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Darat al Funun is a home for the arts and artists from Jordan and the Arab World. It aims to provide a platform for the visual arts, to nurture creativity and critical discourse, and to reveal the dynamism of contemporary ideas and art practices.

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بدايات الصحافة الفلسطينيّة (1900-1948) وإذاعة هنا القدس (1937-1948) ‭ ‬11‬نيسان‭/‬ أبريل – 25  حزيران/ يونيو 2017 يقدّم معرض "بدايات الصحافة الفلسطينيّ" نماذج أصلي من الصحافة المبكّرة وتسجيلات إذاعة هنا القدس في فلسطين منذ بدايات القرن العشرين حتّى العام 1948. ففي وقت ازدهرت فيه المدارس الثقافيّة والحركات الوطنيّة وعمليّات الترجمة والفنون، استقطبت الصحف المعروضة مثل الكرمل (1908) والنفائس (1908) والأخبار (1909) وفلسطين (1911) أبرز الصحافيين والكتّاب الفلسطيين والعرب. كما يسلّط المعرض الضوء على إذاعة "هنا القدس" (1937- 1948) بعرض تسجيلات صوتيّة وفيلم للمخرج رائد دزدار. كما تعرض مجموعة من الصور الفوتوغرافيّة التي ترصد البيئة الصحافيّة في ذلك الوقت.

Early Palestinian Press (1900-1948) & Huna Al Quds Radio Station (1937- 1948)

11 APRIL – 25 JUNE 2017

This exhibition presents original copies of early newspapers in Palestine and Huna al Quds radio recordings, dating from the beginning of the 20th century until 1948. A time when culture, national movements, translation, and arts flourished, and newspapers like Al-Karmel (1908), An-Nafais Al-Assriah(1908), Al-Akhbar (1909) and Falastin(1911) attracted prominent Palestinian and Arab journalists and writers. The exhibition also features audio recordings from the radio station Huna Al Quds ("This is Jerusalem") (1937- 1948), as well as a film on the radio station by director Raed Dizdar. In addition, photographs are shown that observe the world of journalism at that time.

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الاستهلاك الوطني ونزع الحساسيّة مشروع معرض للورا السروجي 22 نيسان/ أبريل – 25 حزيران/ يونيو 2017 المختبر في هذا المعرض التفاعلي تُسائل لورا السروجي نفسها إن كانت بتشبُتها واحتفائها بأيقونات فلسطينية كالصابون النابلسي والكنافة قد طورت نزعة استهلاكية عفتها من انخراط أكثر جدية بالقضية.

Patriotic Consumption & Desensitization EXHIBITION PROJECT BY LAURA SROUJI 22 APRIL- 25 JUNE 2017 THE LAB

In this participatory exhibition project, Laura Srouji reflects on her attachment to symbols from Palestine, and dares to ask if she has replaced active patriotism with a celebrated consumption of popular Palestinian products.

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نبات / حياة معرض ولقاء مع كورين سيلفا وإيفا ساجوفيك السبت 25 آذار/ مارس 2017 المعرض من 25 آذار/ مارس – 12 نيسان/ أبريل 2017 المختبر تتحدث الفنانتان كورين سيلفا وإيفا ساجوفيك عن المعرض "مختبر تشاركي". عملت الفنانتان المقيمتان في لندن خلال السنتين الماضيتين معاً على عمل فني يبحث في علاقة الإنسان مع النبات. يتوّج هذا اللقاء نهاية إقامتهن الفنيّة الثانية في دارة الفنون، والتي قامتا خلالها ببحث وجمع مواد بالتعاون مع مجموعة أشخاص من خلفيّات مختلفة عبر نقاشات وورشات عمل. تتحدّث الفنانتان حول عمليّة التعاون وتركيزهن على النباتات القابلة للأكل في حدائق دارة الفنون الفريدة،  كمحفّز للتفكير في حركة البشر والنباتات، الماضي والحاضر والمستقبل، في هذا الوقت الذي يؤدّي فيه التغيّر المناخي والصراع على الأرض والموارد إلى غموض المستقبل. سيكون اللقاء باللغة الانجليزية تقدم الفنانتان في هذا المعرض نتاج بحثهن حتى الان. قامت الفنانتان بجمع معلومات عن النباتات وقصص فرديّة تدور حول بعض من نباتات الحديقة القابلة للأكل عبر رحلتين بحثيتين إلى الأردن عبر ورشات العمل والنقاشات واللقاءات مع أشخاص في الحديقة. .للمزيد

