Bøger udgivet af Kaph Books

Recasting the genre of travel and expedition literature through a collection of journeys across arid environmentsThe official catalog for the United Arabic Emirates' National Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, In Plain Sight was conceived as a collection of travels through aridity. Contributors were asked to explore the relationship between travel, travel writing and the built environment. What emerged was a diverse set of positions and attitudes towards travel writing that ranged from documenting journeys through historical texts and images in search of lost relationships with aridity and the practices it engenders, to authors who traveled to contemporary arid spaces in search of nuance and abundance, and essays that explore the blurry and conceptual edges of aridity. Alongside the travel-based contributions, the book presents a series of field notes, ostensibly framed as research findings. In the field notes, curator Faysal Tabbarah attempts to narrate the places, materials and tactics that he encountered on numerous trips. Buttressing these field notes are photographic series depicting the range of tactics used in constructing Al Hajar's built environment. Addressing aridity across time, space and ideas, In Plain Sight recasts the genre of travel literature, challenging the ways in which arid environments have historically been depicted.

Intimate accounts of Arabic modernist artists from Huguette Caland to Hamed Nada and Etel AdnanCompiling testimonies from relatives, friends and students of Arabic modernist artists, and authored by Dubai-based writer Myrna Ayad, this volume celebrates the lives, careers and personalities of some of the region's pioneering figures. Featuring archival material and images of artworks and of the artists themselves--in their studios, at exhibitions, at social gatherings--the essays span the 1960s through to the 1980s, and discuss artists including Saloua Raouda Choucair, Huguette Caland, Helen El Khal, Etel Adnan, Margaret Nakhla, Menhat Hilmy, Gazbia Sirry, Naziha Selim, Madiha Umer, Jumana Al Husseini, Maliheh Afnan, Baya Mahieddine, Mounira Mously, Mona Saudi, Shafic Abboud, Aref El Rayess, Paul Guiragossian, Hamed Abdallah, Hamed Nada, Abdel Hady El Gazzar, Adam Henein and Rafa Nasiri.Myrna Ayad (born 1982) is the author of Sheikh Zayed: An Eternal Legacy, Dubai Wonder and the National series "Remembering the Artist."

Cultural and artistic practitioners from the UAE reflect on our collective and individual roles in building a better futureThis publication gathers contributions from the first cohort at 421, a platform dedicated to emerging artists and creative practitioners from the UAE and across the region. These courageous reflections suggest paradigms through which to consider our individual and collective roles in conceptualizing time and looking toward the future.

An intuitive sculptural interpretation of an ancient alphabetThis concise monograph documents Lebanese artist Nayla Romanos Iliya's Small Characters sculptures, inspired by and named after each of the 22 letters of the Phoenician alphabet.

Reflections on the role of national narratives and urban development in shaping the Arab worldThis publication examines the role of national narratives in defining the Arab territory through the strategic implementation of architecture and urban planning. The Arab region, home to 423,000,000 inhabitants, is almost twice the size of the United States but still lacks sufficient and accessible research. Architecture of the Territory uncovers the mechanisms that have shaped this distinct territory, providing a critically overdue examination of the dichotomy between the overplanned cities of autocratic governments and the post-conflict urban sprawls of precarious states in the Arab world, where national narratives have acted as a vehicle to implement the development of these territories. The book opens a dialogue between young Arab researchers and professionals covering, among other subjects, tensions inherited from colonial borders; agricultural strategies; and imported housing typologies and narratives. The content draws a parallel to similar issues found in the global architectural discourse of today.

A critical investigation into the material heritage and entangled histories of Western encyclopedic museumsThis volume gathers commissioned essays, interviews and visual contributions from artists and writers exploring the terrain of material heritage, colonial heritage, reparation and museology. Bringing together a multiplicity of voices and formats, the timely publication considers some of the most pressing debates around museums today.

Innovations in sustainable agriculture and food security programming in the UAEThis publication showcases transformative solutions for food insecurity in the UAE over the past 50 years. From innovations in the private sector to public policy initiatives, these strategies aim to eliminate hunger by providing year-round access to nutritious food in a country whose natural landscape is unconducive to farming.

An extraordinary dialogue between two titans of Arabic cultureIn 1998, the Syrian curator, gallerist and publisher Mouna Atassi brought together the acclaimed Syrian artist Fateh Moudaress (1922-99) and the great Arab poet Adonis (born 1930) for a public conversation that took place across four days at Atassi's gallery in Damascus.Moudaress was famous for boldly hued paintings that merge Islamic, Sumerian, Assyrian and Christian visual traditions in a uniquely modern synthesis. Similarly, Adonis--one of the most influential figures in modern Arabic poetry--has rebelled against the tropes of traditional Arabic poetry to experiment with free verse, variable meter and prose poetry; he is responsible for a colossal poetic revolution in Arabic literature.This extraordinary encounter between two giant figures in Arabic culture is translated from Arabic to English for the first time in this volume, which also reproduces 30 previously unseen paintings and drawings by Moudaress.

The first overview of Lebanon's thriving design scene from the 1920s to the present, with works by more than 50 designersA city at the crossroads of East and West, said to have been destroyed and rebuilt seven times since antiquity, Beirut continues to nourish the imagination of many creative artists. The vibrancy of Lebanese design stands out as exceptional in the region and should be understood via the country's long-standing cultural relations with Europe (especially France)--but also with the Emirates and their ancient craft traditions.This publication analyzes Lebanese design's unique convergence of economic and architectural reconstruction, social awareness and international development. It also testifies to the designers' determination to take ownership of their destiny and image by presenting objects and forms that are simultaneously aware of their diverse heritage and are deeply rooted in a complex reality. Prior to this publication project, no extensive research had been undertaken on the history of design in Lebanon; this book aims to fill that gap.Designers include: Sami El Khazen, Pierre El-Khoury, Michel Harmouche, Khalil Khoury, Maison Tarazi, Jack Matossian, Piccaluga brothers, Jean Royere, Serge Sassouni, Rana Haddad and Pascal Hachem, Marc Baroud, Carla Baz, Karen Chekerdjian, Nada Debs, Marc Dibeh, Carlo Massoud, Georges Mohasseb, Wyssem Nochi, Anastasia Nysten, Sayar & Garibeh, SPOCKDESIGN, Thomas TRAD, Richard Yasmine, MINJARA Project, % Architecture, Architecture & Mecanismes, Samer Alameen, Ahmad Bazazo, Sahar Bizri, Borgi Bastormagi, MAD Architecture, Elie Metni, Atelier M+A Georges Mohasseb and Kareen Asli.