Tag Archives: 2014

FOOD FOR THOUGHT ‘Almuallaqat’ 2014

Art Unlimited

MAHA MALLUH
FOOD FOR THOUGHT ‘Almuallaqat’ 2014

maha malluh is a saudi artist, born in the traditional region of najd, who explores the challenges of modernity that have come so overwhelmingly to saudi arabia. she has exhibited since 1976 and has in later years acquired a BA in english literature and a californian certificate in design and photography. continuous in her artwork, that started with collages and developed into photograms, is her use of symbolic and real imagery to express her opinion about life in saudi arabia.

Art Unlimited Art Unlimited

seen at Art Basel Unlimited via GALERIE KRINZINGER (Vienna, Austria)

“Used aluminium cooking pots from around Saudi Arabia. Sizes vary from pots that fit a leg of lamb to those that fit three camels.

Arab culture is a predominantly literary one, with the Spoken Word being an intrinsic part of the Arab cultural mindset. From the dawn of Arab history and civilization, the oral literature of the region has dominated the cultural scene. It is the pride of every Arab. This is not to say that the visual culture was not important, yet it did not have the same value as the Spoken Word.

As I am interested in the visual culture of our region, and the immense impact globalization has had and is still having on our part of the world, I often find myself contemplating these very significant issues.

To try and come to terms with this shift, from primarily oral to visual culture, which has also come with the rise of the museum institutions, art galleries and fairs in the past decade, this works attempts to create a platform where the literary and the visual are both celebrated and hung.

Old aluminium pots, these ones here which have come from various flea markets around Saudi Arabia, have been used throughout history by Arabs both at home in urban areas, in Bedouin tents, and also more recently in restaurants, as cooking vessels. The sizes of these pots vary, with some able to hold as much as 3 camels. As such these pots held one of the most prized animals of the desert, the camel, in order to feed guests and customers. But with food comes other narratives, other stories, other histories, histories of travel, or adventure, of change, anecdotes and comic tales which people discuss over food. These pots are therefore a celebration of Arab history, of Arab traditions of hospitality as well as of a visual reproduction of personal histories.

The title of this work, is Food for Thought ‘Al-Muallaqat’, a reference to the great muallaqat, or ‘Hanging Odes’, canonical Arabic poems by great pre-Islamic or jahili poets from Arabia that once were hanging on the Ka’ba in Mecca. Unfortunately, these canonical Arabic poems are studied and read as being part of a lost heritage, a past golden age which bears to reflection on our modern realities as Saudi Arabians. This is also met with astonishing records as to the percentage of the reading public in the Arab world.

Thus, what this work calls out for is a reconnection with our literary heritage, but using the visual medium to do so in order to communicate with the rest of the world. Therefore, these hanging pots are both a salute to our literary heritage, as well as being a testament to our current need for everything visual. These pots speak of our revived archaeological search for our visual heritage, our culture that has been in the shadows of our literary heritage for so long. Without dismissing the significance and aesthetic beauty of the original muallaqat, this work both acknowledges the position poetry has in Arab culture and heritage, whilst simultaneously allowing for an engaging visual dialogue with the remainder of the world.”

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possible NYE outfit

so 2014 is coming to an end and I wanna thank you for an awesome year with isawsomethingnice.ch <3 today I am going sledding with friends and will hopefully have an awesome time on the slopes. I got up super early to enjoy the day to the fullest. keep up to date with me via my FB page where I will post photos of us snow bunnies. as soon as I will be back at home I will change and take photos of my NYE outfit.

this is one possible outfit. as I will have a lovely dinner at home I can wear something less winter-ish – at least for the dinner. in my city there is always a firework on the river and I might go and check that out – so for sure there I will consider a warmer outfit. HAPPY NEW YEAR my friends! xx

