Getting it together

Within this project, there were a lot of twists and turns with many influences from around me. The more I looked at other artists work, the more I was likely to ‘replicate’ the style of work, moving away from what I visualise it to be. 

I went back to my responses and found the recurring answer to identity crisis between cultural & personal identity was there isn’t a fight within ourselves, as these two parts make us who we are. Focusing it around achieving their dream within the workplace. Whether that was not being able to work for something due to their gender, age, family exceptions or social norms. Instead of changing who we are for society, it should be accepting us, with no criticism. Growing up in Saudi, as a child, we are told to do follow certain rules in order to live a good life; this might also be seen in different cultures. Men usually are told to follow high paying jobs such as doctors and engineers as its best for the family’s income. As for women, they are told to follow an effortless career sometimes even not to work, as the hard work and more complicated jobs are left for men.

Hence, in my visuals, I decided to overlay what job they are currently doing over what they dream about doing which are based on true stories. Originally, I wanted to layer the images on top of each other to create the ‘shadow’ that symbolises the middle ground of accepting who they are with the changes of the 2030 vision. By playing around with layering and colours, it gave a deeper meaning to it.

Starting the work

Looking back at the sketches and using the colour palette chosen, I illustrated one of the images however it didn’t turn out as strong as I imagined.

This unsuccessful attempted demotivated me and felt that I needed to create stronger images rather than spending time illustrating a tenuous series.

Since I was illustrating different situations, there had to a character within it. I started to explore how she would look like…

After the criticism, both the tutor and classmates advised me to stick to nonorganic objects rather than human form as this makes my work look like a children’s book illustration which is far from what I am planning to achieve. 

Roberto Cigna - Artist Research

Italian-based illustrator and graphic designer. Cigna’s witty illustrations gives an alternative perspective to the finer details of life. He describes his style as " simple, full of minimal details and a strong narrative vision.” His editorial and political illustration appeared in newspapers and magazines as well as used for corporate and educational branding.

Visual Inspiration

Since ideas and concepts are the main features of art, aesthetics and material concerns have a secondary role in conceptual art. Conceptual art conveys powerful messages channeling socio-political remarks.

Colour Psychology

Since I will be creating a series of images that tell a narrative, I would like to use a colour scheme that has a specific hue. In order to use the right colours, I would need to look at colour psychology or chromology, where colours are a form of non verbal communication (Empowered By Color, 2018). Colour translates different meanings depending  on culture, hence I need to look at Saudi Arabia (Middle East) in specific. 

According to Chromology - Advanced Personal Colour Analysis in London, UK, “Colour communicates critical information about the world; it is a source of stimulation and pleasure; it shapes and activates space; and it holds psychological and cultural associations that facilitate communication.”

Red

• Anger

• Rage 

Pink

• No meaning 

Purple 

• Wealth

Yellow

• Happiness

• Prosperity

Orange 

• Mourning

• Loss

Green

• Color of Islam

• Strength

• Fertility

• Luck

Blue 

• Protection

• Spirituality

• Heaven

White

• Purity

• Mourning

Black

• Evil

• Mystery

I know I want my images to be positive, hence no red! In order to make my final decision, I will look at different colour palate and choose the one I feel fits in the most. I will go for the more vibrant colours rather than pastel.

After looking at different colour palettes, even though I do not necessarily like green myself, I feel like it is the one that fits the most. These are my top picks.

References:

Chromology - Advanced Personal Colour Analysis in London, UK. (2018). Colour analysis science and psychology | Chromology – Advanced Personal Colour Analysis in London, UK. [online] Available at: https://chromology.co.uk/the-power-of-colour/ [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Empowered By Color. (2018). Meaning of Colors in Color Psychology. [online] Available at: https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Helal, Y. (2017). The meaning of color psychology in the Middle East. [online] StepFeed. Available at: https://stepfeed.com/the-meaning-of-color-psychology-in-the-middle-east-1935 [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Writer, G. (2016). How Color Psychology Differs in the Middle East and Around the World. [online] Scoop Empire. Available at: https://scoopempire.com/color-psychology-differs-middle-east-around-world/ [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Saraha Replies

After sending out my link, I gave myself a week to get some replies. I hoped I would get more, however at this stage of research, it more on quality rather than quantity.

Some of the replies I got, weren’t as useful as I thought. Thus I have chosen a selection of useful ones, ones I can relate to myself.

“Along with my deep-rooted “Arab” values that are an essential part of my cultural identity, I also have certain “open-minded” ideals that are foreign/strange/unacceptable to others.”

