It is the historic center of baghdad bookselling, a street filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls. Almutanabbi street starts here will be exhibited through. The coalition feels that until we truly see what happened on this one winding street of booksellers and readers, on this one day in baghdad, until we understand all the implications of an attack on the printed word and its writers, printers, booksellers and readers, until we see that this is our street. The al mutanabbi street project will be on display through may at the san francisco center for the book. A printmaking response to the bombing of almutanabbi street exhibition catalog the beautifully presented absence and presence exhibition catalog, which includes information about the project, as well as images of the 57 prints included in the exhibition, is available at the front desk at san francisco center for the book and by calling us at 415 5650545.
Since then, the almutanabbi street inventory project has grown to include 261 books created by artists from around the world. The street was before march 5th, lined with beautiful ottoman era architecture and a vibrant area filled with many bookstores and cafes. Almutanabbi street starts here a literary bridge to baghdad. It is a unique initiative of solidarity, a reaffirmation of the power of culture, of books, of art as antidote to barbaric violence and the.
The entire collection of artist books and broadsides are on display until early september. Since then, beausoleil has commissioned 261 artist books, created by artists from around the world to celebrate almutanabbi street and the resilience of the. Al mutanabbi street broadsides florida atlantic university. Depiction of al mutanabbi by kahlil gibran, 1917 statue of almutanabbi in mutannabi street, baghdad, made by iraqi sculptor mohammed ghani hikmat the bombing of the legendary street set off worldwide outrage, especially among booklovers and bookshop owners. Odu professors work featured in international book design. Al mutanabbi street starts here, on display at the center until. The marketplace had been a place for study, conversation, curiosity and discovery since at least the 8th century. On march 5, 2007, a car bomb was exploded on it, perhaps to intimidate.
This exhibition is a selection of the artists books from this international project. But unlike the dozens before it, this particular bombing targeted an ancient openair book market in the citys old quarter, al mutanabbi street. The almutanabbi street project is an international project started by beau beausoleil to honor those who were wounded and died in the 2007 car bombing of the ancient bookseller street in baghdad, iraq. But the bombing on al mutanabbi street got the publics attention. Ever since the bombing, poets and artists around the world have worked to ensure that the enmity the power mad hold for thinking, questioning, creative individuals is not forgotten. Almutanabbi street starts here is a project to commemorate the bombing of the street of music, arts and books in baghdad. I was pleasantly surprised, indeed delighted when i visited the book arts fair at hadleigh old fire station. This project is both a lament and a commemoration of the singular power of words. However, the bombing on al mutanabbi street captured peoples interest. Another exhibit is planned at westminster reference library, in londons east end, august 1 to september 7, 2011. One complete set will be donated to the iraq national library in baghdad, and two additional sets will tour the united states and canada over the next several years. On march 5, 2007, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in baghdad, iraq, killing 26 people and injuring hundreds. Almutanabbi street latest creations hotoffthepress. Thats where al mutanabbi street starts, beausoleil says, explaining how the project got its.
A global project to show solidarity with a literary community bombed in the iraq war. We are poets, writers, and artists who will never turn our back on iraq and their cultural communities. This past march, a group of the books was selected for exhibition by the san francisco center for the book. Almutanabbi street is the centuriesold center of bookselling in baghdad, a winding street filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls. The al mutanabbi street starts here project has added a fourth visual call and response in addition to the broadsideletter press response, the artists book response including our small bookmark project, and the printmaking response. I decided to enlist the collaboration of a poet, ingrid scheider, and a letterpress artist umberto giovannini to make my response to the project. The street is currently in a state of revival, as iraqi poet and filmmaker amal al jubouri and hiwa osman show in a short film that features the owner and manager of baghdads. Tamsin smith is a san francisco poet, essayist, and painter. An inventory of almutanabbi street on march 5th 2007 a car bomb exploded on almutanabbi street, the historic centre of old baghdad in a mixed sunnishia area.
Almutanabbi street starts here public group facebook. The al mutanabbi street print project, absence and presence, turns to printmakers to further the rallying call first made to letterpress broadside artists and then to book artists. One video response to the al mutanabbi street starts here project, i dare you, by artist stephanie sauerpart, embeds this iraqi example in a long list of dates and places when books were burned or. The street is a cultural, literary and intellectual hub famous for its print shops, book stores, book stalls and cafes. This street is well established for bookselling and has often been referred to as the heart and. Almutanabbi street starts here aims to reassemble books. Ironic that in the novel fahrenheit 451, it was the firemen whose responsibility it was to burn books.
