The New Jeddah Waterfront Project

The city of Jeddah runs north and south for many miles along the Red Sea coastline.  A large phase of the Jeddah Waterfront project was recently completed and officially opened to the public on November 30th.  This phase of the project cost a whopping 800 million Saudi riyals and runs along the coastline for 4.2 kilometers.

I stayed away until a couple of days ago hoping the crowds had died down.  There is also no way I would attempt to go near there on the crowded weekends either!

The beautiful pier that stretches out over the Red Sea for over 400 meters lights up at night and sports several sections with seating areas for picnics or relaxing or for just enjoying the beauty of the sea breezes.

Lots of large shade canopies were incorporated into the project as well as lovely walkways, sculptures, and plantings of flowers.  

The facilities are also equipped with about 100 surveillance cameras with facial recognition technology.

A manmade island formed in the shape of a crescent moon has been planted with dozens of palm trees.  There are also three nearby beach areas for public swimming - much of the area is not suitable for swimming because of the rocky coastline.  

A fishing pier, several restaurants, and a boat marina are also part of the ambitious addition.  

There are still other phases of the expansive waterfront project coming, extending further north up the coastline.

School children on a school field trip walked along the pier in an orderly fashion.  I like their shadows and the canopies' shadows in this pic.

Some new sculptures adorn the grassy areas and gardens, alongside some old familiar landmarks. 

I love this new graceful seagulls sculpture, don't you?  The Red Sea behind it is a perfect backdrop for this artwork.

This modern sculpture is an elegant human form - I like it!

Above is the view looking to the north along the Jeddah Waterfront.  We were able to see hundreds of fish swimming in the clear waters and we spied many crabs sunbathing on the rocks below.

Jeddah is known as "The Bride of the Red Sea" and the disk this mermaid is holding says that in Arabic.  In the background is one of Spanish artist Julio Lafuente's famous Jeddah sculptures called "Science and Religion."

The sculpture "Science and Religion" is visible from many points around the Jeddah Waterfront.  It used to be inaccessible, positioned in the middle of a lagoon in the area.  The new waterfront design has placed it in its new location in the middle of the corniche park.  

The sculpture is comprised of 72 celestial moons made of marble, symbolizing the moon's phases of waxing and waning, and is topped off by a crescent moon which is an important symbol in Islam.  Each of these moons weighs 1.8 tons! So it wasn't an easy feat to move and place this monument in its new location.  CLICK HERE to see an older photo of mine in its original place in the middle of a lagoon.

It was nice to see so many men, women and children out walking and enjoying the sunlight and the more moderate December weather.

Contrary to popular belief outside the realm of Saudi Arabia, there were many unescorted women out walking amidst the flowers and palm trees lining the Red Sea.

The above photo shows the end of beautiful new pier at the Jeddah Waterfront looking to the south.  There are many shaded areas with nice seating along the pier.

There are several stylized galloping horse sculptures along the Jeddah Waterfront amidst pools and fountains.  They are likely the work of a local artist who has made other horse and camel sculptures for the city of Jeddah.

Another exciting feature is the many nice new public restrooms, which can be scarce (or gross!) in this city of almost 4 million. The logo of the Jeddah Waterfront  project is also shown above on the wall of one of the new bathrooms - it's a flock of birds that are shaped like boomerangs.

Several new colorful themed playgrounds for kids are a welcome addition, and internet service is provided for adults too. Below is another new sculpture next to another playground. 

The floral plantings and grasses were chosen to survive in Jeddah's hot and harsh climate.  Watering systems have also been installed.

Colorful flowers, graceful sculptures, and palm trees with the lovely Red Sea as their backdrop.

Pools and fountains are also scattered throughout the beautiful gardens and walkways, although the ones we saw were drained the day we were there.  

  

Here is another of the new modern white sculptures featured along the walkway near the pier with lots of new palm trees planted in the background.  

There are also several mosques located along this stretch of the Red Sea Corniche where the new Jeddah Waterfront is located.

To read more and see more photos of this new addition to Jeddah's coastline, click  HERE  and  HERE.

Current Art Exhibitions Now in Jeddah

Now through February 9th, there are a couple of art events that are open to the public going on for those of you in Jeddah.  I hope that you are able to attend these two exhibitions, which are open each evening from 5:00pm-10:00pm.  Both venues are fairly close to each other off of Tahlia Street, so it is possible to go to both events in one evening.

Artwork on display at Al Khayyat Center for Fine Art (Photo by Vicki Callagan)

The first event called "Art for All and All for Art" is being held at the beautiful and ritzy Al Khayyat Center, which houses such famous upscale designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Etoile, Fendi, Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli, Christian Louboutin, Versace, Valentino, Tory Burch, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Armani, and many more.  This place is the Rodeo Drive of Jeddah.   Enter through the "Main Entrance" for the event (across from Louboutin) and take the elevator up to the 3rd floor. 

Here you will be treated to a variety of artworks by an array of amazing artists - sculptures, paintings, collages, photographs, Anime, live demonstrations, and more.  Many of the artists are on hand to talk to about their art.  There are even two incredible Dali sculptures on display.  Interesting and graceful bronze and wooden sculptures by Bahraini artist Fuad Ali Albinfalah are definitely worth a look.