“ … I didn’t feel understood, but I realized that my cultural identity & personal identity don’t have to be in a tug of war. They are not mutually exclusive, as they both make me who I am.”

“… Hypocritically be some one who is not my natural self to satisfy the community norms…”

“… Arabs just like other cultures have norms and traditions that the west can’t comprehend … We can’t find a middle ground between extremism and liberalism. We have issues with hijab, women’s Rights and religion. …. society can’t accept different point of views. Therefore, if we can’t agree with each other on the the concept of respecting different opinions or views, how can we proof that our society is highly refined when demonstrate negative attitudes. “

“The culture that we lived in ‘70 was closed cultural mind which resulted to big confusion in your personal identity. Thus, it arises conflict in personality… you can be different person at different stages and circumstances.”

The recurring sub themes I found were:

• Expressing yourself - having the freedom to do what I please

• Setting your own rules - not judging or being judged by other opinions

• Mother tongue - taught two languages at the same time, never felt fully at home, as years passed English was used more, hence forgetting Arabic terms 

• Culture expectation and norms - needing to fulfil the role, even if it means losing your own identity

• Ethnicity

After analysing the results and understanding what they are trying to say, there isn’t a fight within ourselves, as these two parts makes us who we are. Instead of changing who we are for society, it should be accepting us, with no criticism. 

Cinema graph, a new medium?

Since Bruno Mars - That’s What I Like music video game out, I have always liked the way it was done. Jonathan Lia who directed the video included “hand-drawn animations relating to the lyrics adding the only flourishes to the natural Mars charisma and fancy footwork.” (Knight, 2017)

After speaking to VJ about animating my stills, he suggested looking at rotoscoping. It is  an animation technique that animators use to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action. However, thinking out of the box, I will be joining this process with Cinemagraph, still photographs in which a minor and repeated movement occurs, forming a video clip. By combining these two, I will be creating something influenced from Bruno Mars and Ignasi Monreal.

The illustrations done will be based on one or several stories falling under the theme of Identity. If I manage to finish in time, I might take it even further and create an installation piece.

I started to experiment on how it would look like, creating cinemagraphs but they look very “industrial”. If I were to add the rotoscoping, it might look more organic and flow together.

Reference:

http://cinemagraphs.com

Knight, D. (2017). Bruno Mars 'That's What I Like' by Jonathan Lia and Bruno Mars | Promonews. [online] Promonewstv. Available at: https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2017/03/07/bruno-mars-thats-what-i-jonathan-lia-and-bruno-mars/46567 [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].

Revising initial Idea

The work I created in the past few days is :

1. Not my style of work 

2. Not the work I would like companies to judge me on

3. Not the right visuals to express my idea of identity

It is only touching on the topic, not going in-depth and expressing the true issue. It is also very cliche images, where I want to create something new and exciting. 

I have always had an issue with expressing myself, hence, I would need a text to influence me to create visuals. I typically like to create work where my audience can relate to. The best way to do that in this situation is to get their personal stories on the identity issues they face. Hence, I will be asking  “What’s an identity clash you’ve experienced between your cultural & personal identity as ‘A Saudi’?” On a daadedris.sarahah.com, a website that lets people answer anonymously. From peoples responses, I will create a collage on identity issue of “a Saudi” not “of Saudi”

The only problem is, will everyone share their issues? 

Collage Development

The sketches done included, the world tallest fountain and flag, the Red Sea and the lifted ban on woman driving.

I experimented more with the woman driving and created quick initial styles I might do.     

After changing them to green, they looked disgusting, like to reminded me of grinch who stole Christmas, which is far from what I want to send across.

I am a person who loves the colour, hence sticking to a colour scheme, will limit my abilities to create fascinating work.

How about collages?

Usually, when something doesn’t work, instead of dwelling on it, I think that is a sign that it won't work and I should act fast as I have a deadline. I have the idea that I want to send across, however, I am having trouble with my visuals. 

I thought about drawing out the timeline of Saudi before and today by focusing on specific dates that represent these drastic changes. The images would show our culture and how the younger generation is changing/ shaping the Kingdom. 

I would follow a colour scheme that represents Saudi: Gold, White and tones of green; influenced by the flag.

The series of images would then be animated to move ever so slightly to have emotion in it. This idea was influenced by Gucci Hallucination by Ignasi Monreal. Monreal digitally illustrated classic artworks in a Renaissance-style portraiture and included the Spring Summer 2018 collection. He later animated them, creating a gif to bring in motion and sound effects to make his work stand out even more. 

