Living In Amman In the 90s

Amman this crazy city that we call home, A city that deliberately is killing her past and continues to do so every day. World cities live in a collaborative process they build their future on a defined past. The past is celebrated and manifested but a new modern city like Amman prefers to destroy its past and establish a new future somewhere else. Its evolution is purely linear and dependent on external references.

To look at some of the cases where this theory is best places one must look at some of its historical buildings that once were and now they are dust.

First example is ( makha lajamea alarabia) the first and most important café in the city that was destroyed couple of years ago to give place to another building. Another example is the Cinema Gallery . those who lived in the 90s in Amman they remember it to be the only hanging place and the coolest place to be , Showing the latest America movies. Of course Gallery cinema had killed another cinema as well like the urdon cinema and alkhayam but in the later cases the buildings still stand but gallery was destroyed to give place to another gigantic building designed by Khalid nahhas, A renounced architect of this time.

The second example s abdoun mall, this huge building introduced the culture of one shopping center but apparently missed up few things and was not enough to satisfy the eagerness of its occupants. Few years later comes its pierce in the total opposite direction and takes the crowd away leaving this expensive to build sculpture into a deserted island.

Other 90s examples like the Jabal Hussian being the best shopping place until the monstrous swaifieh takes its place, the cute little Haya Center and Filfeleh restaurant that now its glittery shine has vanished, Shuman library that was replaced by invasion of internet in the Jordanian houses.

Along with many examples this process weakens the infrastructure of the city and leaves it falling under its internal exposition. Sustainable development is the key for these major issues. Not only planting trees ( which we don't ) but to reconsider the using of old building instead of demolishing them and creating candy like buildings.

Migrant mother

this is what i call being obsessed by an image....
The image of a worn, weather-beaten woman, a look of desperation on her face, two children leaning on her shoulders, an infant in her lap; has become a photographic icon of the Great Depression in America. The photo was taken in March 1936 at a camp for seasonal agricultural workers 175 miles north of Los Angeles by Dorothea Lange. Lange was working for the Farm Security Administration as part of a team of photographers documenting the impact of federal programs in improving rural conditions.

a boost of ego

logo proposals for Volunteer Europe 2011.. the second one reached the final stage after 2 selection processes.. it was good looking at my humble colored logo competing with some of the biggest designers from all over the world. still waiting for the result sometime in 2010.. keeping my fingers crossed

scrambling

london thought 2009....

Etopia Amman

Etopia in Amman .. the name of the workshop conducted by Rusailah Bazlamit as part of the Etopia lecture by Micheal Sorkin in Amman. the purpose of the three hour exercise is to look at amman from a utopian point of view discuss the tangible aspects that requires change. 10 participant from different backgrounds were gathered for a quick 3 hour session to do collages and create a new image for the city.

the following are mine the first one manifests the redesigning the in-between spaces and converting them into more active and safe environment and the second is to convert buildings into paintings and beautiful colors.

In the Middle of Two years

january is one of those months that i consider a transitional month because personally it represents a space between what was and what is going to be. the middle point between 2009 and 2010 ..

2009 for me was the year of traveling.. unlike other people i enjoyed each bit of it and traveled each month. created anew life style and at the end of it i achieved peace of mind.
here is this year in pictures... so many things!