Plant / Lives TALK WITH CORINNE SILVA AND EVA SAJOVIC SATURDAY 25 MARCH 2017 EXHIBITION: 25 MARCH – 12 APRIL 2017 THE LAB 

Corinne Silva and Eva Sajovic give a talk at their exhibition opening Open Lab: Plant / Lives. For the past two years, they have been working together to explore human-plant relationships. This talk marks the end of their second residency with Darat al Funun, during which time they have conducted research and gathered material in collaboration with participants through discussions and workshops. The artists will describe their process of collaboration, and their focus on the edible plants in Darat al Funun’s unique gardens as catalysts for thinking about human and plant mobility, past, present and future, at a time when climate change and conflict over land and resources make many futures uncertain. The talk is in English.

The exhibition  presents their research so far. During two research trips to Jordan, through workshops, conversations, and garden walks, the artists collected botanical information and personal stories on some of Darat al Funun's garden’s edible plants. Read more.

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نبات/ حياة ورشة عمل مع كورين سيلفا وإيفا ساجوفيك السبت 18 و25 آذار/ مارس 2017 المختبر  عملت الفنانتان المقيمتان في لندن، كورين سيلفا وإيفا ساجوفيك، خلال السنتين الماضيتين معاً على عمل فني يبحث في علاقة الإنسان مع النبات. دعت الفنانتان المشاركين في ورشتي عمل لتجميع ومشاركة قصص وتجارب عن بعض النباتات الصالحة للأكل من حدائق دارة الفنون الفريدة. عمل المشاركين خلال هاتين الجلستين على تخطيط خريطة لحدائق دارة الفنون متعدّدة الطبقات، لجمع ما بين العلم والحكايا الشخصيّة المتعلّقة بنباتات معينة، والتأمّل في ما قد يحمله المستقبل لنباتات المنطقة. للمزيد.

Plant / Lives WORKSHOP BY CORINNE SILVA AND EVA SAJOVIC SATURDAY 18 AND 25 MARCH 2017 THE LAB

For the past two years, London-based artists Corinne Silva and Eva Sajovic have been collaborating on work exploring human-plant relationships. The artists invited participants to two practical workshops, working alongside them to gather research and share stories and experiences about some of the edible plant species found in Darat al Funun’s unique garden. Over the two sessions participants contributed to a multi-layered map of the garden, intertwining scientific and personal narratives relating to specific plants, and reflecting on what the future might hold for the plants of the region.  Read More.

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فلسطين الحضارة عبر التاريخ - برنامج 2017 للمزيد ولتحميل البرنامج

Falastin al Hadara - 2017 Program For more infromation and to download

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الروّاد لوحات، مطبوعات، أنسجة 7 آذار/ مارس – ‭ ‬25‭ ‬نيسان‭/‬ أبريل 2017 البيت البيروتي يقدم المعرض أعمال روّاد الفن الفلسطيني البارزين مثل زلفى السعدي ونقولا صايغ وخليل حلبي، كما تعرض مجموعة من الأنسجة والأثواب التي يعود تاريخها إلى منتصف القرن التاسع عشر من مجموعة وداد قعوار، ولوحات للرحّالة الأجانب منذ 1850 من مجموعة د. هشام الخطيب التي تصوّر المدن الفلسطينيّة المزدهرة: القدس وحيفا وعكّا ونابلس وبيت لحم في ذلك الوقت.برز صايغ بلوحات تتناول مشاهد دينيّة وطبيعيّة وتاريخيّة، افتتح محترفاً في القدس، حيث تتلمذ على يده العديد من الفنانين، كما عاش خليل حلبي في المدينة التي صوّرها في عدد من أعماله، وظهرت زلفى السعدي، أول فنانة فلسطينيّة رائدة شاركت في المعرض الفنّي الأول في القدس العام 1933 ضمن "المعرض القومي العربي للصناعات الفلسطينيّة"، وحصلت على جائزته. .للمزيد

