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Bling, BlingI have just returned from Dubai where I was photographing the first Dubai DIFC Art Fair. We all know that Dubai is the fastest growing city in the world and this fair was part of an ongoing strategy to try and position Dubai as a cultural destination, to compliment their known love of tourism and business.
This city has a lot of cash swashing around, and when you have bought all the cars, houses, plastic surgery and clothes you need the only thing left to buy is Art. And this is what appeared to be happening at the VIP launch of this fair last Thursday evening. What for me was interesting, is that the normal art fair crowd was entirely different. There were the normal Western Europeans and Americans, but also of course, the Arabs, the wealthy Indians, and the Asians too. This heady mix was wonderful to photograph, it was really a truly international event. The way people dressed and their demeanour was very Bling, not a word I have encountered much, but you know it when you see it. This was all complemented with a three day Art Forum where speakers from both the Middle East and the West debated the future of Art and Culture in this area. It could be argued that because this was the week that Abu Dhabi announced their strategic alliance with the Louvre and the Guggenheim they managed to steal the show. But as someone remarked to me “ They show it, we buy it.” At the moment there is no major public art space in Dubai, but I am sure it will happen, especially if they wish to be seen as a Cultural city. One other thing that tickled me, was that because I was shooting on film this caused quite a stir. I am doing this because I hope to exhibit these photos alongside the others I have shot at art events over the last decade and want to have consistency of output. I imagine apart from the odd tourist, they have not seen a film camera in Dubai for many years. Certainly with a commercial working photographer, it’s funny to be part of disappearing tribe.
Just before I left I was taken to a small souk in Sharjah where they actually sell things old, not an easy thing to locate in Dubai. There, to my amazement, was a fantastic selection of Saddam Hussein plates, vases and ornaments. For those of you who do not know, I have a big collection of Saddam Hussein ephemera and in 2004 published a book with 50 different Saddam Hussein watches in. So I returned, rather pleased with myself, with a huge bag full of Saddam pottery. I was glad I was not stopped at Heathrow, not that bringing this stuff in is illegal, but it would have been tricky to explain to a customs officer.
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Reader comments (22)
Yeah, Dubai is scary disney land with plastic palm trees and yes it feels great to be part of disappearing tribe, specially in Dubai, anyhow next time you are in Dubai drop me a line, it would be my pleasure to help you anyway....
Comment posted by Vladimer Nachkebia on March 18, 2007
I imagine apart from the odd tourist, they have not seen a film camera in Dubai for many years. Certainly with a commercial working photographer, it’s funny to be part of disappearing tribe.
I always notice a warm feeling when I see people with film cameras in my way. It's like „Woah! They can do it the complicate way!" From my point of view who never worked in a dark-room. It's only admiration. But it's really strange to imagine someone using this technology in Dubai, the real place of web 2.0.
Comment posted by claudia on March 18, 2007
Hellos Martin,
Many years ago we met when I was living in London.
Now I am in Venezuela, South America.
I saw your project about peolple in the beach.
We have here great beaches for you to explore.
Please contact me if you decide to come this way
All the best
Ricardo
Comment posted by RICARDO GOMEZ PEREZ on March 18, 2007
wow, these are great photos - love the juxtaposition of different cultures.
are these completely candid/unposed shots?
Comment posted by Katia Roberts on March 18, 2007
The demise of the film camera; I’m feeling the pinch myself at the moment. Teaching photography as part of the English classes in an engineering school, I used to be able to rely on half the class having a film SLR lying around at home. In the last couple of years things have changed dramatically now it’s down to one or two if I’m lucky. My two old Nikons don’t go far in a class of 15. If anybody’s got an old SLR that works and you don’t use it then please throw it in my direction. I’m based in Paris & happy to pick it up if you happy to give it away! I can’t only just about get the school to pay for chemicals & paper so won’t be able to give you anything for it but you’ll be doing your bit towards keeping film photography alive. Flying the film flag is getting harder & harder. Donations from rich Arabs would be welcome too of course ;-)
Comment posted by James Cox on March 18, 2007
dont knock your old nikons...the lens are great and the pictures blow up great...you sound like youve got an interesting job James..
On the saddam subject im in ramallah at the moment..doing an art residency - yes I found one in ramallah - al ham du lillah - theres surely a lot of saddam stuff here...saw a saddam drawing for sale today in the centre and yesterday there was a saddam monument in Berzeit...fascinating really...surely must be a lot of saddam ephemera here...and theres the odd saddam poster...
Comment posted by mary fitz on March 19, 2007
"they have not seen a film camera in Dubai for many years."
That whole paragraph tickled me. As an avid user of film i find it both funny but a little sad. There's no denying the progression of technology. Hell i wonder if you can even buy film in Dubai.
Comment posted by Fergus Woolveridge on March 19, 2007
Interesting! I lived in Dubai 1975-1980 and took hundreds of black and white photographs of daily life just before the boom. From 2-6 May 2007 there will be an art exhibition of 20 dutch artists. I will show my photographs there. Come and see this art exhibition in the ballroom of the Madinat Jumeirah.