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RITUALS TIME

a couple of weeks ago I went to Freiburg Germany for a small shopping tour with my mom. of course I had to visit one of my favorite shops there and I still can not wait to have a RITUALS store in basel. here << you can check if there is a shop in your area. everytime I go to a RITUALS shop, so far I have been to the one in Amsterdam and Freiburg, I stack up on the foaming shower gels. my first favorite was the T’AI CHI with white lotus and green tea, then I discovered the HAMMAM DELIGHT with fresh eucalyptus and rosemary and this time I found two new favorites: SAMURAI SHOWER with organic bamboo and cedar wood and the other one is called DIWALI DELIGHT with patchouli and cardamom. so I have four favorites and they all smell very uniquely different and of course I bought two of each to be sure to get thru fall/winter 🙂

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FEELING ITALIAN

outfit

coat ZARA
pullover PARENTIS
pants H&M
bag BOTTEGA VENETA
shoes ROBERTO SANTI
necklace @ellijewelry
earrings H&M
sunglasses MIU MIU via mrlens.ch

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LADYLIKE

thats the name of the Clarins Fall Makeup Collection 2014 and the main focus on this collection is the OMBRE MATTE eyeshadows trend. they launched 6 new colors, an ECLAT MINUTE base fixante for the eyes, the SOURCIL PRO KIT, the 3 DOT LINER in brown, a new OMBRE MINERALE quad palette, four new ROUGE ECLAT lipstick shades and the BLUSH PRODIGE 07 in tawny pink.

http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/cid/136892339/id/Cq6UMfxO5BG5Mp1LNxsv_g/size/l.jpg

I totally went for the OMBRE MATTE in the color TAUPE, the 3 DOT LINER in brown, the ECLAT MINUTE BASE FIXANTE YEUX and the CANDY ROSE ROUGE ECLAT lipstick.

beautiful colors, awesome consistency and very easy to apply. especially the 3 dot eyeliner makes it very easy to draw a nice subtle line above the lashes. the piece that I have used the most so far is the lipstick but thats no surprise to me as I go thru lipsticks super fast because I wear lipstick almost every day 🙂 thank you CLARINS at MANOR Basel for this chic makeup bag – totally love it and I am a bit tempted to wear it as a clutch.

in the picture above you can not only see the new products from the LADYLIKE collection but also the CLARINS BB cream and bronzer as I was wearing a full face CLARINS makeup look today.

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SIMPLY by JIL SANDER

the newest fragrance by JIL SANDER is called SIMPLY and I think this name suits the scent perfectly! It is a very feminine ladylike scent and made for the fall winter season.

Christoph Raynaud created this beautiful fragrance – he says: “SIMPLY Jil Sander is worn like a beautiful garment, a second skin sillage that complements her “to-go” trouser suits and distinguishes her incredibly stylish look.“ and I couldnt agree more! It indeed is a scent that makes you ready to go. it is one of these scents that you can not wear with a too simple outfit as the fragrance askes for more – at least thats how I experience SIMPLY.the design of the bottle is very clear and pure with black and gold – a very minimalist look just like JIL SANDER!

 

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BROWN and BERRIES

here I am wearing some of the famous fall/winter 2014/2015 colors like subtle beige and grey, warm oxbloodred and a soft beige brown!

it is the time of the year again where my wardrobe is becoming a mix of summer and fall clothes. especially here in Switzerland the fall clothes are sadly outnumbering the summer clothes! anyway it is now where I can wear midi skirts with sweaters and leatherjackets and I am a huge fan of naked legs and covered arms!

http://ak1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/cid/134743409/id/7MZGLy475BGmDLI3DXURzQ/size/l.jpg

outfit
skirt TED BAKER via zalando.ch (soldout)
top JIL SANDER
suede leather jacket ESPRIT
bag MIU MIU
shoes ROBERTO SANTI
sunglasses XRAY EYEWEAR

thank you Dushka for taking these photos of me in ZH. xx

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MATTHEW WILLIAMSON outfit

this dress says it all – flowers, summer, silk – it has the perfect cut and it feels like if I wouldnt be wearing anything. I wore it to the Biennale opening of Khaled Malas’ excavating the sky exhibition in Venice, Italy two weeks ago.