The Pioneers PAINTINGS, PRINTS, AND TEXTILES 7 MARCH – 25 APRIL 2017 BEIT AL BEIRUTI

The Pioneers presents the works of pioneering Palestinian artists Zulfa Sa’di, Nicolas Saig and Khalil Halabi, together with a selection of textiles and dresses dating back to the mid-nineteenth century from Widad Kawar’s collection, and nineteenth century paintings and prints by travelers from Dr. Hisham Khatib’s collection, depicting the Palestinian cities of Jerusalem, Haifa, Akkah, Nablus, and Bethlehem during that era.

Saig stood out with his paintings dealing with religious, natural and historical scenes. He had his atelier in Jerusalem, where many studied and trained under his supervision. Khalil Halabi also lived in the city and depicted it in many of his works. Zulfa Sa’di arose as an artist who was granted an award for her oil paintings at the 1933 art exhibition in Jerusalem at the Palestine Pavilion of the First National Arab Art Fair.

Read more.

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THE SEA IS NOT DEAD Zoe Paterniani

I’ve been welcomed to Jordan more than a hundred times.

But being welcomed when you are far from your place is never enough to calm homesickness and the perception of being different from the surroundings.

On the way from Queen Alia airport to Darat al Funun, I saw thousands of electoral campaign posters. I was overwhelmed by the complexity of social and visual landscapes of the city and I felt the need to explore it. Amman is many cities altogether, not neatly juxtaposed, they are squeezed, mashed into each other, so that you can barely understand where one ends and another one begins. These posters have been my fil rouge as I was trying to orient myself and find some reference points. They seemed to be the only common thread between areas as different as Abdoun and Ain Albasha. For the first twenty days, I followed these threads as an attempt to detangle both the political and geographical complexity of Amman.

During my residency at Darat al Funun, I spoke to many young artists and students. Their work to me is new and interesting and different from what I have seen before. I soon realized that this city, and the country as a whole is mainly inhabited by refugees, foreigners and expats. Even the people who were born here hardly consider themselves completely Jordanian. Each ethnic group has its own traditions, yet everyone is basically integrated with the others.

I figured that taxi drivers are welcoming you every time because they have been welcomed too, not a long time ago. It became clear to me that homesickness in Jordan doesn’t make you different from others, it is in fact the feeling that made possible this huge mixture of cultures and the endless contradiction in landscape in which they peacefully coexist while preserving their differences.

That’s how I started my research on the Dead Sea: it reminded me of my sea-side hometown in Italy, the sunset is amazing there, peaceful and chilled. As I was standing in front of this huge mass of water I felt the nostalgia knocking again, this time with a different intensity: seeing the the other side is beautiful and painful at the same time, the sea works as both a disjunctive and a connective element, it is not dead to me because the water is moving and touching both sides in an endless cycle. I realized that I can always go back home, while someone else can’t.

Now that I am back in Italy I’m still trying to find a shape for my work in Jordan and to process how this residency experience changed my point of view on photography, society and artistic practice in general.

I’m somehow sure that I’ll be back there soon.

