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Jordanian talent =97

creative people and their craft

By Ica Wahbeh

A fertile place where the seeds of creativity sprout = with=20 amazing speed, Amman is the place to be, where things are = happening. Where=20 architects, artists, artisans, well established or emerging, find = an=20 auspicious atmosphere to ply their trade and talent =97 and where = to leave=20 their mark.=20

Appreciation of such talent is both local and international. = Take for=20 example architect/painter Sahel Al Hiyari who was selected for The = Rolex=20 Mentor and prot=C8g=C8 Arts Initiatives, a programme that brings = together=20 emerging young artists with well-established figures in different = fields.=20 Or Sade Batyne, whose Meddesign group was recognised by the Aga = Khan as=20 =93trendsetters for modern Jordanian/Arab architecture=94.

Such international recognition is proof of the universality of = their=20 talent and one other way to integrate Jordan in the ever-shrinking = global=20 village that our planet is becoming.

=93A shy but intriguing awakening,=94 architect/painter Ammar = Khammash=20 calls it.

But it is more than that.

People embracing several disciplines, thirsty for knowledge and = eager=20 to spread it, pursue their dreams and, in the process, create, = forge,=20 give.

=93There is a revival of creativeness among the very young, = exposed,=20 educated individuals. And, amazingly, there is a market for ideas = which=20 10-20 years ago wasn't there,=94 adds Khammash.

=93There was the classical division of architects, artists, = painters. Now=20 there are people on the overlap of different cultural disciplines; = there's=20 where you get the spark, like, for example, visual arts and = literature, or=20 visual and performing arts.=94

He should know better. While his architectural practice is = going on=20 unabated, Khammash is also interested in Jordan's landscape. =93I = want to=20 understand it, but in layers. How it was formed (geo-morphology), = why we=20 have the rift valley and why the desert is flat, why Amman is full = of=20 limestone.=94

He is avidly learning about geology, palaeontology, ecology,=20 archaeology, agro-archaeology, the relationship between = architecture and=20 geology, botany, ethnology.

=93I use science, but I am not imprisoned by it. I tap into all = these=20 [disciplines] but I bounce off them. I jump all the camps.=94

That is enriching and demanding, but the energy and interest = are=20 clearly there and the outcome cannot but benefit all.

Khammash, whose many restoration projects are known and = appreciated by=20 Jordanians, believes craft is a socio-economic tool, a means of=20 development. =93Very good craft should have a counterbalancing = impact to=20 tackle this corporate invasion. All the people in rural parts of = the world=20 are bombarded with corporate products. They should be allowed to = join.=94=20

Interested in =93destination design,=94 he zooms out of the = design, as an=20 architect, =93almost like a movie; you want to bring people to the = edge=20 downtown, you hang over the downtown. You don't want to outsmart = the=20 neighbourhood, to crush it, but to be modern.=94

So you have the Wild Jordan caf=C8, a place that from the = outside, atop=20 Jabal Amman, easily blends in, but which inside is a very modern = eatery=20 cum exhibition and meeting hall. Or Wadi Finan, south of the Dead = Sea,=20 where you can relax in modern conditions recreated in the manner = of old=20 Jordanian mud houses.

His many projects reflect his belief that the way out, the = solution for=20 the country, is to go artistic, to offer quality and make it = become an=20 experience.

=93There is now an official acknowledgement and encouragement = of the=20 young culture, and also a price tag on creativity which in the = 1980s=20 wasn't there. Now creativeness is acknowledged as a commodity.=94 = His=20 definitely stands out.

But Khammash is not the only one drawing from tradition and = improving=20 on it.

Hiyari, decrying the lack of urban environment and the = unhealthy sprawl=20 of the city, suggests falling back on history.

=93We can improve by simply learning from the existing = conditions. Even=20 Ashrafiyeh [east of Amman]; the buildings there have an organic = social=20 fabric. Certain periods are aesthetically interesting: the early = 1960s up=20 to the 70s. There are instances in the city that could be studied = to=20 provide viable solutions.=94

Conceding that much has to do with individuals and what they = want,=20 Hiyari believes in the duty of the architect to introduce ideas = that could=20 be adopted by people.

=93People see certain things and they want to repeat them, and = they=20 become these meaningless clich=C8s.=94 But =93small, marginal = interventions can=20 have long-lasting impact=94 and here is where the artist = intervenes.

