http://viz.dwrl.utexas.edu/old/taxonomy/term/505/0 en http://viz.dwrl.utexas.edu/old/content/arab-image-foundation <p>The progressive deconstruction of Orientalism is catching up with information technology. Since 1996, the <a href="http://www.fai.org.lb"">Arab Image Foundation</a>, based in Lebanon, has been amassing a digital collection of photographs from the Arab world.</p> <p>What's refreshing about this collection is that it leaps beyond the topic of the Western gaze (popularly studied by such likes as Malek Alloula in <i><a href="http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/A/alloula_colonial.html">The Colonial Harem</a></i>) to offer up thousands of unfiltered photographic self-representations from the modern Arab world. In short, this collection stands as a visual counter-argument to the tradition of harem girl postcards and romanticized portraiture that emphasize the "biblical" antiquity of the peoples of the Middle East. </p> <p>Their website has two features: a publicity section and an <a href="http://cyberia.net.lb">image search</a> that requires free registration. Registration allows you to create your own portfolio of images found through keyword searches, photographers' names, studios, collections, genre, technique, etc. Sadly, there is no dynamic browsing feature as you might find on image sites like Flickr.com or Ffffound.com, so it's not a friendly place for the cyber-flaneur. Best to know what you're looking for before you visit.</p> http://viz.dwrl.utexas.edu/old/content/arab-image-foundation#comments Arab Image Foundation history middle east modern arab world modernity nostalgia Orientalism photography Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:34:44 +0000 micklethwait 357 at http://viz.dwrl.utexas.edu/old