Gif animation process & complications

After researching more on the topic, I thought about creating a visual on  “you are too middle eastern for the west and to wester for the east,” As it relates to the idea of cultural identity & personal identity. I myself struggled with this as I grew up in a western background and then moved back home to the Middle East. I was criticised from both sides of family and friends, I was never good enough. 

With the 2030 vision, we are becoming more of a ‘Globalised Saudi’ accepting who we are with our flaws and strengths. Hence, my animation would consist of a woman/man walking down the street with one side consisting of a western background with the person wearing middle eastern clothes and the other side would be the opposite - to express the idea of how people see us. The animation would be drawn from a low point of view as if you were laying down by their feet. 

I filmed my friend, however, there were some complications. One of them was, I initially wanted the camera to move in a 180 degree and show the fave pf the front side of the person, whoever it would be impossible as by the time I reach to 90 degrees, the person would give me their back. This was an issue as I wanted the transition of the background to happen when the person steps on the camera.

It wasn’t possible.

Character design

Based off last weeks idea of focusing my outcome on the idea of “ the fight between cultural identity & personal identity”, I was struggling with a visual representation of what it is. Hence, not to waste any time, I started to illustrate a character with basic emotions but these were initial sketches.

I knew I wanted to animate or create a gif, but I wasn’t sure about what.

Iraqi social media model was shot dead because she dared to live a Western lifestyle

Current news circling around the idea of globalisation and cultural identity, is about an Instagram model Tara Fares, 22, who was killed on September 27 in Baghdad. She had more than 2.6 million followers and was known for her outspoken comments on freedom, life and religion.

Fares was killed in broad daylight on 27 September while driving her Porsche through the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. A gunman shot her three times in her car before escaping on a motorbike, just a day after she was voted one of Iraq’s most followed online stars. Fares was well known on Iraq's fledgling beauty pageant circuit and had competed in the both Miss Iraq and Miss Baghdad contests (ALDERSLEY, 2018).

Iraq's Interior Ministry looked into the shooting and said that extremists were behind her death. Iraq is a very conservative Muslim society and Fares was often threatened for wearing revealing clothing.

This makes you question the idea of identity, where being “too western” in the Middle East is not acceptable. She was struggling with her personal and cultural identity.

Refrences:

ALDERSLEY, M. (2018). Shocking moment model is shot dead at the wheel of Porsche in Iraq. [online] Mail Online. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6256273/Moment-social-media-star-shot-dead-wheel-Porsche-Iraq.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Questionnaire & Responses

In addition to interviewing Molham, I wanted to get feedback on my topic from a wider audience. I asked a couple of questions to my followers on Instagram. 

The questions included were:

• Is there a constant fight between cultural identity & personal identity?

• Do you agree with this term: “We are too Western for the Middle East and to Middle Eastern for the West?”

• What are your thoughts on Saudi youth identity?

• As a part of the ‘youth’, would you say you struggle with your identity?

Around 500 people saw the post, and around 130 responded.

I also managed to get comments on the last two questions, some were somewhat useful, while others were straightforward.

One that stood out was the idea of “balancing personal values and goals vs. societal expectations”. This is a huge issue in Saudi Arabia, especially in men. Since the kingdom is a male-dominated country, men are the ones who work and need to pay for the whole family. With the new changes, a woman can do whatever they please - work-wise, but it will always be the man who pays for everything. Hence, families push their sons into high positions like a doctor, lawyer or engineer. There is huge pressure on them, where some cannot pursue their dreams as it isn’t a good pay. Very rarely, you will find men who study or work in a field they wanted to.

From the responses I got back and after doing some more research, I decided to focus my outcome on the idea of “ the fight between cultural identity & personal identity”.

My Story

I was born in Riyadh - Saudi Arabia, in 1997. After 6 months, I traveled with my parents to Canada, where my father was finishing his degree. Growing up, I moved a lot, from Vancouver to Ontario and everything in between. 4 years later, I had a little brother. I grew up in the Western Community with Middle Easter morals. Once a week, I would go to an Arabic school where I learned about my religion and meet other Arab children living far away from home.

Fast forward to 2003, I came back to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was a Reverse Culture Shock! I remember third grade being the hardest year. I went to an all girls international school full of little Arab girls who grew up in the Kingdom, then there I was, the only girl who didn’t speak proper Arabic. All I can say was it was a total struggle. I never participated in any Arabic related classes as I had to fear of messing up. I once did and I was the “talk” for a while. From grade 3 until 12 I had an Arabic tutor who helped me, I was never the best but always gave my 200%.