For more on the project visit Zoe’s website 

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الأذن الوسطى معرض يوسف قعوار

25 شباط/ فبراير – 18 آذار/مارس 2017

يطرح يوسف قعوار في معرضه أفكاراً سمعية بصرية من بحثه حول علاقة الحواس في الجسم البشري مع عملية إنتاج واستقبال الأفكار التي تتنقل بين الصوت والصورة. إذ سيكون الفنان حاضراً في الافتتاح للنقاش والحوار حول عمليّة الإنتاج والعمل بحد ذاته. يسمح لنا عمل يوسف بالخوض عميقاً في المجهول، بمصاحبة أصوات رقميّة تتابعيّة وأصوات مؤرّقة، كباب يحملنا إلى ما وراء أفق عاديّة الحياة اليوميّة المبرمجة، سامحاً لنا باستكشاف نظامنا الداخلي عبر التخلّص من أقنعتنا الاستهلاكيّة ببطء.

يوسف قعوار موسيقي حاصل على عدّة جوائز، مصوّر فيديو ومصوّر فوتوغرافي يدرس ويبحث في النظرية الموسيقيّة والممارسة والأداء والتسجيل والإنتاج لأكثر من 20 عام. برز قعوار، بخصوصيّة الأصوات التي ينتجها، وتركيزه المستمر على الأصالة مع تجنّب ما هو متداول، الأمر الذي أدى إلى اعتباره واحداً من روّاد مجال الموسيقى الإلكترونيّة والفن المعاصر في العالم العربي.

Middle Ear Exhibition by Yousef Kawar

25 FEBRUARY – 18 MARCH 2017 THE LAB

Yousef Kawar showcases audiovisual ideas from research on the relationship between the human senses and the process of producing and receiving ideas, moving between sound waves and light. The artist will be present during the opening of the exhibition for discussion and conversations around his process and the work created.

Yousef’s work allows us to delve deeper into the unknown as we are accompanied by eerie digital arpeggios and haunting sounds, a doorstep that takes us beyond the event horizon of everyday programmed normalcy, and that allows us to slowly explore our inner-verse.

Yousef Kawar is an award-winning musician, videographer, and photographer, who has been studying and researching music theory, practice, performance, recording and production for over 20 years. His unique sound and continuous focus on originality while avoiding the mainstream has made him one of the pioneers in the field of electronic music and contemporary art in the Arab World.

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خالد حوراني معرض استعادي 14 شباط/فبراير – 25 نيسان/ أبريل 2017 المبنى الرئيسي والغرفة

تفتتح دارة الفنون ضمن برنامجها "فلسطين الحضارة عبر التاريخ" عدداً من المعارض الفنيّة التي ترصد وتقدّم بدايات وتطوّر الفنون في فلسطين. نبدأها بأوّل معرض استعادي في العالم العربي للفنان خالد حوراني بلوحات وتجهيزات فنيّة وأعمال فنيّة مفاهيميّة. يتضمّن المعرض أعمال بارزة مثل: "بيكاسو في فلسطين" الذي نجح من خلاله بعرض لوحة أصليّة لبيكاسو في فلسطين العام 2011، وعمل "نسخة حمار وحشي" (2009) الذي يتأمّل في الحياة تحت الاحتلال عبر قصّة حديقة حيوانات غزّة التي حوّلت حمارين إلى حمارين وحشيين، و"قصة البطيخة" (2007-) الذي يتضمّن سلسلة من أعمال مطبوعة بالشاشة الحريريّة باستعمال ألوان العلم الفلسطيني التي كان يمنع استخدامها. كما يعرض خصيصاً لمعرضه في دارة الفنون عمل جديد يستند فيه إلى المجسّم الأزرق الحيادي الموجود في شعار المفوضيّة العليا للأمم المتحدة لشؤون اللاجئين للتذكير بلاجئي الأمس واليوم والمستقبل. وكجزء من المعرض، يطلق حوراني كتاباً فنيّاً جديداً بإلهام من قصّة طويلة حول أعمال فنيّة أخرجت من ليبيا العام 2011.خالد حوراني فنان وقيّم وناقد فنّي ومؤسّس ومدير سابق لأكاديميّة الفنون الدولية - فلسطين، يلعب حوراني دوراً مهمّاً في المشهد الفنّي في فلسطين. ينصّب حوراني، الحكواتي البارع، عمليّة الإنتاج الفنّي في صلب ممارساته الفنيّة، وذلك لتبادل الأفكار والتعاون والانخراط في الحوار. للمزيد.