Some of his projects, amazing graceful structures, modern and=20 functional, seem to be better appreciated in Yemen, Kuwait, Dubai. = Yet he=20 is an architect who believes in breaking =93fixed parameters=94, = the mould,=20 and does not compromise on quality or conviction. And who finds = =93very=20 interesting things outside Amman.=94

Mukawwer is a favourite place, =93a contrast to Amman,=94 where = there are=20 the mountains, silence, different views.=94

Important to him is to have a critical position =93and not just = positively accept things.=94

=93Jordan is part of me I don't necessarily agree with or think = it goes=20 in the right direction, but we need to evaluate things.=94 He = assesses=20 indeed, and the outcome is outstanding design and creative art. =

The tendency nowadays, among many, is to diversify, take up = different=20 preoccupations, testimony to the versatility these young = intellectuals=20 display.

Khammash is in the good company of Batyne, who branched out in = =93all=20 other designs (not only architecture, but also interiors, = graphics,=20 identity management) and Lama Kamal, an architect who also trains=20 entrepreneurs, these =93vulnerable=94 small businesspeople.

Interestingly, both architects delve into behaviour. Corporate = (culture=20 and communication) in Batyne's case, capacity building, = =93selling,=20 understanding yourself, your strengths and weaknesses=94 in = Kamal's.

In order to pursue this newer interest, Batyne set up Medmedia, = now an=20 NGO that deals with cultural development. =93It even includes = working on=20 language and religion. Want to present it as it is, a religion of = peace,=20 away from politics and personal interests.=94

Batyne's Meddesign is involved in the Royal Commission for the=20 Beautification of Amman. Together with several others, mainly = architects,=20 they are mandated to tackle =93zoning, organise = vehicular/pedestrian routes,=20 parks, green areas and open spaces, and all kinds of art work.=94 =

Most recently, Meddesign was commissioned to do the landscape = design=20 and supervision at the King Hussein Convention Centre at the Dead = Sea.=20

Obviously concerned with aesthetics, he is also among the = initiators of=20 the Friends of Weibdeh foundation, whose purpose is to, well, = beautify=20 this old jabal and bring more life into it.

The group aims to =93be in touch and empower the community in = order to=20 preserve the character or typology of old Weibdeh =97 maintaining = its trees,=20 gardens, parks, working on the roofs (it is hilly, so the roofs = themselves=20 become gardens) =97 and organise the pedestrian-vehicular = relationship.=94=20

=93Eventually I hope that not just the foundation but the = larger=20 community of Weibdeh will participate in the activity,=94 says = Batyne whose=20 group's other main interest is to =93identify and document the = existing=20 buildings and monuments and protect them.=94

=93Once we protect these buildings, we go in to renovate and = bring life=20 into them, by bringing in artists, for example.=94

These, it is hoped, will make Weibdeh =93an attraction point = for cultural=20 activities.=94

Such undertakings do not seem enough. Anther concern is=20 environmental-agronomical-tourism. =93Identifying locations = throughout=20 Jordan. Trying not to punish the villages, but network them. = Tourism is=20 good for them,=94 says Batyne, among whose tasks, he feels, is to = teach=20 villagers about tourists' behaviour. =93Staring is not rude, it is = curiosity.=94

In the pursuit of progress, he believes in the use of =93the = natural,=20 home-grown vernacular with the latest in technology and know how, = and with=20 the Arabian aesthetic.=94

=93As designers, our duty is to contribute to a culture that = was=20 completely ignored. To stop the abuse of nature, soil, villages, = the way=20 people used to interact.=94

Setting the style, he says, does not come from leaving the = culture, but=20 from going back to it.

Kamal finds the country beneficial to experimentation. =93Real = estate is=20 booming; architects have much opportunity to build. It is = important to get=20 your project done (building and interior); this is not always the = case=20 abroad. There is a reasonable chance to experiment, you can push = some=20 ideas through.=94

With this room to experiment, =93you cannot say that things are = etched in=20 stone. A lot is still untouched, and it gives this raw feeling of=20 unexplored=94 terrain. That is where the seeds of creativity can = be dropped.=20 And they are.

