Book – Creative Lives

Description

Book Creative Lives by Sierra Prasada, Photography by Roger Moukarzel.
Introduction by Roseanne Saad Khalaf Published by Turning Point. December 09 – 184 pp, Hardcover. Size 28.5 cm x 28.5 cm.

About Creative Lives

Many associate Lebanon with civil strife and upheaval and not a powerful, underlying artistic current that also demands the world’s attention. Lebanese emigrate abroad to explore their potential; some are born to Lebanese parentage overseas and develop their own relationship with their ancestral homeland, and others draw their strength and creativity from their contact with Lebanese soil. Whatever the case, Creative Lives explores what it means to be Lebanese or of Lebanese origin and have Creative Spirit.

The book “brings together a highly impressive mix of the finest innovators and practitioners, both fresh-faced and well established, in a wide range of artistic domains including the performing arts, architecture, painting, sculpture, fiction and creative industries such as fashion, design, film and the media” explains Roseanne Saad Khalaf. Their creative lives may be unique, but their art is universal, and insights drawn from their experiences resonate in any context.

The profiles written by Sierra Prasada are “crisp, absorbing, fascinating and full of telling details” according to Roseanne Saad Khalaf, and emphasize the personalities’ tireless dedication to their craft. The writer gracefully connects the reader with the intimate process of individual artistic paths and explorations and the reader is left in no doubt that the 31 artists represented here, are extraordinary individuals whose ambitions are played out on a world stage.

Roger Moukarzel’s portrait photos are intimate, honest and timeless studies, revealing the contradiction between the sensitivity and vulnerability of the creative spirit, and their ability to function in the challenging and harsh commercial world. Each portrait, a poised and poignant testament to an artistic life in progress, lingers with the spectator, inviting them to discover more.

Creative Lives is a sympathetic and thought-provoking publication, encouraging us to celebrate Lebanese artistic talent as part of a rich national cultural heritage and to look forward to the future with hope.

Turning Point is delighted to have on board Byblos Bank as a sponsor of the book Creative Lives. Byblos Bank not only actively promotes Lebanon’s artistic talent, but also is committed to a thriving creative future with a vision to “inspire a tomorrow as creative as today.”

Nalbandian and the Beirut World Book Capital are sponsors for the exhibition of photos from Creative Lives. For Nalbandian, creativity and reformation go hand in hand, as they are magnificently revolutionizing traditional vintage carpets into contemporary works of art, a testament to their appreciation of innovation.

List of Personalities

Alissar Caracalla / Choreographer
Anachar Basbous / Sculptor
Anissa Helou / Author
Bernard Khoury / Architect
Elie Gharzouzi / Interior Architect
Flavia Codsi / Painter
Georges Chakra / Fashion Designer
Guy Manoukian / Musician
Hany Tamba / Film Director
Hiba Al-Kawas / Musician
Hoda Baroudi / Furniture Designer
Hussein Madi / Painter
Iman Humaydan / Author
Jean-Claude Boulos / Media
Joana Hadjithomas / Film Director
Khaled Mouzanar / Musician
Khalil Joreige / Film Director
Maria Hibri / Furniture Designer
Michel Eléftériadès / Musician
Nabil Dada / Interior Architect
Nabil Gholam / Architect
Nada Debs / Furniture Designer
Nada Ghazal / Jewelry Designer
Nadine Labaki / Actress and Film Director
Philippe Skaff / Media
Rabih Kayrouz / Fashion Designer
Rabih Mroué / Film Director
Roger Moukarzel / Photographer
Sarah Beydoun / Fashion Designer
Sarah Nahouli / Fashion Designer
Zuhair Murad / Fashion Designer

Book Creative Lives – About the Contributors

Sierra Prasada
Sierra Prasada is a writer, journalist, and ardent student of Arabic. While working on this book, she reported on Lebanese and regional news for Feature Story News, an international wire service based in Washington D.C., and began writing for Aïshti Magazine. Her articles have been published by The Associated Press, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and newspapers in the Chicago area, where she earned a Master’s degree in journalism in 2006.

Roger Moukarzel
Born in Lebanon in 1962, Roger is passionate about photography. Quick to spot the visual appeal in almost any subject, he is equally at home photographing models, celebrities, ordinary people or landscapes. Roger has received numerous awards for his advertising work. His books include Wadi Qadisha (Aleph), portrait (self-published) and Green Gold (Turning Point).

Roseanne Saad Khalaf
Roseanne Saad Khalaf is Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at the American University of Beirut. She is the author and editor of five books, among them Transit Beirut, a 2003 collection of literary snapshots from today’s Beirut; Hikayat: Short Stories by Lebanese Women (2006); and most recently, Arab Society and Culture (2009), co-edited with Samir Khalaf. Her experience spans creative, academic and editorial work in Lebanon as well as in the US and UK.

Chantal Yazbeck Coroller
Born in Beirut in 1969, Chantal studied at L’Académie Charpentier in Paris and has a degree in advertising and photography. She has designed several books including, A Complete Insiders Guide to Lebanon (Souk el-Tayeb Press) and The Rural Taste of Lebanon. Chantal has also designed advertising campaigns and magazines.

Turning Point
Turning Point is a Beirut based book publishing house that specializes in producing books and guides on a Lebanese theme, as well as Arabic children’s books. Their aim is to publish high quality and informative publications that fulfill local and international market demands.

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