http://ak2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/cid/133916724/id/IgmvRWIz5BGybdu9zSGTQA/size/l.jpg

outfit

dress MATTHEW WILLIAMSON via zalando.ch
pumps KAVIAR GAUCHE for zalando collection
clutch PRESENT FROM ZAIRA
fan PRESENT FROM MY DAD

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filofax my love!

awww! I am so happy with my new baby “the original” filofax! this collection is made in the UK and out of real leather. I am a huge filofax fan and had my white PANAMA for a good time and was so happy to visit the filofax distributor of switzerland in lausanne and exchange my old planner for a new one! thanks for having me, it was a blast!

have you ever wondered where the name filofax came from?
it comes from <files of facts> and became filofax. based on a true story: “1940 – during a German air raid in World War II, the business premises of Norman & Hill (now filofax) are bombed and razed to the ground. Grace Scurr was the heroine as she had her personal “file of facts” created with all supplier and customer data, which she always carried with her. only thanks to this information, the operation could be rebuilt.“ more info about filofax here >>

so I am aware that we live in 2014 where everything is digital BUT although I have my second brain called iphone/ipad and imac I still like to have something haptic like notes, paper and all that so for me the perfect organisation is a mix between digital and analog 🙂 “the original” collection has a strap for the iphone/phone which makes it the perfect businessplanner!

so are you familiar with the filofax system? no? well, let me tell you what awaits you! you buy your planner and you can add whatever you need and desire: addressbook, worldmap, blank notes, sticky notes, rulers, to do lists, daily planners and of course the diary.

what did I get?
diary 2014 and 2015 (week on two pages)
addressbook
assorted sticky notes
organiser stickers
blank index

here you can see my old PANAMA filofax via instagram

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gottex swimwear

gottex launched a very nice and colorful 2014 collection and above I am showing you my favorite pieces of the collection. I love the rainbow swimsuit, the lovely prints and color applications.

Do you know gottex swimwear ?

“Gottex, the iconic swimwear brand was established in 1956, and since it’s birth has always been associated with Quality, Fashionable and Glamorous après wear. Since it’s creation Gottex has been, and still remains to be the key brand on retailer’s vendor matrixes, and is showcased at the Bryant park venue in New York as part of New York Fashion Week, for the Spring Summer Collections, where it is seen as a fashion leader in the Swimwear Business. Since June 2009 Gottex has enjoyed new acclaim and a new generation of followers and critics, after Molly Grad, Creative Director of the Gottex group, joined the company.” I found this information on their website.

anyway, I think it is worth to spend a bit of money on a bikini especially when you know that it is going to last a lot longer than the usual H&M bikinis or whatever cheap brands there are 🙂

stay tuned for the photoshooting with the gottex swimwear collection!

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ESPRIT look

ESPRIT look – hello summer

finally the sun is back in Basel and I can wear my beautiful new dress that I bought some days ago at ESPRIT store in Basel. a very simple two color dress that is very comfy and quiet affordable for CHF 79.90 – I paired the dress with my new SIX sunglasses that I found at C&A, a very old brown bag that I once discovered at the fleamarket, my NAVYBOOT sandals and a pair of earrings from H&M. a very easy and casual summer outfit. dont you think so?

dress ESPRIT
sunglasses SIX via C&A
earrings H&M
shoes NAVYBOOT
bag VINTAGE

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C&A sunglasses

ooh let me show you these amazing sunglasses that I have found at C&A in Basel. Each pair costs 7 CHF and thats really a bargain! they have a sticker that says UV 400 which protects your eyes also at the beach and in the mountains. they have so many different glasses and these are my very favorite! I already showed you some outfits for these glasses here:

http://isawsomethingnice.ch/sunglassesparttwo

http://isawsomethingnice.ch/sunglassespartone

http://instagram.com/p/nuwcOaFdUU/

and soon I will show you my other outfits! I am so ready for the sun! what about you?

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