Khaled Hourani A RETROSPECTIVE 14 FEBRUARY – 25 APRIL 2017 MAIN BUILDING AND THE GHORFA

Within the framework of its ‘Falastin al Hadara’ program, Darat al Funun presents a number of exhibitions that look at both pioneering and contemporary art in Palestine.

We start off the year with the first retrospective exhibition in the Arab world by Khaled Hourani, including paintings, installations, and conceptual work. The exhibition includes key projects, such as Picasso in Palestine where in 2011 he arranged to bring an original masterpiece to the West Bank, The Zebra Copy Card (2009) which reflects on life under occupation through the surreal story of a Gaza zoo that transformed two donkeys into zebras, and The Story of the Watermelon (2007-), a series of silkscreens using the once forbidden colours of the Palestinian flag. For his exhibition at Darat al Funun, he also presents a new installation that uses the neutral blue figure at the heart of the UNHCR logo to give thought to refugees of the past, present, and future. At a later stage in the exhibition, Hourani will also launch his new art book, inspired by a tall tale of art works removed from Libya since 2011.

Khaled Hourani is an artist, curator, and art critic, as well as founder and former director of the International Academy of Art Palestine. Hourani plays a major role in the contemporary art scene in Palestine. A story-teller at heart, Hourani places the process of art at the heart of his practice, using it to exchange ideas, collaborate, and engage in dialogue. Read more.

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تنفيذ تعليمات #دو_ات_بالعربي لللتصوير الفوتوغرفي من الفنان ‬فؤاد‭ ‬الخوري Activations of #doitinarabic instructions by Fouad ElKhoury using photography

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جولة do it بالعربي  do it بالعربي Exhibition Walkthrough

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 شاركونا في تنفيذ تعليمات فنانين #دو_ات_بالعربي على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي باستخدام الوسوم دو_ات_بالعربي  #دو_ات_بالدارة

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Activate social media instructions by sharing with us and tagging us @daratalfunun and #doitinarabic #doitatdarat #daratalfunun

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في ذكرى مروان قصّاب باشي معرض لمروان قصّاب باشي وتلاميذه من أكاديميّة دارة الفنون الصيفية 1999-2003 بالتزامن مع احتفاليّة تكريمه في برلين، تحتفي دارة الفنون بحياة وأعمال الفنان والصديق السّوري مروان قصّاب باشي من خلال معرض لأعماله الفنيّة وأعمال عدد من تلاميذه في أكاديميّة دارة الفنون الصيفيّة التي أدارها على مدار 4 أعوام (1999 – 2003)، وخرّجت أكثر من 60 فنان عربي. للمزيد

In Remembrance of Marwan

Exhibition of work by Marwan and his students from Darat al Funun Summer Academy 1999-2003 Concurrent with his memorial service in Berlin, Darat al Funun celebrates the life and work of Syrian artist and friend Marwan Kassab Bachi through an exhibition of his work and works by several of his students from Darat al Funun’s Summer Academy, which he directed from 1999-2003, teaching more than 60 Arab artists. Read more.

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Open Call: Art Projects at The Lab

DEADLINE: 30 NOVEMBER 2016 The Lab at Darat al Funun is an artistic space that seeks to encourage experimentation, exploration, and social interaction. We invite creative professionals from all disciplines (including artists, filmmakers, designers, architects, performers, curators, and any creative mind) to submit proposals, which make experimental and exciting use of this space. This is an opportunity to take risks and explore ideas and concepts that grow throughout the residency at The Lab and produce site-specific interventions and moments.

We are looking for projects that use the space to foster experimental collaborations and improvisations across disciplines. We give preference to projects that engage the community or interact with the public, whether through workshops, discussions, public contributions, or otherwise. Browse projects that have been done in the past at the Lab.

