darth vader is everywhere these days

Well, at least in Dubai and in Yalta.

Cedric Delsaux, The Dark Lens - via The Empty Quarter

Agan Harahap, Yalta Conference 1945 - via Sweet Station

tape me on your video phone, I can handle you

Theory Friction Practice dissects the Beyonce/Lady Gaga video - Video Phone - in an interesting new post. In it, he coins the term "agented object" to describe how Beyonce is at the same time a very self-aware sex object and totally in control of those whose gazes are directed at her.

There’s this section where Beyonce and Gaga are dancing on chairs just for us to watch, like, it’s totally explicit that this dance sequence is meant to arouse sexual pleasure. There’s no story being told, there’s no other character present, and no suggestion of why they came to sit on chairs. There are just two female people displaying their crotches on chairs. Oppressive, I don’t know; but definitely conservative. Then there’s the whole Beyonce multiplication thing again and she’s wearing a shirt with a head that has earrings with signs for both genders. Now, why would this be done? I really feel like this video is aware of its participation in the discourse on gender.

I am never quite convinced by the "it's my body I do what I want" argument in which the meat-market display of women's bodies is deemed feminist or 'empowering' because the woman we stare at for our pleasure is represented as strong. Just because you're shaking your ass with a whip in your hand you are not automatically less of an object. But, as the post argues, there is certainly a lot going on in the video that attempts to undermine the classical music video power dynamic. While the song reverses some gender roles, at the end of the day it still says "I know I am sexy, you can have me (a representation of me) and use me as you like" - so the video actually sabotages, or at the least adds an additional dimension to, the lyrics. watch how.

al mat'haf

Al Mat'haf, ('the museum') is a strange place on the northern end of Gaza's short coastline, within view of the industrial chimneys of the Israeli city of Ashqelon that has received much praise and attention from the most important sources in recent years. Who wouldn't love telling the story of a cultured Palestinian who risks all to save what remains of Gaza's ancient past from the hands of those uncivilized forces around him! Yet, although those who write about this place put the mission of preserving Gaza's historical heritage at the forefront , the establishment itself does not hide its commercial ambitions, which are reflected in the full name - Al Mat'haf Recreational and Cultural House. Located right next to the Shati' refugee camp, this fancy restaurant with a museum-annex and a sea view attracts Gaza's elite and thus boasts valet parking. A well-kept garden includes such highlights as koi fish in a pond and a tree planted by Jimmy Carter. A sports complex and a hotel are in the works, but have been delayed due to the war.

At the moment, and perhaps owing to the lack of availability of truly impressive exhibits or scholars inside Gaza, the museum consists of only one room. Here, the last four millennia are compressed into a small - albeit well-lit - space. When I first visited Al Mat'haf, the doors of this room were openen especially for us although the museum was closed due to a special event (a Bank of Palestine gathering). A nervous young employee in uniform lead us around the room. While pointing at objects in chronological order (clockwise) in a somewhat showy manner, he provided enlightening information such as "this is from the bronze age" - "Christian age" - "a lamp" - "Nasser, the president of Egypt!" The latter remark was an elaboration on a fuel canister from the 1960s, which was displayed in a glass case and marked the end of our quick tour through the ages. Maybe the post of museum curator is still available -- for now, the museum's website is soliciting online visitors' opinions on various artifacts.

Somewhat more enlightening, this article from the JPS deals with the archaeological heritage of Gaza, much of which is in Israeli hands these days.

objects of desire

Things I have been asked to bring from the West Bank to Gaza:

gaza at maghrib

gaza at maghrib, originally uploaded by hanna_banana.

i am having trouble focusing, not just my lens. but i posted some new photos on my flickr anyway (click on image to see).

monetary issues

In the West Bank, there are no 10 Agorot pieces. People just don't use them, so everything is rounded to the half Shekel. In Gaza, there are no half Shekels either. The taxi ride has increased from 1.5 to 2 Shekels accordingly, and a box of cheap chocolate sits next to every cash register, waiting to make up for the missing amount. The material the coins are made of - copper - is worth a lot more than half a Shekel, so whatever comes in is molten and turned into copper wire.

The infamous demi-shekel

cairo taxi, ca. 2007

One evening a few weeks back, there was one of the usual power cuts, but I didn't have candles and the landlord didn't turn on the generator (maybe he ran out of fuel?). So I was sitting in the dark. And I wasn't really ready to go to sleep yet. So I played around with the only source of light, my computer, which felt quite different than usual because there was no internet. Browsing around, I came across this old snippet, for which I have Chelsea M. to thank. Really only worth watching if you sometimes miss Cairo.

is that amy winehouse?

Scene from The Nile's Bride, directed by Fateen Abdel-Wahab, 1963

Still: Maha Maamoun, Domestic Tourism II, 2008