This weekend, Pascal Zoghbi, a graphic designer and typographer who is one of 10 artists exhibiting in the Jameel Prize exhibition currently running at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, is giving a masterclass in Arabic typography with 18 design students at American University of Sharjah. Zoghbi, who lives and works in Beirut, specializes in Arabic fonts and runs the 29 Letters Design Studio.
Ahead of his two-day workshop, which ends tomorrow, I caught up with him for a Q&A session.
Anna Seaman: Can you tell me a bit about this masterclass?
Pascal Zoghbi: The first stage is to give a talk about Arabic calligraphy in general. I will speak about all the scripts and how new fonts are derived from traditional ones. For the two-day workshop, we will focus only on the Kufic script. It is one of the oldest scripts and is also the most geometric and the easiest to work with at the beginning. I will ask the students to take one phrase from their vernacular environment and transform it into a contemporary abstract art piece.
AS: How do you, as a typographer and graphic designer, balance the rules of traditional calligraphy with the aesthetics of modern art?
PZ: There are three different schools of thought on this front. The first sticks as close as possible to the calligraphic script and just tries to revive it. The contrast to this is the people who go extremely experimental and don’t mind if they break all the rules. I believe I belong to the third school, which is inspired from the old forms but not stuck rigidly to it. I create new forms that have some sort of respect for the value of the script but at the same time they feel pure and contemporary. The feeling changes but the essence is not lost.
AS: Does calligraphy have a mathematical formula?
PZ: It is true that there are systems and rules within calligraphy but at the end of the day it is not mathematical – it is all visual and aesthetic. A good designer is a person who has an ability to look at a group of letters and draw the proper proportions to make them look balanced. It is not about maths; if you start measuring it will not work.
AS: What is your opinion of the fact that Arabic is disappearing as a language with the younger generation?
PZ: This is a problem with the education system in the Arab world – the curriculums are no longer taught in Arabic but in English or French. This means that the children do not learn about the value of the Arabic language. I also suffered from this when I was younger and it wasn’t until I was at university and studying design that I started to really discover its richness. It is a real shame. I think the problem is that the Arabic language did not evolve as other languages did.
AS: Do you think emerging designers look up to you and want to learn about the Arabic script through you?
PZ: Well, I am not a movie star. I am only known by a very small group of people and those people are already interested in design. Every time I begin teaching a group of typography students, almost all of them don’t want to work with Arabic and it is only by the end of the course that they start appreciating it.
AS: But now there is a new interest in digital typography, isn’t that right?
PZ: Yes, if you take it from a design perspective, now it is much better than it was before. There is more awareness and there are more typographers delivering new fonts and typefaces and there are more new Arabic fonts being used. This is the good part.
AS: Do you class yourself as an artist or a designer?
PZ: That was the question I was asked when I was accepted as part of the Jameel Prize exhibition. I don’t say I’m an artist, I say I’m a designer and specifically a type designer. My fonts are design products, which are supposed to be used. My work only exists when it is being used. If no one uses my fonts, my work is not present.
* For more info about Pascal Zoghbi and his work, visit his website: www.fonts.29lt.com
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
The bio:
Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.
Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.
Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.
Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.
Company%20Profile
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
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Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Company%20Profile
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
