A memory for pain, stored in the spine

Science is amazing:

“When we learn new things, PKMzeta shows up at the gaps between neurons (synapses) and strengthens the connections between them. These bolstered synapses are the physical embodiment of our memories, and they are fragile things. It turns out that we need to continually recreate PKMzeta at synapses to keep our memories alive. If the protein disappears, so do our memories. Unlike the text of a book or the bytes of a hard disk, the information stored in our brain is constantly on the verge of being erased.”

Read full article here.

iPhoneography

I bought myself the white iPhone 4 last week.. I must say its an amazing beast of a phone. Here is a link to an article on Photojojo about the top photo apps out there.

HOW TO STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST

Great article by artist and writer Austin Kleon.

“You don’t get to pick your family, but you can pick your teachers and you can pick your friends and you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and you can pick the movies you see.”

Click here to read the article.

Get Tested by Reza Doust

24th – 26th May, 2011 @ The Sultan Gallery. Click on the image for more details.

The Future of A Promise

The Future of a Promise will be the largest Pan-Arab show of contemporary art at the 54th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. It will run from 2 June to 20 November.

From Tunisia all the way to Saudi Arabia, this landmark exhibition brings together more than twenty-five recent works and commissions by some of the foremost artists from the Arab world.

Presenting important works that range from installation, performance and photography, to video, sculpture and painting, The Future of a Promise includes the following artists: Ziad Abillama (Lebanon), Manal Al- Dowayan (Saudi Arabia), Ahmed Alsoudani (Iraq), Ziad Antar (Lebanon), Ayman Baalbaki (Lebanon), Lara Baladi (Egypt/Lebanon), Fayçal Baghriche (Algeria), Yto Barrada (Morocco), Taysir Batniji (Palestine), Abdelkader Benchamma (France/Algeria), Ayman Yossri Daydban (Palestine/Jordan), Mounir Fatmi (Morocco), Abdulnasser Gharem (Saudi Arabia), Mona Hatoum (Lebanon), Raafat Ishak (Egypt), Emily Jacir (Palestine), Yazan Khalili (Palestine), Ahmed Mater (Saudi Arabia), and Driss Ouadahi (Algeria), as well as three Abraaj Capital Art Prize Winners, Jananne Al-Ani (Iraq), Kader Attia (Algeria), and Nadia Kaabi-Linke (Tunisia).

The exhibition is being curated by Lina Lazaar, produced by Edge of Arabia and supported by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives and Abraaj Capital, three newly partnered organisations whose commitment to contemporary art practice in the Middle East is at the heart of a current artistic renaissance in the region.

Follow this link to view this events facebook page.

Trippin….Inside A World Within A World By -Bader Qabazard

I am looking forward to this opening night at Dar AlFunoon on Monday, May 23 at 7:00pm – June 9 at 7:00pm. See you there?

Beirut Art Center

http://www.beirutartcenter.org/

“Exit Through The Gift Shop”

If you like the work of notorious graffiti artist Banksy, you’ll love his film Exit Through The Gift Shop. If you haven’t seen it yet, you are missing out. I think you can download it off of itunes. Enjoy.

JAMM- Art and Beyond

From their website:

“JAMM specializes in tailor-made cultural projects, large and small without geographical boundary. More than simply an art consultancy, JAMM is a vessel to promote cultural diplomacy. Our goal being to advance Arab & Iranian artists in the West, and Western artists in the East, and thus encourage further collaboration between the two.”

DAI Cultural Season 16

Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah posted the images from their DAI Cultural Season 16. They apparently visited Dar Jehan in Jabriya and had a calligraphy workshop. I regret not signing up, I’ve always wanted to learn calligraphy. If you have never been to the Dar you’ve truly missed out on one of Kuwait’s finest cultural activities. For more info on their weekly events visit their website here.