As I wander through Zamalek, I am actively looking at the environment around me. The architecture of this modern island, the remnants left by its residents, and the streets themselves.
I am unable to walk on the sidewalks in Cairo, which is fine with me. In Morocco, I got quite accustomed to walking in the middle of street. Here the sidewalks are in such a condition and the curbs are uneven, that I prefer to weave in and out through traffic and parked cars.
Conscious of how the garbage piles up, I begin to take notice of the types of garbage available. In a city with no organized recycling program in place, all the good garbage is collected by the citizens. You really have to look out for “good” trash.
My assignment this week is to pick up “found objects” which will then be incorporated into collages. Pushing my work into a different direction, and giving it physical content from the city itself.
I located modern day collages, created from posters that are torn down and repasted, providing a history of events that are happening in Cairo.
Figuring out the role that Arabic Calligraphy will play into my printmaking and into my paintings. Today I purchased a thesaurus to help me in expanding my vernacular and learning more synonyms.
walls with layers and layers of old posters are always my favorite.