Month: April 2011

on the politics of the dead child -occupation vs humanity

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independentLondon

What is a Palestinian State Worth? By Sari Nusseibeh

Reviewed by Guy Mannes-Abbott

Friday, 22 April 2011

Writing about William Wordsworth, Jacques Ranciere celebrated a consideration for “all that is too small” in his poetry about the post-revolutionary landscape of France. The theorist also articulated a post-millennial consensus; lauding the poet for taking care of “the dead child that every politics abandons”. Such a child is the moral focus of Sari Nusseibeh’s new book, but with unintended results. Continue reading “on the politics of the dead child -occupation vs humanity” →

notes from a biennial -appendix [ii] in conversation with aisha khalid

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click IMAGE to link to notes from a biennial – appendix [i] in conversation with aisha khalid

Aisha Khalid & I

by Guy Mannes-Abbott

Conversation at Sharjah Art Museum Sharjah UEA March 2011

Guy Mannes-Abbott [gma]

Let’s begin with your piece hanging in the entrance foyer of the Sharjah Art museum, Kashmiri Shawl [2011]?

Aisha Khalid [ak]

There is a whole story behind this piece I did, this shawl. Continue reading “notes from a biennial -appendix [ii] in conversation with aisha khalid” →

notes from a biennial, appendix [i] in conversation with CAMP

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CAMP-Al-Jaar-Qabla-al-Daar The People From The Family of Abu Saoud Were Kicked Out [Ph. Guy Mannes-Abbott]

click IMAGE to link to notes from a biennial – appendix [i] in conversation with CAMP

CAMP & I

by Guy Mannes-Abbott

Conversation with Shaina Anand and Ashok Sukumaran [CAMP] March 2011 Sharjah, UAE

Guy Mannes-Abbott [gma]

Tell me a little about your background and approach.

Shaina [Anand]

Broadly speaking my background is film. Actually documentary practice, and a lot of what we do as CAMP as well -Ashok’s background is architecture and “new media”… Continue reading “notes from a biennial, appendix [i] in conversation with CAMP” →

sharjah biennial 10, petition update

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I’m ‘hosting’ this update because I want to support all those who made Sharjah Biennial 10 such a particularly special, even unique event across a wide range of activities and forms.

I’m framing it because these are not my own words, however close I might feel to their plea. I understand and sympathise with the dismay and indignation as well as the urgent hopes expressed that some transparency about what happened, an articulation or plausible narrative will emerge soon. Often The How is as important as The What -something which an unrelated campaign I’m involved in at home in London reiterates strongly.

Credibility is everything; very hard to achieve, impossible to fake, priceless to possess, lost very quickly -and then really hard to recover if at all…

PR, on the other hand…

[continued below…]

[ENGLISH] Dear friends and colleagues,

Following the abrupt dismissal of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Director, Mr. Jack Persekian Continue reading “sharjah biennial 10, petition update” →

on celebration, james salter and stockholm

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The Paris Review have been celebrating James Salter lately, with prizes, an interview, mention of his forthcoming novel, manuscripts and republishing his first ever contribution; Sundays [1966] [comically, they have ascribed it to Giles Foden on their site!], which became part of A Sport and a Pastime. I’ve got a copy of that PR edition from 1966 with Sundays in it I’m happy to note! Here is a link to their site with its serial blog on JS.

Here follows a short excerpt on Light Years from my essay ‘On Meeting James Salter’ -which can stand as my own little celebration. Continue reading “on celebration, james salter and stockholm” →

in ramallah, running – a little bit

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In Ramallah, Running by Guy Mannes-Abbott [2011]

I can’t resist posting this image from one of the distributor’s sites for Translated By, there’s a page of other images/details here.

This is a tiny excerpt of the excerpt obviously. As a whole, my short running texts within Ramallah itself alternate with longer walking essays at/in/beyond the limits all around, which multiply and abstract in ways peculiar to this unique Occupation. Hence my attempt to reconjure the actual place, and actual people in their place. The whole text begins as it appears to do here, though this excerpt of 1500 words is made up only of running texts.

The actual book –In Ramallah, Running- is coming together in all its ambitious complexity!  Continue reading “in ramallah, running – a little bit” →

notes from a biennial – on reflection

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click IMAGE to link to notes from a biennial – on reflection

Notes from a Biennial – On Reflection

21.03.2011, 12:01

by Guy Mannes-Abbott

The opening week of this year’s Biennial was very intense; promising and delivering much. I’m glad I had early access to it all, could play that off repeated circuits and discrete returns, along with mini wanders with various artists and writers, old and new friends, listen to other’s highlights, tips, and ‘zoom’ in and out of the city, region and world in the process.

I was invited as a writer to write critically and I would fail the Biennial as much as myself if I did otherwise. I’m a demanding judge or at least have very high thresholds and am not biddable! Yet Sharjah Biennial 10 has been a triumph for all those involved. It took big risks Continue reading “notes from a biennial – on reflection” →