A stylized Dali sculpture of an elephant at Al Khayyat Center

One of the exhibits on display at the Al Khayyat Center is called "Western Women's Journeys in Saudi Arabia" by photographer Abeer Bajandouh, which features photographs and and book of interviews with twelve Western women who are living in Saudi Arabia. And I am one of them! 

I am in front of photo of me holding my US Passport and holding a copy of the book (photo by Vicki Callagan)

The second event is being held nearby at the lovely Saudi Center for Fine Art (966 12 661 2041), which is located directly behind Noujoud Center from Tahlia Street.  They are closed Friday, but also open in mornings.  Nojoud Center houses Wojooh, Cortefiel, Mango, Adidas, H&M, and other shops.  This exhibition features the works of two artists, Tamara Jones and Awad Abu Salah.  Tamara is an American artist and a personal friend of mine who has been living in Saudi Arabia for the last four years.  She paints and also does amazing digital photography which reflects nature and has a very earthy quality to it.

Artist Tamara Jones in front of two of her paintings on exhibit at Saudi Center for Fine Art

I highly recommend if you are in Jeddah to make the effort to attend these two wonderful exhibitions, running now through February 9th. 

Jeddah Art Week February 1-6, 2014

2014 Jeddah Art Week promotion - photo by: Susie of Arabia

 Jeddah Art Week begins in just a few days, and the above photo is one that I took that is being used for all the promotions and announcements of the Art Week events.  The splash of yellow paint was manipulated into the photo by an artist.  I first published this photo without the coloring manipulation on this blog in June 2013.  I was thrilled to be contacted by an outfit in London asking for permission to use some of my photos for promoting Jeddah Art Week.

Untitled - by Sylvestre Monnier

The opening ceremony for Jeddah Art Week will be held at the new open air sculpture museum at the Middle Corniche Park near Al-Anani Mosque.  This park is the new home of many of the priceless sculptures that Jeddah is famous for. 

Balance in the Air - by Victor Vasarely

Yesterday morning my husband drove me down to the new sculpture park and I took over 400 photos of the area, some of which you see here.

The Eye - by Cesar Baldaccini

Thanks to the dedication and efforts of the Jeddah Restoration Project and the Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives organization, many of Jeddah's amazing public works of art have been refurbished and repaired and have now been relocated to this lovely park setting along the Corniche.

Three Piece Reclining Figure No. 1 - by Henry Moore

Enormous bronze pieces by world renowned artist like Henry Moore, Joan Miro, and Cesar Baldaccini now grace the seaside sculpture park.

Personage II - by Joan Miro

If you are in Jeddah, I hope you will try to attend the opening ceremony on Saturday, February 1st near Al- Anani Mosque. 

Al-Anani Mosque along Jeddah's Corniche

Below is the calendar of events for Jeddah Art Week.  The public is welcome at any of the events.  Hope to see you there!  Click here for a map guide to the events. 

Jeddah Art Restoration Project Video

I've published many photos of Jeddah's amazing sculptures and lamented about their deteriorating condition due to the harsh elements here in Jeddah.  Previously I reported that the Jeddah Restoration Project was underway and now it is nearing its completion.  It has been an extensive undertaking which was done in phases.  The project has been mainly funded by charitable donations under the leadership of the Abdul Lateef Jameel Community Initiatives organization. The above video provides an update on the progress of the Restoration Project and shows some of Jeddah's unique sculptures.

I also wrote THIS ARTICLE about Jeddah's sculptures for Selamta Magazine, Ethiopian Airlines in flight magazine in the September-October 2012 issue.

Arab News article:  Restoration of Jeddah's public art to transform city into open-air museum

Mad Traveler's Quick Look at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Toni Riethmaier, manager at the beautiful Il Villaggio Restaurant here in Jeddah, sent me this video which he had a hand in producing. 

It is a lovely short film shot around the city of Jeddah, showing the Corniche area which runs along the Red Sea coastline and the old part of Jeddah called Al Balad. 

The video also shows a few of the sculptures around Jeddah, which I have highlighted many times on my blogs. 

It's interesting to note that the guide of the video is a man dressed casually in a T-shirt and shorts - acceptable attire for men here, while women must cover up everything but their faces and hands.

It's a great quick look at the city I live in. 

Sculpture Mysteries Solved

Art has always been a passion of mine, ever since I could pick up a crayon in my chubby little fingers when I was a toddler and turned a blank piece of white paper into an artistic masterpiece - in my eyes, anyway. I have always drawn, painted and created as long as I can remember. So when we moved to Jeddah in 2007, one of the reasons for my excitement was the wondrous assortment of public art in the form of sculptures adorning the city that I could hardly wait to feast my eyes upon.

"Alterations in Space" sculpture by Dr. François Kovacs - in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

In the five years since I have been here, there are still some sculptures that I have not yet seen or photographed. Even so, I have taken thousands upon thousands of photos of these sculptures and have published many on my blogs and posted others in some online photo albums. One thing that I have found very frustrating, though, was the lack of information about many of the sculptures around the city. The only reliable source of reference has been a book called Jeddah: City of Art by Hani M. S. Farsi, however the book is now over 20 years old and contains only a fraction of Jeddah's amazing sculptures.