Comment posted by Anita van der Krol on March 19, 2007
My goodness, isn't that silver bag the bag of the minister of the fashion elite of Zurich, Michelle Nicol of Glamour EngineeringTM???
I'd recognize the stance and the sexiness of her and her enormous big silver bag anywhere!!!
Dubai is the scariest place in the world, you could not drag me back with a herd of wild horses...! WHY would anyone risk their life to go thir and buy/sell art? Michelle is more daring than Amelia Earhart I know....but she's so sexy that the worst that could happen is that she'd be kidnapped by a Prince in white on a matching horse (with white and silver Hermès accessories) and be his love slave covered in bling bling......I love Michelle Nicol....
BillyBoy*
Comment posted by BillyBoy* on March 20, 2007
Yeah, it's an interesting job - took a group to see the Bruce Davidson exhibition today. Ramallah sounds interesting too. Anyway, if you're ever passing through Paris, drop me an email - I love talking photography even with women..........;-)
Comment posted by James Cox on March 20, 2007
Dubai is such a surreal and artificial place, I can't imagine a better photographer for engaging with it than Martin Parr. I'd love to see a whole spread of Parr photos from Dubai, not just the Art Fair. No one is better at photographing, and really understanding, bizarre global consumer culture than Mr. Parr.
Comment posted by Preston Merchant on March 22, 2007
I realize it's totally uncool to ask, but for someone who's quite out of touch with contemporary slang - especially Brit slang - could you please explain the meaning of 'bling'? At a guess I'd say it's probably synonymous with kitsch. In the context of some place like Dubai 'kitsch' is what would come to mind.
Also, as an unapologetic, unrepentant film user myself, I was interested in your continued use of the medium Martin. I wonder how many Magnum photogs continue to use it - especially as Magnum's ethos appears to be not to compete with TV or the tabloids.
Comment posted by nigel amies on March 26, 2007
From the Oxford dictionary:
bling-bling |ˈbli ng ˌbli ng | noun informal expensive, ostentatious clothing and jewelry, or the wearing of them : behind the bling-bling: are diamonds worth it? ORIGIN 1990s: perhaps imitative of light reflecting off jewelry, or of jewelry clashing together.
It's not just clothing/jewelry; it's cars with big chrome rims, glold plated toothbrushes, diamond encrusted cell phones,...you know the glitzy crap the bourgeois buy the minute they got two pennies to rub together to let everyone know they haev arrived.
;-)
Feli
Comment posted by Feli di Giorgio on March 30, 2007
Hi, I'm blogging on Magnum's 6Oth anniversary and would appreciate posting one of these great pictures. I met you briefly in Arles a couple of years ago. I'm a big fan. Congratulations for your work.
Comment posted by franck perrier on April 9, 2007
You're a funny man Mr. Parr. I delight in your wit.
Comment posted by Paul Treacy on May 11, 2007
Article tres interessant.
Dubai est une ville qui connaitra son heure de gloire quand elle sera fini.
Je pense que d'ici 5 ans ,beaucoup d'expatriés feront un passage obligé sur place.
Dubai a de beaux jours devant elle.
J'ai aussi un site interessant à vous communiquer sur la communauté des francophones de Dubai :
http://www.bonjourdubai.com (en français)
et pour l'actu economique : http://www.dubainews.biz (en anglais)
Comment posted by Dubai on May 17, 2007
Very good photographs indeed!!
For people who like to see how Dubai was in 1975-1980 see my website with black and white photographs on Dubai
www.anitavanderkrol.com What a difference!
Comment posted by Anita van der Krol on May 23, 2007
I listened to an interview of you - Martin - where you also mentioned that you can't get film in modern cities such as Dubai. I'm not sure what to make out of this, it's very interesting from an evolutionary stand point but also scary to see how quickly film becomes dead in modern world.
Comment posted by Bernhard Wolf on June 5, 2007
Let me be the first to point out the bling camel.
Comment posted by Ashley Pomeroy on November 16, 2007
Dear Mr Parr and others who have comented,
First of all, I would like to thank you for keeping your promise to me of not showing my face in the photo (that's me in the black bag with the gold studs). Your pictures turned out to be very beautiful and I wish I could've made it to your recent exhibition here in Dubai, please let me know if you do have any exhibitions here in the near future.
Second- I think that as a tourist you misinterpreted society's discomfort at seeing you with a camera for shock. As i explained to you when you took my picture, it is quite offensive to take photos of an arab women or with an arab woman in the background without her permission. However, as a tourist, you only get to see the surface of what society allows you. The 'diminishing tribe' is really only a myth. Spend some time with locals to really get a feel of what Dubai's LOCAL society is really like, you'll be surprised at how modern they really are...
Comment posted by Miss Balenciaga on May 6, 2008
dear Miss B
Thanks for your comments. There is some confusion about the portrayal of Arab women, some seem to almost encourage being photographed, while others do not like it.
I am not claiming that my photos are anything more than a superficial look at Dubai. I am also not pretending to photograph anything other than more International events, rather than things local.
Martin Parr
Comment posted by martin parr on May 7, 2008
So many stories in one picture - great photos :-)
Comment posted by Michael on May 13, 2008