In terms of my name, I got bullied a lot. Daad is an Arabic name that is pronounced Da’ad or Da’ed. It consists of a letter that cannot be pronounced in English as it comes from the throat. I got called horrible names and there is no place to start. Even though that was many years ago, I still struggle with it today. I sometimes wished my name wasn’t my name, I wish it was a simple western name. But you can say, I am who I am today because of my name.

My identity is made up of two cultures. They shaped me into who I am. Friend and family, both good and bad, helped me know my true Identity.

2016, the year of new beginnings, I moved to the United Kingdom to pursue my dream in the Arts. Many people, both related and unrelated argued with me about choosing my major, as it isn’t a logical field to go into. I knew that if I weren’t to go into this field, I wouldn’t be me.

Being in London opened up doors I never knew were there. I learned a lot about myself. I found myself able to fit in this fast-paced community with different backgrounds.

This is a brief idea of what went on. My identity is something I struggled a lot, there were many aspects to it. But one important issue was the idea of my cultural identity vs my personal identity. I sometimes had to act “culturally specific” in some situations and showed off my personal identity in others as It wouldn’t be acceptable.

Words are usually hard for me to explain, hence I will be creating a narrative that will be expressed visually, that talks about the issue of cultural and personal identity that many young Saudi people struggle with.

Sometimes to understand who you are, you need to move away from everything you know and learn who you truly are.

Molham Krayem - Saudi Rapper

Molham Krayem, Saudi business strategist, artist, and writer based in Dubai. For my research, I will be looking at his musical side, where he creates music with a message.

Molham raps his music in a unique way by combining Arabic and English languages together. Growing up, he spent his time in high school writing rhymes on inside jokes. In his college years, he started performing at coffee shops, talent shows, and radio stations.

In March 2018, he released ‘The Time Is Yesterday’, shedding light on the importance of valuing time for what it's worth. He got the most recognition for his hit single Me Against The World, landing 5th on Anghami's top hip-hop chart and trending in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, and Morocco. He releases a new single every month.

After listening to his Single - Saudi Citizen, which was released on the kingdoms national day, I got a chance to interview Molham asking him a couple of questions regarding his cultural identity and personal identity struggles, where he called himself a “Globalised Saudi”.

Saudi Citizen talks about where the country is heading. In his interview on Al Arabia, he explained to the concept of his latest song. (This was translated from Arabic to English) “With the 2030 Vision, there are many changes happening we see every day. Hence seeing the community changing & helping, I wanted to thank them for their hardworking as this is the time we the world who we are” (Al Arabia, 2018).

He also explained why he sang in both Arabic and English, “Everyone today is listing to Rap and hip-hop music, in the gym, car, or working. Arab music started as poems, hence rapping moves in the same directions with rhymes but it has a base and a hook. By singing in both languages, I am able to reach a wider audience” (Al Arabia, 2018).

He points out his song has two messages, the first one is a national one, thanking the country with the new changes. The second message is an international one, explaining that Saudi’s are changing and they aren’t the same people/country they used to be. We are moving at our own pace, with our morals and ethics in check. We are changing for you, but for ourselves.

These are the lyrics that stood out for me:

“This country's future lies on the shoulders of youth”

“هذه رسالة خاصة لجيلنا المثابر بلادنا في أيدينا نبني فيها فلنعاصر”

Translating to:

This is a special message for our persevering generation, Our country is in our hands

“كلنا سند لبعضنا وللوطن نبني نعمر أرضنا ونرفع فينا الأمل”

Translating to:

We all support each other and for the homeland, we build our land and give hope to us

“لا تسأل ماذا بلدك ستعطيك اسأل ماذا أعطيت وكيف تعطي من مزيد”

Translating to:

Do not ask what your country will give you, Ask what you gave and how to give more

After intervening Molham, here are some of the key points that stood out to me:

Molham “Grew up in Canada, was super influenced by my childhood, I spoke English and when I came to Saudi (Arabia), I had a huge clash in my life, as I didn’t fit (in). Everyone around me spoke differently, talked differently, walked differently, thought differently. The mentalities were just miles apart” (Krayem, 2018).

“My first year back, I was in an international public school, as felt distant from all the kids there. I had a hard time transitioning into the country, I hated the first year here” (Krayem, 2018).

As time went by, I slowly started to “how they think and understand cultural norms” (Krayem, 2018). The language was a big factor in his transition as he spoke in English all the time, just Arabic at home. He expressed the idea most Arabs deal with today, myself included, that language is a big factor in our life. Where sometimes we think in Arabic while other times in English, even when expressing something, each language plays a role. Sometimes, one language isn’t enough to express an idea.

