The Quoz Arts Fest 2016 held on January 22-23 at Al Serkal Avenue hosted many highlights from the Middle Eastern art world, with design presentations, gallery tours, open studios, live performances, screenings and one-of-a-kind pop ups.
Although the community event lasted two days, the ‘good vibes’ and discoveries from this weekend can last a long time. Here are 5 ways we’ll be taking the Quoz Arts Fest home with us:
1. Take Home Creative Liberation from Task Party
Away from the rigid categories we create as adults, this improvisational event will remind you how much fun it is to have a child-like, open attitude to art and life.
Strewn with paper, cardboard, messy walls, tin foil, bubble wrap, chalks, markers, and all kinds of fun material, Task Party is an in-the-box yet out-of-the-box exploration.
You write down a task on a paper and place it in a box in the middle of the room, after which you pick up a task paper and complete the task however you like. Tasks ranged from seemingly impossible ’Become a superhero’ and be ‘invisible’ to specific ones like ‘Write your name on the wall’ or ‘create an outline of your body in the room.’
An AUD design student from Lebanon beamed while scribbling on the wall and said:
“It’s so freeing!”
2. Take Home Your Artsy Side From the JamJar Pop Up
Instead of being an observer, here, you become the artist – the source.
With sunlight pouring in, colorful easels, buckets of paint and brushes, this little studio provided a space for the little ones and adults to create their own art and take it home as a token of an afternoon well spent.
With a musician standing at the corner entrance, the setting is almost every painter’s dream. We bet that every time you glance at the funky little painting your created, you’ll smile.
3. Take Home the Human Connection from The Road
The exhibit moves beyond personal identity, intimately stirring compassion.
Wreckage tumbling down the staircase with an old shoe, construction pipes, tatters of clothes and life-size canvases depicting rubble with bleeding black ink drives home the reality of war in Syria like newspaper headlines never could.
There’s absolute silence in the space, with people keenly observing Tammam Azzam’s portrayal of the physical damage in cities, while presumably experiencing the reverberating emotional distress of the sites.
4. Take Home a Smile From Rami Farook’s Open Studio
Matchsticks, melted wax, bottles, relatable comments from everyday life [Why, God, Why?], and funny memes from social media – these are the eccentric items Rami includes in his artworks.
Take a walk around the studio and you’ll see a piece of yourself somewhere – or take home a memorable joke. This artist’s sense of humor will stay with you.
The B-Change favorite? Little printed stickers of Rami holding a pineapple at the entrance.
5. Take Home Menus From the Quirky Little Food Trucks
Shawarma station, WOFL ME, Moti Roti, Calle Tacos, 1762, Generation Dry, Melt Frozen Yogurt, Pret to go and so many more food stalls lined the Good Vibes Market, tempting art-lovers with music, wooden seating and vibrant set-ups.
For vegans, organic food lovers, and fitness buffs, many of these will be your go-to delivery options.
What did you think of the Quoz Arts Fest 2016? Do you have suggestions for the next edition? Tell us in the comments below.
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