Photos of Light
"Photos of Light"
Ghassan Joha - The Star
Jan 2, 2003

Once eyes encounter Said Nuseibeh's photo exhibition at Darat Al Funun and the Spanish Cultural Center (Cervantes Institute), they will realize the charm of light. The exhibits are thrilling, imaginative and mystic. Reminding us of the curved rainbow, Nuseibeh sees in the colored watery reflection of light as "the Divine's manifestation of nature." His photos stimulate human emotions, reveling one's thoughts about the surrounded objects.

All of the 36 photos at the Darat are part of the "Liquid and Light" show, resonating the beauty of illumination. Nuseibeh's exhibition at the Cervantes, meanwhile, is titled Convivencia: The cultural Fusion in Andalucia and highlights the sensational ornaments of Islamic masterpieces in Spain. Both exhibitions are Nuseibeh's self-adventure to reveal the power of light. He advocates it as "the real essence of life on earth . It is the exaltation of God's creativity," the Palestinian-American photographer told The Star.

A visit to his exhibition at the Darat presents harmony in content, and introduces a reverberating interaction between light and liquid. Seeing "Friends of the turquoise" or " Khwarizmi's Cipher" will help visitors to understand Nuseibeh's concept.

In the first photo, the reflection of light mirrors the real turquoise- a highly hydroustic bluish green mineral. "Khwarizmi's Cipher" is truly mathematical. Lines of the arithmetical axis are clear in the photo, interacting to introduce ciphers and calculations along both axis.

Nuseibeh, a freelance architectural, landscape and fine-art photographer, said he was gifted in the sense he has an "inner eye" for taking expressive photos.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Nuseibeh studied English Literature and so his fondness for light came about through his studies. Subjects he photographed were "obliterated by a constellation of feelings and knowledge of the outcome to redefine what was before my lens."

It is al about the refraction of light made through fallen water spots on the ground. For many such reflection is nothing but a colorful spot made into different hues and dyeing colors.

Photography is Nuseibeh's "evanescent aspect of humanity and the ephemeral nature of light." "Light upon the waters" renders Nuseibeh's words. It is waters acting like the glass and reflects beauty of illuminated objects. The objected floor-tiles are also part of the charm, showing the violet at the top and balancing the emptiness in the floor.

Nuseibeh believes light can muck-rake the real essence of objects. He sees in the alliance of light and water as "the icon flashing in the darkness"

His photos in the Darat were made on darkened backgrounds, resembling the affinity of the place. The exhibition at the Spanish center focuses more on the place itself. Black-and- white and colored photos together with unmistakable banners give more hints for visitors about Nuseibeh's conception.

He chose Islamic architecture in Andalucia for its richness and beautiful content. It clarifies the majestic light dealing with the objects from different angles.

Such treatment is delightful by resembling shadows and traces under spotlights. Unlike the Darat's exhibition, the one in Cervantes illuminates stars found in corbels in a genuine manner. The are part of Nuseibeh's garden and his reflection to the light.

The exhibition at Cervantes serves an opportunity for visitors to reveal the beauty of light interjecting through elegant objects. Take Stars of Torquemada for instance.

The photo displays stars constructed in a way that illuminates the shadows of Torquemada during the 15th century. It is the excess to Dismantled stars and Dismantled Celosias. The three black-and-white photos serve as one collection, showing the same corbels and building structures in different angles. However, the yellow in Setting suns shows the flaxened gate impressed by the sunlight to radiate its etchings.

In Horseshoe Arcades, yellow fills in what plain photos can't show. Also in the Cervantes exhibition, a group of six colored photos compiling the story of shining stars in one of Andalucia's archetypes. The stars can be seen as jewels, silken shades or shimmering objects. Nuseibeh said the photos correlate with his understanding of ancient Arab and Islamic architecture.

That's why he pays tribute to the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem, about which an exhibit was held at the Darat in 1997.

He sees in the mosque a master-piece that can't be repeated anywhere, anytime. Nuseibeh's exhibitions at Darat Al Funun and Cervantes Institute are open until 20 February.