My politically motivated “digital art”
Author: Esra'a (Bahrain) - January 15, 2007
Here are some stuff I did today. I shouldn’t call it “digital art,” I don’t really know what it is. It started out with making a quick banner for Kareem which someone requested, and I figured I’d give my other ideas a shot. Tell me what you think.
This quote is from a Smiths song:
Free Kareem:
Yet another ‘Not my Islam,’ an important message from many Muslims:
I’m editing this entry with one more. It’s going to piss the Israelis off, though. Sorry in advance.
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Kareem one is really good, but typography can be improved we we we
America-Iraq one is funny
The typography is SO hard.
Ruins everything.
Messages aside…I am not a art guy at all…but esp. the Kareem one caused an emotional response…I thought it was a pretty nice job.
The hippy in me has to go with “da bomb” Great job!
Typography is also my weakness. I really didn’t think about it until someone told me about it. Mehh I should practice more. You do that too n00b.
I never saw any problems with typography in your work. The ones in most of mine get blurry easily, and it’s hard to find a font and color that fit the graphics and background.
are you using photoshop?
For some of these, yeah.
I think the 2nd one is too emo. I should replace it with something less… gay.
I think it’s hysterical
I figured if I wanted to be sarcastic, I’d rather do it in a more direct way. I don’t want people to misunderstand these to the point of them losing their message.
the wording in the message seems a little peculiar. The artwork is fine.
I am only referring to the “emo” one mind you. :). I really like them all.
Do you think the last one I added is too vague? I guess beause of the caption I added (pissing Israelis off, etc), I might have given the message away, but if you were to see the image itself would you get it?
I would, but your average “Joe American” might think it was a baseball player.
Esra’a-
Isn’t that last one a picture of a rich Baharini throwing caviar at an Israeli?
Well, I think that anyone who makes it to this site is at least familar with the Palestine/Israel conflict. When we have that gallery feature and I add some of these, I’ll probably add a title or description or something.
I should probably fix the hand though. He looks handicapped.
Howie - yes it is. Once again you’ve managed to reveal the embarrassing irony that I was trying to hide in that image. Kudos to you, Sir.
Can you add a tank or a giant wall or some barbed wire in the last pic?:)
Ersa’a…
Wait wait!!! And “the last resort” would be the last Hyatt he was vacationing at?
Melissa, you like the dramatic effect don’t you?
Haha.
What happened is that the Arab kid walked into the Hyatt hotel using his rich daddy’s credit card, ordered caviar thinking it would be salmon, and threw it back at the waiter’s face (who coincendentally was an Israeli) when he thought the orders were mixed up, and then insisted that this was his last and “only” resort.
Quite a story, huh?
That is the message behind the picture:
Be rich. Be Arab.
Hey…if you look right under the guys feet on the regular blog…well…take a look at THAT irony!
muhahahahaha
If you miss it..first thing written in black bold
Esra’a
“threw it back at the waiter’s face (who coincendentally was an Israeli)”
If the waiter was annoying and rude..then that is no coincidence that he was Israeli
That’s hilarious.
Some Israeli is going to randomly read this thread and think that we’re all here hating on them now.
If it makes you guys feel any better, Howie’s a big Israeli-loving Jew. A very amusing one at that.
Esra’a-
“Howie’s a big Israeli-loving Jew.”…
Naw they annoy the shit out of me as most Jews do…including my wife. But I am like a dog…stupid and loyal and I have proposed to you and I am looking for a good deal on that tent and laptop.
Funny…yesterday at the gym they were playing I Love Lucy re-runs…made me miss you, my Fatima
Geez…I can hear Maria Muldar’s version of “Midnight at the Oasis” playing in the background:
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to sleep
I’ll be your belly dancer
And you can be my sheik
Ya baby….YA!
Esra’a
I knew you wanted the entire poem:
“Midnight At The Oasis”
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Shadows paintin’ our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Heaven’s holdin’ a half-moon
Shinin’ just for us
Let’s slip off to a sand dune, real soon
And kick up a little dust
Come on, Cactus is our friend
He’ll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin’ ends
Till the evenin’ ends
You don’t have to answer
There’s no need to speak
I’ll be your belly dancer, prancer
And you can be my sheik
I know your Daddy’s a sultan
A nomad known to all
With fifty girls to attend him, they all send him
Jump at his beck and call
But you won’t need no harem, honey
When I’m by your side
And you won’t need no camel, no no
When I take you for a ride
Come on, Cactus is our friend
He’ll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin’ ends
Till the evenin’ ends
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Got shadows paintin’ our faces
And traces of romance in our head
No, the second one is good. Great song, so is the solo work by Morrissey. I think the second to last one is kind of ambiguous. Firing a gun is not your Islam?
