures combined with the strong Bahraini identity makes for a fascinating study,’ she says. ‘Some of my new works, which I will present at Elham, reflect on the past from a modern Western perspective, thus blending East and West and bringing the past into the future.” Anna has won several competitions internationally and is currently involved in several collaborations and projects.
The evening also offers the opportunity to get inside the head of Bahraini artist Mohammed AlMahdi. At only 19, this quirky young cartoonist, born in Pennsylvania, USA and brought up and educated here, has already had numerous cartoons published in newspapers and magazines, and has won many competitions, several while still at school. Currently a student and member of the “Marsam Alhussaini for Islamic arts”, his creativity continues to grow and flourish powered by his talent, vivid imagination and hunger to keep learning new skills. His passion for colour extends beyond comics and cartoons to graphic design and IT. Added to this, he has a strong interest in social matters and issues which he translates into entertaining visuals, making him one hot new talent to watch. At Elham’s session, you can see how pen strokes add up to a finished product as Mohammed creates a cartoon live (which might remind some of Australian comedian Ralph Harris’s live cartoon drawing his popular TV show of old).
Since launching in November 2006, Elham has continued to innovate and add interesting new dimensions to its gatherings - by taking short movies outdoors for its November session, for example. However it’s key aim has never changed. That is to continue to provide a platform for both established and emerging artists across the creative spectrum to showcase their work and to provide a space where the artistically minded can meet and mingle. Remaining true to this goal,Elham’s January session also promises to take the edge off January’s winter chill with its lineup of hot, hot talent. The evening takes place at 7pm at Albarah Café, Adliya (see www.albareh.com for a map). For further information, emailelhambahrain@yahoo.com, visit www.elhambahrain.net or call Fatima Alsaad on 36244466.