In terms of this quote “We are too Western for the Middle East and to Middle Eastern for the West?” What is your response? “It has always been there, but I was able to easily able to integrate into both (Krayem, 2018)” He explains himself as a globalized Saudi.

“Accept yourself, you do not need confirmation from society or community” (Krayem, 2018).

References:

Al Arabia (2018). ملهم يتحدث في صباح العربية عن تفاصيل مواطن سعودي، لماذا كتبت بلغتين، ومقارنة فن الراب بالشعر. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNbfttFqwO8 [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

Krayem, M. (2018). Background on Molham and thoughts about Identity.

ВИДЕО, С. (2018). Molham - Saudi Citizen ft. Amal | ملهم و أمل - مواطن سعودي - видео смотрите. [online] Видео для всех! смотрим. Available at: https://tmpower.su/watch/molham-saudi-citizen-ft-amal-ملهم-و-أمل-مواطن-سعودي/4N3Dtl36Rmk [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

Artist Research

For this project, I was thinking of creating a narrative through still images and maybe animating them into a gif. The type of style I am thinking of creating is an editorial illustration. I am still unsure if I will creating them in order for it to be placed in a magazine or newspaper, however, the idea is on my mind.

Some of the artists who are visually inspiring and in a way similar to the type of illustrations I am currently doing are:

• Abbey Lossing

• Bruno Mangyoku

• Malika Favre

• Thomas Danthony

• Tom Haugomat

Whether it was the colour scheme they used or style of art, it caught my eye. There are a couple of gifs which I found interesting and thought about doing, where it was 5 seconds long but on a loop to show continue movement.

Thomas Danthony work was the one that stood out the most, as he follows a colour scheme that tells a narrative through the use of colour and tones. He also positions the images in a way that is aesthetically pleasing for the eye, they are not all front and centre, but rather different viewpoints from different positions, making the audience feel as if they are a part of the narrative. The French artist characterises his work in a clever way by the use of light, bold compositions and a dose of mystery. 

Bibliography:

Handsome Frank Illustration Agency. (2018). Handsome Frank Illustration Agency. [online] Available at: https://www.handsomefrank.com [Accessed 9 Oct. 2018].

Starting Point

For my Self Initiated Project (SIP) this term I was planning to explore more about my Arab identity. This was influenced by my dissertation topic which takes the idea of female identity in Saudi Arabia where I am investigating the connection between the concept of modesty and female identity in Saudi Arabia. For the past two years at university, I have expressed topics and themes regarding psychology and identity. In my final year, I would like to create work in a commercial way where it reflects who I am as well fit in the industry standards. 

Youth generally refers to a time of life that is neither childhood nor adulthood, but rather somewhere in-between. In different context, there are different age groups, for example, regarding the United Nations General Assembly said its people between the ages 15 to 24 years. In the Saudi Arabian culture and most Arab cultures, you are usually in this “youth” category until you are married, even sometimes after having kids. If you where to get divorced with or without kids, no matter what age, you fall under that “youth” category once again. There is usually no escape. 

Youth identities a particular mindset of attitude. Looking at this from the psychological side, youth development is the process which young adults acquire the cognitive, social and emotional skills and abilities are required to navigate life. The experiences that influences on development varies for every youth through culture, gender and socioeconomic. It occurs in formal and informal settings including home, school, workplace and relationships, friendships parenting, mentoring.  

Erkisons’s stage of psychosocial development includes, hope, will, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care and wisdom. They are arranged in order, which is based from infants to 65 years onwards.  Fidelity: Identity vs. Role Confusion is during adolescents (ages 13 to 19 years).

Society aids youth to “find themselves” and this state is called ‘the moratorium’ 

Author of Childhood and society, Erik H. Erikson, covers topics related to my brief in his book ‘Identity Youth and Crisis’. He explains the important element in humans is a personal and collective identities. One must have steady values to absolutise them and style to make them believe they are the centre of the universe. Then tribe or nation, culture or religion will create a historical and moral rational. However, there is a transitional moment between cultural identity and civilised perfection, it highlights what one could be, or can he be both? 

In youth, ego strength emerges from the mutual confirmation of individuality and community, where society recognises the young as a barer of fresh energy.

“Young people driven into the extreme of their condition may, in the end, find a greater sense of identity being withdrawn or in being delinquent than in anything society has to offer to them. Yet we underestimate the hidden sensitivity of these young people to the judgment of society at large.” (Erikson, 1994, p254) 

Erikson comments - as culture changes, new kinds of identity questions arise. 

References:

Erikson, E. (1994). Identity youth and crisis. NEW YORK: W.W. NORTON.