YAMAN-
Huh…didn’t understand the gun thing and did not address it. You writing to Esra’a or me.
The song…Maria Muldar did an awesome version way way back around 1974…one of the most beautiful female voices I have ever heard.
Hi Yaman,
I know it’s kind of blurry, but take a look at the background. It says “No God but God.” I figured the image would look like a typical Islamic mujahid, hence the background, but I guess one would have to look closer.
It’s one of the many similar scenes from Al Manar TV. This is what they encourage you with, saying it’s Islam, so I’m putting it here saying it’s not.
Esra’a
One last word (it is passed your bedtime) on pissing off Israelis or Arabs or whatever…
Some subjects here are very complex and very sensitive and very difficult. I think that is way your site is so important. We can’t be a bunch of polite Brits waiting in a que all the time.
If we did not get a bit pissed and challenge each others thinking…then you should change the name of the blog to:
Middle East Youth Plan Summer Camp or
Variations on Humus Dipping
Know what I mean? We get worked up and then we think and share ideas. I think the overall mood has been open and respectful…that’s why I keep coming back myself.
Well I’m glad you brought that up Howie. I do piss a lot of people off all the time, but my fear is being just plain dumb sometimes and tackling an issue I myself don’t quite understand, so there’s a difference. I just fear that I might piss people off because I tend to over-generalize and simplify rather than just pissing them off because I’m revealing the “absolute truth.”
This is definitely not Happy Camp though, just look at the number of people who left this site beause they couldn’t handle “the heat” so to speak. We’re very confrontational. If we don’t like something, any of us, we’ll say it, and most writers here usually do. But the beauty of this place is that we’re all passionate about completely different things, often conflicting things, and still manage to maintain this place as a group. Some people left, most have the guts to stay and make something out of this place.
I’m just glad you didn’t leave yet considering how harsh Jina and I have been on you.
But you can handle it.
Esra’a-
“I’m just glad you didn’t leave yet considering how harsh Jina and I have been on you.
But you can handle it.”
The masochist said; “hurt me…hurt me!”
The sadist said; “no”.
By-the-way…your first paragraph says a lot. You are still “growing” and still self-analyzing…you are passionate..but not self-righteous, which means you are trying to learn.
I think y’all have gone a bit over the top at times with that passion…which can be self-defeating at times.
The leader tends to set the mood…I do think you do a better job when you stay cooler…but your style will evolve…
Howie, even once I graduate, once I go off to get a Masters degree, once more things get achieved in my life, I would never think much of any of these accomplishments if I just ceize to learn.
If there’s anything in the world that bothers me, it’s people who claim to know everything, and even when they do seem to know a lot, that is still not much. There’s too much information in this world for anyone to stop learning.
I’ll never stop, and I’ll never stop being hungry for it, because once that happens then this site would have no purpose. This is primarily about education. Knowledge. And how that ultimately can lead to power and inspiration.
The only stupid thing for me is when people insist on the truth when it is not. Happens to me all the time (as in, I’m guilty of it.) Your pride and reputation get in the way of admitting you’re wrong - and that ruins who you are and the values you stand for. I wish I can learn how to change that.
I really, really suck when it comes to heated debates because passion and emotion takes over pure logic, and my biases show. I know that leading this site means that I’m an example to follow, but don’t let this trick you at all. I’m the worst example when it comes to debating, most of the time. When someone insults me, I never back down, I insult back and I get harsher, and I tend to dislike others too quickly because of a few opinions.
Really man, I’m more immature than some of the younger writers on this site which says a lot.
Love the hilarious story behind ‘A Last Resort’…and the one with American and Iraq is great.
Esra’a-
Actually…you have caught yourself and apologized in the past. Self-righteous folk don’t apologize…insightful people do.
Again…challenging and confronting are different things…if it gets “too” passionate, you may scare off the very people who need to be here…then we end up “preaching to the choir” (Jews and Muslims don’t have choirs typically..do we?).
We are learning and teaching…I think you are heading in the correct direction. And I have seen you dish it out to both sides.
I do believe we have to seek out a language of communication that is more based in challenging folks assertions and assumptions. Confrontation leads to reaction and defensive thinking…debate rather than exploration…then it is a who can trip who up or who can “win”. I think in those cases we all lose…you don’t learn when you are just scrambling to strike back or put the one down you feel put down by.
Am I making sense here? Is not what I described above somewhat a description of much futile political debate..i.e. more interest in “winning the point” than learning and moving towards resolution?
OK…for me it is the beginning of the work day…here we go……………………..