This call is open to anyone with a creative idea who seeks to develop that idea in an innovative artistic space. If your project is chosen, we will offer you The Lab for the agreed period, you may use available equipment and materials, and we will help you with production and (de)installation according to an agreed upon final production plan, budget, and timing. Darat al Funun assists in promoting work through our social media platforms and web site, and provide seed money to cover your production costs. We do not pay any additional fees. While we accept international proposals, we do not cover travel expenses or insurance, although we are at times able to offer accommodation in one of our residency flats.

Please e-mail your application in English or Arabic to [email protected], and include the following items:

1. Your name/address/contact details (if a group, please identify the main contact person).

2. Clear description of your proposal (approximately 500-1,000 words; you can add sketches and/or images if needed).

3. A production plan outline, estimated budget, and timeline. We try to accommodate requests for specific periods, but, as we receive many applications, it helps if you are flexible. Please specify your preferred period(s), as well as any times you are unavailable for the year starting April 2017. Our only expectation is that projects run for 4-6 weeks. We will discuss all this with you in more detail if your project is chosen.

4. Please also mention your background and motivation.

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Open Call: The 2017-2018 Darat al Funun Dissertation Fellowship

DEADLINE: 15 NOVEMBER 2016

Darat al Funun-The Khalid Shoman Foundation is pleased to announce the open call for its 2017-18 dissertation fellowship. The fellowship was established in 2011 to encourage research on modern and contemporary art of the Arab world.  The fellowship provides financial support of up to ten thousand US dollars to Ph.D. candidates in the humanities and social sciences. One to two fellowships will be granted each year. The fellowship duration must range from 4-6 months of residency at Darat al Funun in Amman, Jordan.

Fellows are expected to pursue their own research, give at least one public lecture, and participate in Darat al Funun's cultural and artistic activities. Upon completion of the fellowship, fellows are required to submit a five to seven page research report that will be made available on Darat al Funun's website.

Fellowship funding is intended to compensate all travel and stipend expenses. Darat al Funun will in addition provide housing and office space. Fellows are responsible for their own health insurance.

Darat al Funun is a home for the arts and artists from the Arab world. It organizes exhibitions, projects at The Lab, talks, film screenings and educational programs, hosts performances and concerts, offers a Ph.D Fellowship and artist residencies, and publishes books and catalogues. It also houses an arts library with Arabic and English sources and an archive that includes video and photographic documentation of Darat al Funun's activities and files on Arab artists. In addition, Darat al Funun hosts The Khalid Shoman Collection. For more information, see www.daratalfunun.org.

For specific questions about the fellowship contact [email protected]

Applications are welcome in Arabic or English by 15 November 2016 with notice of award by 15 March 2017. Applicants should send a research proposal, also specifying their desired period of stay during the academic year 2016-17, two letters of recommendation, a writing sample, C.V., and official transcript.  Priority will be given to proposals that indicate the role of Darat al Funun's archive.

Applicants must have advanced to candidacy by the start of the fellowship.  Applications are welcome from students enrolled in any university worldwide.

Application materials should either be emailed (in PDF or Word format, with each document clearly labelled with your name) to [email protected] or mailed to:

Darat al Funun Dissertation Fellowship Darat al Funun-The Khalid Shoman Foundation P.O. Box 5223 Amman, Jordan 11183

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do it بالعربي 24 SEPTEMBER 2016 – JANUARY 2017 In collaboration with Sharjah Art Foundation

Join in, take part, and collaborate as individuals, families, friends – in “do it بالعربي”. More than 70 artists from across the region have written instructions that anyone can use to make a new work of art.

The “do it بالعربي” exhibition at Darat al Funun showcases a selection of these instructions realized over the summer through collaborations with artists, architects, and students, as well as many others which visitors can use to create art works of their own.

Everyone is invited to join in the activations at any time over the course of the exhibition. In addition, Open Days are scheduled where specific projects will be highlighted through workshops or special activities.

Projects are also continuously launched on social media for everyone to participate in.