Bookmark project bookmark is a mark to find ones place in a book or record the address to enable quick access in future. Al mutanabbi street was like so many streets all over the world where books are sold, bought, browsed, thumbed through, read. Catherine cartwright coordinated the uk part of absence and presence a printmaking project for almutanabbi street. Artists book project an inventory of almutanabbi street click into a gallery and then onto any book image to see more views of the book and read the artists. Resurrecting the book market of baghdad narratively. Dear friends, 11 of my letter to iraq poems have been published in a limited edition chapbook by andrea hassibas intermittent press. Since then, beausoleil has commissioned 261 artist books, created by artists from around the world to celebrate. Special thanks to the student artists, brian wu for the design and sean xi for the illustration.
In this project the various artists have marked their expressions to revisit this destruction of culture of knowledge. Almutanabbi street in baghdad has been described as the cultural and intellectual center of iraq. The bomb destroyed the famous al shabandar cafe, killing four sons and a grandson of the owner, mohammed al khashali, the cafes owner, the greatgreat. The events organisers should be congratulated on bringing a refreshing exhibition to this part of essex. Al mutanabbi street is the centuriesold center of bookselling in baghdad, a winding street filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls. This street is well established for bookselling and has often been referred to as. Al mutanabbi street holds the values of this project. The project soon became a traveling exhibit titled almutanabbi street. Almutanabbi street, the historic centre of baghdad bookselling, holds bookstores and outdoor bookstalls, cafes, stationery shops, and even tea and tobacco. The almutanabbi street coalition was not an antiwar project, nor was it a healing project.
Raised in beirut during the civil war, wards own memories rose up for the project. Dear project members, this is the poster for the almutanabbi street starts here reading at woodside international high school in san francisco california. The project has been facilitated by beau beausoleil, and sarah bodman, and will be touring britian, america, and europe over the next two. Work for this project has now finally been submitted. The coalitions first response took the form of a poetry reading in memory of those lost in the bombing. This carnage is dwarfed by the devastation in iraq, syria and other countries in the region since the 2003 u. Almutanabbi street exhibit university of puget sound. Anywhere where someone sits down and begins to write towards the truth. The opening marks the seventh anniversary of an explosion that decimated the renowned street, which housed. A new book from beau beausoleil almutanabbi street. Al mutanabbi street, active for centuries as a street of booksellers, reopened for business and culture four years after the bombing. Almutanabbi street in baghdad is a winding street about one thousand feet long, noted for its many bookstores and outdoor book stalls. Dear almutanabbi street, 2012, by patricia sarrafian ward, from an inventory of al mutanabbi street. Our project, almutanabbi street starts here, extends a hand in friendship and solidarity to the iraqi people who have endured so much.
Now the almutanabbi street coalition is issuing a call to book artists to work on a project to reassemble some of the inventory of the reading material that was lost in the car bombing of almutanabbi street. On march 5, 2007, a car bomb was exploded on almutanabbi street in baghdad. Library hosts al mutanabbi street starts here poetry. The essential focus of the collection is on artists books. As part of an international tour organized by a san franciscobased project, the rare books and special collections library is hosting the al mutanabbi street starts here exhibition, featuring 54 artistic and unconventional books dedicated to the memory of baghdads al mutanabbi street. These books will show the commonality of al mutanabbi street with any street, anywhere, that holds a bookstore or cultural institution. This piece was commissioned for the project and performed here by the students of sfuads contemporary music program in santa fe, nm. The bombing of al mutanabbi street compelled san francisco poet and bookseller, beau beausoleil, to form the al mutanabbi street coalition in april 2007. Socials, gallery talks, exhibition openings, makers meets. In march 2007, a bomb killed 30 and wounded 100 on baghdads al mutanabbi street. The almutanabbi street coalition is not an antiwar project, nor is it a healing project. The road is actually a cultural, literary and intellectual heart fabled for its printing shops, bookstores, book stores and festivals. Ms al dulaima recently reported on the project for a baghdad newspaper, but she says it is still little.