"Family" sculpture by Dr. François Kovacs - in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

I wrote an article about the sculptures for Ethiopian Airlines new in-flight magazine "Selamta" earlier this year.  In the article I mentioned  The Jeddah Restoration Project, which has been going on now for almost a year - a process whereby many of the sculptures of Jeddah are being repaired, refurbished, and restored to their original glory. Over the decades many of the sculptures have been vandalized, graffitied, or have suffered the ill effects of Jeddah's heat and harsh climate as well as the elements of the salty sea air and dust in the atmosphere.

"Circle and Square" sculpture by Dr. François Kovacs - in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Through my blog postings, I have been contacted by several relatives of the artists and craftsmen who have had a hand in creating some of Jeddah's sculptures. It has been a thrilling and rewarding aspect of blogging for me.

Dr. François Kovacs during production of his Jeddah sculpture "Circle and Square"

So it is my great pleasure to know that my photo blog was instrumental in solving some of the mysteries surrounding the origins of several of the sculptures of Jeddah. At least five sculptures that were listed as "Artist Unknown" can now be attributed to the work of talented Belgian artist  Dr. François Kovacs. The sculptor's son, Dr. Blaise Kovacs, wrote to me and identified one of my sculpture postings as having been made by his father. He also sent me the link to his father's website. Upon viewing the website, I immediately realized that it was likely that several more pieces of art in Jeddah should be credited to Dr. François Kovacs.

"Heart Cross Section" sculpture by Dr. François Kovacs - in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

François I. KOVACS was born in Hungary in 1915.  At age 16, Kovacs began working as a sculptor of monuments alongside his brother Erno.  This was when he learned all the basics of sculpting.  As a young man he studied art (painting and drawing) as well as medicine, both fields of interest that he was passionate about.  In 1956 with the advent of the Hungarian Revolution, Kovacs fled from his homeland to Belgium, where he practiced medicine and lived out the rest of his life.  He also conducted insightful medical research which garnered him the respect of his peers.  The doctor devoted himself to his art in his spare time and made many trips to Italy so he could work with marble.   He managed to have successful careers in medicine as well as in art.   Kovacs died in Brussels in 2005.

Dr. François Kovacs during production of his sculpture "Heart Cross Section"

Thanks to Dr. Blaise Kovacs for the use of the photos of his father with the sculptures.

Selamta Magazine Article

I am pleased to direct you to an article I wrote for the 2nd edition of the beautiful Selamta Magazine, Ethiopian Airlines' new in-flight magazine.

The magazine's 2012 September-October issue features my article called "The Amazing Sculptures of Jeddah," along with several of my photos, on pages 62-63.

It can be viewed online in webpage format or as it appears in the printed magazine.   You can click on the article to enlarge it so it is more easily readable.

Whew!

This past week my hubby Adnan took me out to take photos. Photography is one of my hobbies, and since there's not much else for me to do, going out to take photos around the city has become a treat for me and has become one of my favorite things to do here. There is still quite an aversion to cameras in Saudi Arabia - especially by women. Photographs of uncovered women (with their hair, faces, or some skin showing) have been used to blackmail women for money or to force them to have sex with the blackmailer or other unseemly things. If they were to be exposed, the photos would bring disgrace to the women and their families. When out in public it is perfectly legal here to take photos now, although people are still uncomfortable about it. Taking photos of certain areas, like government buildings and the place where public executions are carried out, is prohibited. It's a shame because many of the government buildings are really beautiful. I don't quite understand why a photo of a building is a problem, but that's the way it is.

I had asked my husband to take me to an area of the city that has some sculptures that I haven't been able to photograph yet because it is so far away and we don't get down there very often. So we left the house bright and early at 7am on a weekend day because traffic would be lighter at that time. Many of my photos are taken from a moving vehicle because it's just about impossible to pull over and take time to lay up my shots when traffic is heavy. Adnan pulled over so I could get out and take some photos of some nearby sculptures. I told him that there was a sign that said "No Photography!" but he just said to hurry up and get my shots and get back in the car. As I was taking my last shot, a police car drove by. Damn! I got back into the car and Adnan pulled out into the street headed for the next set of sculptures. The police car slowed down, let us pass him, and then he put his flashing lights on and used the loud speaker to tell us to pull over. Uh-oh!

"Oh S#!T!" hubby said as he veered over to the right and came to a stop. When the officer approached our car, Adnan and he exchanged cordial greetings and shook hands. (I had never seen anything like this happen in the states before, that's why I am mentioning it.) My husband showed the officer his driver's license and vehicle papers, and the policeman asked Adnan to step out of the car. After they spoke for a minute, I was asked to get out of the car and show the officer the last few photos I had taken on my digital camera screen. Apparently there was a government building that I wasn't aware of, across the street beyond the sculptures I was photographing. I showed the officer the last dozen or so photos I had taken. Luckily that government building wasn't in any of the pictures. The officer smiled and sent us on our merry way when he saw this one: