Rodel on VW Camper

Why does this make me sad? In another time, another place, it would have made me joyful to find such hidden traces of the past. Now, the fact that the brand is no longer imported, that the hand paint job has been amateurishly redone, that it is now a van used to distribute legumes to small merchants, just combine to make me very sad.

It's good to be the king, the sultan, the....

Research credit: Baleha

I know, I know, the Almaza ad is supposed to be referencing the Turkish soap opera Harem el Sultan which is all the rage right now (Mohannad.. who?). But, our friends at Baleha saw an uncanny similarity with other ads... Including one Heineken which happens to own the Almaza brasserie? So, did they or didn't they?

Mishmaoul.com - It's incredible (behind the scenes)

Today, Beirut/NTSC got the chance to explore behind the scenes at the Arabic pop kingdom of Rana Salam's Mishmaoul.com.... It's no secret that I am a fan of Rana's work and I was glad to have a sneak peak at her in-store display-cum-office-cum-ephemera-collection.... For those of you who don't know, Rana's store is in the Rizk building (which is the 50s building before you get to the Police station in the Beydoun Mosque street in Achrafieh) - she's on the 8th floor. And by Jove it's worth the visit!
And here she is herself, all bubbly as usual!

Independence. But from what and whom?

And so the day is here, it's a day as fictional as any other as we are celebrating independence when there is practically none!

First, Google jumped on the issue and make it its artwork of the day.... Hmmm, the Lebanese market must be so important for them.... All those ads featuring Lebanese girls....

Then, the ubiquitous Lebanese army ad. This time it's a word play on a Feyrouz song - Jeyebli Salam - which originally means "he's bringing me a hello" but also Salam means peace so the army is bringing us peace - notwithstanding the fact that they brought furor when they close the roads and cause massive traffic jams two days ago for the military parade training.

One of our mobile operators Alfa, is reminiscing over the days of barricades where the military has its own line called "military line" which was some sort of an express service when the great unwashed population has to wait in cars for long hours to pass the same blockades and passage points between regions. Line is also a hint on, duh, cell phone line whereby they gave the military people a special line with discounted prices. I am not too fond of remembering the days of the barricades however....

Polaroid Paranoid now out on 7UPstairs Publishing

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

"Les Illuminations" by Arthur Rimbaud takes a different twist under the hands of Fady Chahine, Tarek Chemaly, and Vladimir Kurumilian. Exploring the surrealistic heights and the vertiginous lows of the poetry, they come up with this stunning - albeit disturbing - end product. Enjoy flipping through!

We are fine in Gaza, how about you?

Today I read Magid Shihade's beautiful essay on Jadaliya, wihich you can read here in full. Along, came the translation of Khaled el Habr's song "Nahnou fi Gaza bi khayr, tamnouna 3ankom" (we are fine in Gaza, how about you?). The above photos were posters in Beirut done when Gaza was last time under attack (2008). They are just as relevant today, this should tell you about how cyclical this is!

"We are fine in Gaza, How about you?/ We are fine under attack, How about you?/ Our martyrs are under the rubbles/ Our children now living in the tents/ And they ask about you/ We are fine in Gaza/ How about you?
The sea is behind us/ But we fight back/ The enemy is in front of us/ But we still fight back/ We have all what we need: Food and arms/ Promises of peace/ We thank you for your support!/ We are fine in Gaza/ How about you?
Our souls/ Our wounds/ Our homes/ Our skies/ Our faces/ Our blood/ Our eyes/ Our coffins/ Protect us from your weapons/ Your promises/ Your words/ Your swords…. We are fine in Gaza/ How about you?"
Translation of the song courtesy of Magid Shihade.

كلمات خالد الهبر

! نحن في غزة بخير, طمنونا عنكم

! نحن في الحرب بخير, ماذا عنكم أنتم 

شهداؤنا ا تحت الركام

أطفالنا سكنوا الخيام ، يسالون عنكم، أين أنتم؟ 

نحن في غزة بخير, طمنونا عنكم

البحر من وراءنا لكننا نقاتل, عدونا امامنا و ما زلنا نقاتل

لدينا ما يكفينا من سلاح و طعام ، وعود بالسلام ، نشكر لكم دعمكم

نحن في غزة بخير, طمنونا عنكم

أرواحنا، جراحنا، بيوتنا، سماؤنا، وجوهنا ، دمائنا , عيوننا , اكفاننا

تحمينا من سلامكم، وعودكم، كلامكم

نحن في غزة بخير, طمنونا عنكم

نحن في غزة بخير, طمنونا عنكم

نحن في الحرب بخير, ماذا عنكم أنتم

I see dead people (again).

 So it's that season again! The commemoration season for the dead people. We start with Major Genral Francois el Hajj, this was on a building in achrafieh (covering several floors) right on Sassine square....

... sitting right opposite to Wissam el Hassan, our recently disposed of head of security (also on Sassine square albeit at the entrance of the street where the explosion happened which took Hassan's life and several other people).

 And... Elections season is a kick off with the commemoration of Pierre Gemayel, for the sixth commemoration of his death. "Whenever Lebanon is in danger... We shall be present." Naturally, it does pay off to stir feeling of fear among right wingers. Not convinced? Try this for size:

A certain Ibrahim Sakr (a businessman he dubs himself) is plastering these billboards on the predominantly Christian areas north of Beirut, with "the people want shoot down the criminal acts" (it's a word play on "a cha3b yourid iskat al nizam" - people want the system down - only he changed it to "ijram" instead of "nizam"). It comes branded with the logo of the Lebanese Forces - a right wing political party which was also a major militia during the war. And the Kalashnikov trigger? Most likely it comes from Monsieur Sakr's own arm which is left from his fighting days (we can safely say he is "trigger-happy). Expect his name on the electoral ballot next year people - take it from me! 

Pierre Sadek at his best (circa 1992): In honor of the rains

And so there it is, in honor of the first rains which as usual clog the streets and make waters overflow and cause (even more) traffic jams.... A caricature by Pierre Sadek which goes way back to (circa) 1992 when he was still doing the LBC nightly caricatures. Back when SOLIDERE issued the line "madina 3arika lil mustaqbal" (an ancient city for the future - which was a very lame translation in English from their part) he just added one dot and it became "madina gharika lil mustaqbal" (a drowning city for the future).
Please note that above is NOT Pierre Sadek's original work, simply a mix and match which I have done myself based on my self-assembled logo and selling line straight from my archives.

What sort of a man reads Playboy?

Stereotyping is the easiest act in the world, it helps pigeon-hole, label and classify. But what if things are not as straightforward as they appear to be? What if there is more than meets the eye? What if certain facets do not immediately get revealed? Meet the man who reads Playboy.

A man who knows beauty when he sees it. And he sees it all around him. In interesting objets d’art. In the company of a lovely young lady. And monthly, in the pages of his favorite magazine. Fact: Men devote nearly two hours in reading each issue of PLAYBOY. By comparison, that’s triple the time men spend reading any newsweekly. To make your product a collector’s item with this involved, responsive audience, advertise in the pages of PLAYBOY. (Source: 1973 Simmons.)

A man who knows exactly what he’s after and where to find it. A free weekend is likely to find him on a fishing cruise with delightful companions. But whether he’s exploring waters or speculating in stocks, he relies on expertise, not luck. And for this direction he looks at PLAYBOY. Fact: Of all men 18-36 who visited the Caribbean, Bermuda or Bahamas last year, 55% read PLAYBOY. To land a bigger share of this market, bait your hook with PLAYBOY.  (Source: 1973 TGI.)

A man who frequently turns a long weekend into a swinging holiday in the sun. Always ready to savor new discoveries and share them with delightful friends, he’s young, mobile, affluent and venturesome: today’s most frequent traveler. Fact: PLAYBOY reaches more than half of all young men who took three or more personal air trips in the past year. That’s far more than any magazine reaches. Want to point this man in your direction? Do it with PLAYBOY. Source (1973 TGI.)

A lesson in perspective from a dead advertising creative

Linds Redding is dead. Who? Never mind, he was an advertising creative who got cancer and died. Oh and he scooped awards and was famous in the field, and worked for the big ones (which didn't shelter him from cancer or from death mind you). He wrote this incredible essay which every advertising creative should read - assuming those over-inflated egos do read - here it is in full length here - below are some very relevant parts:

"My old life looks, and feels, very different from the outside.
And here’s the thing.
It turns out I didn’t actually like my old life nearly as much as I thought I did. I know this now because I occasionally catch up with my old colleagues and work-mates. They fall over each other to enthusiastically show me the latest project they’re working on. Ask my opinion. Proudly show off their technical prowess (which is not inconsiderable.) I find myself glazing over but politely listen as they brag about who’s had the least sleep and the most takaway food. “I haven’t seen my wife since January, I can’t feel my legs any more and I think I have scurvy but another three weeks and we’ll be done. It’s got to be done by then The client’s going on holiday. What do I think?”
What do I think?
I think you’re all fucking mad. Deranged. So disengaged from reality it’s not even funny. It’s a fucking TV commercial. Nobody give a shit.
This has come as quite a shock I can tell you. I think, I’ve come to the conclusion that the whole thing was a bit of a con. A scam. An elaborate hoax.
[...]

So was it worth it?
Well of course not. It turns out it was just advertising. There was no higher calling. No ultimate prize. Just a lot of faded, yellowing newsprint, and old video cassettes in an obsolete format I can’t even play any more even if I was interested. Oh yes, and a lot of framed certificates and little gold statuettes. A shit-load of empty Prozac boxes, wine bottles, a lot of grey hair and a tumor of indeterminate dimensions."

Polaroid Paranoid - launch teaser

Yes, I know it's too early to tease you about this, but it seems Fady Chahine, Vladimir Kurumilian and myself have made a book inspired by Les Illuminations of Arthur Rimbaud. The result is a gigantic mood board which reeks of poetry, emotions and tackles the senses down to their most haunting corners. Polaroid Paranoid will launch sometime in the next few weeks. It's been a pleasure doing it - and it took several months to finish..... Above is a sample page of the collaborative effort.

Arches to Arches by W.J. Cowler on 7UPstairs publishing

Open publication - Free publishing - More 7upstairs

Keeping up with its tradition of bringing you fresh perspectives from authors, designers or photographers, 7UPstairs publishing is proud to introduce you to the  photography of W.J. Cowler, who - while globe-trotting on family and personal holidays managed to remain tangent and his bow was able to capture to capture "the arch" - that tilted rite of passage between two entities, two positions and two states of mind.

Copycats: Yasa(lem) elak yawm :) (UPDATED)

Research credit: Elsy N.

Bah! I am trying to give everyone a benefit of a doubt lately, but frankly I am getting to that phase where you know that a theft is a theft. And this time it's an ad for Yasa which has been nicked from a Wataniya campaign in Kuwait (done by BBDO who for once are not the instigators but rather the victims of the theft - hey, it happens!). Both show a mobile being crushed instead of a car for the don't text and drive campaign.
Now here'another Yasa theft below:

This one was stolen by Clementine from the portfolio of Tracy Yaghi - an ex-USEK student - who used this exact same ad for her awareness campaign in one of her projects and I remember very clearly her line "Lamia bit7eb el sir3a, bitmout fiha" (Lamia loves speed, she'd die for it). Thing is, they took Lamia off (she's dead, remember?) and kept the rest of the ad. Tracy did an internship in Clementine based on her portfolio, she let more than an a lasting impression apparently!
I stand corrected on both counts, but on a personal level, I still feel both are thefts!
UPDATE:
I have received this email from Sami Saab from Clementine agency and I am publishing it in order to be fair and even-handed (this does not affect my own judgement on the matter, it simply indicates that I am willing to publish the opinion of the concerned parties):
"The last time I saw Tracy Yaghi was on January 2010 and unfortunately I never had the chance to see what she did at her university. I'm not responsible about any simple idea that could pass in anyone's mind. As you know the big idea = I could do that + yeah, but you didn't. 
I can accept anything but lies.
Why this negativeness towards such a big and simple idea for such a humanitarian cause? Is it because of its success? Is it hate or jealousy? 
If I were you guys, I would spend my time trying to create, but it seems creativity is really rare and too hard while hatred and criticism are much more simpler."