Books arts 101, paper making, box design, binding, letterpress. Her first full book of poems word cave was released in early 2018, by risk press. Al mutanabbi street starts here, this international traveling exhibition and project for which we gather each year on march 5, was conceived to commemorate the heinous attack on al mutanabbi street. Inside, the book unfolded to a quote, christine kermaire wrote explaining the mission for the collection of books, created for the an inventing of almutanabbi street project to commemorate the 2007 car bombing on almutanabbi street in baghdad, which was the heart and soul of the baghdad literary and intellectual community. Al mutanabbi street broadsides fau libraries florida atlantic. The coalition asks each book artist who joins the project to complete three.
Additional scheduled exhibitions include the center for book arts, in new york city. Part of the almutanabbi street starts here touring project book arts. The corcoran offers a masters degree in book arts, combining the study of poetry and literature with a book making studio program, so the al mutanabbi street project is a perfect synergy for us. San francisco poet and bookseller beau beausoleil initiated these projects to support the people of al mutanabbi street in baghdad, where a car bomb tore through this ancient booksellers street. Almutanabbi street is the centuriesold center of bookselling in baghdad. The almutanabbi street project, coordinated by beau beausoleil and sarah bodman, challenged over 300 artists to respond to the impact of a car bombing in a street of book shops in iraq in 2007. Almutanabbi street starts here san francisco center for.
Almutanabbi street starts here san francisco center for the book. The chapbook will cost 10 dollars cash, check, or money order with shipping being free within the u. As in the broadside and artists book project, one complete set of prints was donated to the iraq national library in baghdad. The almutanabbi street broadside project now holds the work of printers from. To have this project reach back to baghdad and to al mutanabbi street is one of the goals that beausoleil envisions for this project, which now relies on the energy, vision, and interest of its many members, who live in places as diverse and far away as san francisco, amsterdam, baghdad, omaha, and santa fe, and who, despite the short.
Almutanabbi and baghdads legendary love of books the. It was named after the 10thcentury classical iraqi poet al mutanabbi. Named after the famous classical arab poet abu attayyib almutanabbi 915965 bce, it has been a thriving center of baghdads bookselling and publishing for many years. Cathy deforest is a book artist who works in a broad range of media integrating etchings, letterpress printing and photography into her artist books.
Almutanabbi street starts here bookmark project a marker of. This was a major hit on al mutanabbi street, which was named after a 10thcentury poet and has been a safe space for intellectual discussion since at least the 8th century. The almutanabbi street broadside project now holds the work of printers from the. Al mutanabbi street starts here dc 2016 is a book arts and cultural festival that commemorates the 2007 bombing of an historic book market in baghdad, iraq, with the goal of celebrating and educating the public on the value of the free exchange of ideas and knowledge.
It was named after the 10thcentury classical iraqi poet almutanabbi. The street is named after the arab worlds most famous poet, abu attayyib almutanabbi. Absence and presence san francisco center for the book. She is a poet, editor, and long time member of the almutanabbi street starts here project. The coalition asks each book artist who joins the project to complete three books or. Welcome to gallery deforest, the gallery featuring cathy deforests artists books and the letterpress work of jubilation press. The books can be seen in the john rylands library, manchester next february along with other responses. So he began an art and writing project called almutanabbi street starts here, to express solidarity with iraqi booksellers, writers and readers. And that this attack part of a long history of attacking the printed word was an attack on us all. This project highlights the importance of books and culture. Since then, beausoleil has commissioned 261 artist books, created by artists from around the world to celebrate al mutanabbi street and the resilience of the written word. A project of beau beausoleil and sarah bodman exhibition coordinated by sas colby.
The al mutanabbi street coalition is not an antiwar project, nor is it a healing project. Then i was born on al mutanabbi street the day my first book was published, she writes. Named after the famed 10th century classical arab poet, al mutanabbi, this street has been, since time immemorial, the historic heart and soul of the baghdad literary and intellectual community. Bookstores, cafes and outdoor book stalls line the street.
60 1311 1311 1088 1114 442 56 659 579 1293 512 1374 300 1024 838 536 942 1352 307 916 820 1198 1365 501 1489 219 1247 120 448 248 1490 97 476 455