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Forever searching for contrasts with Dubai and Dalston I stumbled across this beautiful short film about Arabic Calligraphy by Taha Al-Hiti, who lives and works as an architect in London. He explains that the forms of the letters are based on the human form. I've been learning Arabic recently and the written script has been difficult for me to grasp (but easier than the spoken word I have to admit) Now I see these letters all around me and its all starting to make a bit more sense and will be essential for my work as a designer here. I feel that perhaps the Dalston designer is starting to find her place in Dubai.
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Wanting to learn more about this inspirational artist, I went through to his website to read more. Its just a shame that the people at Du think his portfolio of Arabic calligraphy should not be viewed in the UAE... and again I'm reminded of the contrast!
 
 
Opens today at the Courtyard Gallery, Al Quoz.
An exhibition of contemporary Persian & Arabic Calligraphy by Ali Shirazi. 

"Mastering classical calligraphy for over 35 years had given Ali Shirazi the skill to move forward and break boundaries by exploring new means to fulfill his creative desire. The preeminent brushes, which glide on his large canvases, are clearly come from his outstanding skill in traditional calligraphy.  Having exhibited in Total Arts Gallery for several occasions in the past, now he is back with his new collection of contemporary Persian and Arabic calligraphy.
Ali Shirazi is known as the best scripter of Nastaliq style of calligraphy in the world. His work has been extensively exhibited worldwide and been collected by major museums and private collections through Islamic world."
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Read more about Ali Shirazi on his website
 
 
Today is Jean-Luc Godard's 80th birthday. To honour their hero, design studio Atelier Carvalho Bernau has created the Jean-Luc typeface which is available for free from their website

He is often considered the most extreme or radical of the New Wave filmmakers. His radical approach in movie conventions, politics and philosophies made him the most influential filmmaker of the French New Wave, inspiring directors as diverse asQuentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci, Arthur Penn, Hal Hartley, Richard Linklater, Gregg Araki, John Woo, Mike Figgis, Robert Altman, Steven Soderbergh, Richard Lester, Jim Jarmusch, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Brian De Palma, Wim Wenders, Oliver Stone and Ken Loach.

"The typeface is based on the lettering used in the title sequences for the films. "We didn't find out who originally made the lettering for these two movies," they say. "Some speculate it could have been Godard himself – Godard's interest in graphic design and typography is clear, with many of his other films employing such strong typography-only titles and intertitles."
Read more on the Creative Review blog