Ingenuity does not always produce new things only. Or, at = least, not=20 new in concept. Mosaicist Sonia Twal who, in partnership with = Ihsan=20 Dabbas, owns Heritage for Art in Architecture, inspired by an = ancient art=20 whose vestiges can still be seen today, embarked on breathing new = life=20 into the art of mosaic making and carried it to perfection.

Using mostly local raw material, local skill and her = indubitable=20 talent, Twal creates replicas of ancient mosaics, a wealth of = which grace=20 many ancient settlements in the Kingdom, but also works on = commission,=20 adorning many a wall, entrance hall, bathroom, column, = frontispiece in=20 private houses or corporate buildings or producing gifts for = tourists=20 eager to come in possession of her fascinating works.

While =93passion for art and a sense of responsibility towards = preserving=20 an important artistic tradition that is basic to the Jordanian art = heritage=94 were at the basis of this artist's revival of such a = unique art=20 form in Jordan, her incontestable talent is responsible for her = creations=20 having reached faraway places, like France, Italy, the US, or for=20 embellishing local buildings, making the life of residents more = beautiful.=20 Whether ancient or modern, her designs will leave an everlasting=20 impression, bearing another proof of Jordanian talent. And if, in = the=20 process, the work benefits local labour, Heritage is not alone in = this=20 undertaking.

Ceramic artist Rula Atalla, creative director, started her = Silsal=20 Ceramics as a development, rather than an artistic, project.

=93Development involves productive business which involves job = creation,=20 income generation, foreign currency earning. It also involves = indigenous=20 artistic and technological creativity. Small businesses that do = not rely=20 on too much foreign technology help create a healthy social = structure, a=20 healthy middle class.=94

If the result is also undisputed art, that's a double bonus. = And=20 Atalla's is art =97 subtle, delicate, highly ornamental and = functional.

Vases, urns, vessels, crockery, trays, a multitude of products = that=20 enchant the eye with their patterns and colours, are produced in = her=20 workshop that employs 22 artists, artisans and support staff. The = care for=20 the final product is equalled by the care for the staff. The = family=20 atmosphere that prevails provides an ideal work environment and = the result=20 shows in the quality of the ultimate product.

=93The motto of our workshop is teamwork. We are like a family. = The=20 majority is women, working mothers. Because my sister [Reem = Habaybeh,=20 managing director and the person credited by Atalla with the = success of=20 the business] and I are working mothers, we are very understanding = when we=20 have domestic emergencies.=94

Inspired artistically by =93pottery pieces from our tradition = =97 Islamic,=20 pre-Islamic, from Bronze Age to Izmic (Ottoman) age =97 we used = many of the=20 motifs found on these pottery pieces in our new line.=94

Part of her learning process came from visiting street potters. = =93I=20 tried to learn from them and see how anyone could improve upon = what they=20 were doing.=94

The experience also taught her that street pottery was a dying = art.=20 Their firing methods were polluting and their trade was being = driven away=20 from the city, which meant =93it was becoming less and less = feasible.=94 The=20 master potter at Silsal =93comes from a family of street potters = who learned=20 the skill as a little boy.=94 A great investment, seeing the = beautiful=20 things that come out of his spinning wheel.

She wanted to find a way to preserve =93this knowledge and = skill.=94

=93I didn't want it to be lost and this was my way of adjusting = to=20 modernisation. Glaze is non-toxic.=94

From the basement experiment on clay from different areas in = Jordan to=20 the aesthetic, enticing products, the place has made huge strides. = The=20 testy clay has a mind of its own, but it found its master in = Atalla.

=93In every firing batch we make new tests because we like to = innovate.=20 Tests for colour, for texture for special effects. What = distinguishes us=20 is that we have a big repertoire of glazes with which we can work. = These=20 trials and hard work have paid off.=94

They sure did and to the sensitive artist behind the creations, = they=20 are more than consumer products.

The glazes the workshop came up with =93are smooth but matte. = They can be=20 functional and yet they don't have the shine and gloss of = ceramics. I find=20 that this matches the Jordanian topography which is, at certain = times of=20 the year, harsh. It describes the character of Jordan.=94

Her art, like that of the countless artists, architects, = artisans,=20 intellectuals the country is proud of, is a product of our place = and time.=20 They put Jordan on the map of the world with grace, knowledge and = skill,=20 showing that size does not matter.

Friday, May 20, 2005