Hanging by a Thread

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Here's a recent post I did for the Beirut Inbetween blog. 

It was meant to work in parallel with the 'At Home on the Battlefield' post that Raneem had written.

The idea behind this was to display how Lebanon (citizens) are always hanging by a thread. I used this type of representation because although it may be a state of constant panic and terror to those who are looking in from the outside, we simply see it as...action. Yes, action. Therefore I decided to display this through comic book language. The difference here...there is no hero in this version. 

Abou Afif

If you live in Beirut and you're not familiar with Abou Afif, its probably because it so easily blends in with the building that it belongs to. With no logo or colors, Abou Afif had no way of being recognized. This sandwich shop in Hamra is a hub for AUB students and other Hamra lovers. He is popular for his mayo filled scrumptious sandwiches. When students have a quick break or when they've reached the end of the month and are naturally broke, this is where you'd find them lounging. Although the food and prices were appealing, the place itself was the opposite. 3 friends and I went on a mission to re-decorate Abou Afif.

1. Window Display:  We started off by giving him a logo. We then chose the colors red and yellow 

rather than the green and blue that he had. 

2.  Dining Experience: The gate is always closed and therefore was always covered with plants. We got rid of the plants and instead made a low bar for people in the outside to recognize it as a sandwhich shop. We also got rid of the old white plastic tables. They took too much space and barely seated 6 people. Instead, we put high wodden tables and chairs. The outside section easily sits 20 people now. 

3. Interactive wall: There was an empty wall which students would randomly scribble on, therefor we decided to highlight it and make it an intentional interactive wall were customers can leave their comments. 

If you ever do go to Abou Afif, dont forget to leave a comment! :)

"The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane"

This photography project started with the song title, "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane". It was the same time period as my FYP, therefor I naturally left this for 'last minute'. When 'last minute' came, I had no theme, no models, no studio and no access to professional lighting. All I had were my black abayas and scarfs, 2 aunts, my mother, and sister, along with my everyday digital sony camera, and a very flimsy bedside lamp. This was the outcome after loads loads and loads of photoshop. I was very happy with it, so was my professor! :)

Thank you photoshop.

My Personal Logo

My Balcony View

A sketch I did for Beirut Inbetween

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FYP-7alla2 (Hairdresser)

In an attempt to understand the gender boundaries in my society, I underwent a few experiments with visual recordings and sound recordings, of me, a female, dressed as a man, entering male 'territory'. I played on the idea of 'gender confusion' since being dressed as a man, I still had the biological features of a woman (face features). I decided an interactive map would be the best way for me to visually display the research that I underwent, with clickable icons that would showcase the videos or sounds that took place at that moment of time. The above is one of the maps of the 4 spaces that I chose to experiment. I did not end up using this form of display, but I thought it was visually interesting.

Argeele Man Again...

Argeele Man

Miss Cupcake Logo

This is the first freelance work I did, for a Saudi Cupcakery. I took it very seriously, and made sure to give 3 good different options, and I stuck to all the 'freelance' rules. This is my favorite out of the 3 choices. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the 'miss', and they were asked to change it to MR. They didn't want to change it and so, the project was called off, and the logo un-used. I truly love this logo. 

Children's Leban'ized' Educational Characters

Beirut Inbetween Logo

Beirut Inbetween

Many of us have a problem with how us Lebanese are perceived. Beirut Inbetween is a new blog created in order to look at Beirut in a more realistic and meaningful manner. We no longer want to be showcased as simply the 'Ibiza of the Middle East'. We are also a country with a complex history. A history veiled with some more history. This project will not only work on disentangling these layers, but also on what is inbetween the layers. It's time for our city to be explored and understood. Here's is the header I designed to get us started.