Tag: writing

by jad

#JimothySummer: Peace Dropping Slow

It’s official! The summer of 2026 is #JimothySummer! I have never felt prouder of my city. Thank you @councilmember.amr 🥁 and thank you Jimothy! I even teared up a little during this love fest. There were soooo many beautiful artworks that I’ll have to post a follow-up reel later to do them justice. For now, enjoy Seattle at its best 🦝 x “For peace comes dropping slow…” I was planning a follow-up video with more of the artists after yesterday’s lovely proclamation of #JimothySummer by @councilmember.amr, and before the tragic news from the Seattle Center that we all heard about … Continue reading “#JimothySummer: Peace Dropping Slow” →

by jad

Third Side of the Moon

And the cottonwoods in summer are falling like snow many moons ago. (The All-American Rejects – Green isn’t Yellow) x My heart pumps faster than could possibly be alright; I read a magazine before – You only get so many thumps in your whole life. (Modest Mouse – Third Side of the Moon) x I’ve been taking a drive along a memory and had an awful thought: What if I’m wrong and you were right all along? (The All-American Rejects – Get This) x

by jad

Seeking the Fringe at Folklife

I was broadly aware that by taking a step behind the curtains this year and generally being there in the sleepier, pre-crowd hours, that I’d experience a very different Folklife than usual. I remember thinking about that when I stood in front of this window. There’s a special melancholy to the liminal time before showtime, anticipating the crash after you wrap. x They were recording content for their social media, so I didn’t stop to ask, but does anyone know what this dance is called and where it’s from? x At this point, I was actively seeking out the fringe … Continue reading “Seeking the Fringe at Folklife” →

by jad

A Story in Three Acts (I’m a Maximalist at Heart)

A story in three acts. What’s missing is the shot I didn’t take when I blurted out “whoaaaaaa” after this guy came out of nowhere and kicked the inflatable doll so hard, it flew back a meter or so. x I’m actually a maximalist at heart. x Not unlike an A24 film scheduled to be released tomorrow, you weren’t supposed to see this. x

by jad

Erase and Rewind

“Erase and rewind, ’cause I’ve been changing my mind.” Do you remember the video for that song? The walls closing in on the band until the very last second? Does anywhere remind you of that? What I mean to ask is: have you ever lived somewhere that seemed to make your world smaller by the day? Closing in on yourself until you’re more compact and neatly stackable, fitting in by shrinking down? It’s a genuine question. Because I’ve lived places that felt the opposite. Places that didn’t crush you if you stretched yourself out and took up more space. I’m … Continue reading “Erase and Rewind” →

by jad

What Makes a Photo “Necessary”?

Whenever I’m anywhere with lots of people with cameras, I become painfully aware of my own camera and how low-key gross they actually are. It’s that twinge that Barthes writes about when he recognizes himself as becoming-object, but it’s worse, because, for me, it’s from both sides of the lens. I am the biggest hypocrite. I run from the gallows and happily take my place at the foot of the guillotine; I’m mixing metaphors somewhat, but I’m making another reference here: the photographer as executioner, as exegeted by Fontcuberta—the trail of dead leading back to France when the histories of … Continue reading “What Makes a Photo “Necessary”?” →

by jad

Barthes and the History of Looking

“The portrait-photograph is a closed field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front of the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others to think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am, and the one he [sic] makes use of to exhibit his art. In other words, a strange action: I do not stop imitating myself, and because of this, each time I am (or let myself be) photographed, I invariably suffer from a sensation of inauthenticity, sometimes of imposture (comparable to … Continue reading “Barthes and the History of Looking” →

by jad

No Kings, Kontra Kapitalismus

One of my greatest pleasures lately has been decluttering, particularly letting go of books I know I’ll not be rereading, if I’d ever finished them in the first place. Like unclenching a fist and letting the blood flow. Letting go. Letting recirculate. The simplest thing in the world, but not for me. I’ve spent my whole life holding on tightly. Refusing to let go of whatever I’ve clawed back from the jaws of oblivion. Sentiment becomes sediment. It’s time for the levees to erode. x No Kings. Kontra Kapitalismus. Sin banderas, sans frontières. نراكم غداً x Two over-processed smartphone captures … Continue reading “No Kings, Kontra Kapitalismus” →

by jad

Beauty in Banal Things (True Self, False Self)

I mentioned yesterday how my anti-car scruples have gone more lax in the past few years, with making a living in this urban fabric being the primary impetus. But there’s also the influence of the photographic eye. I don’t remember ever taking photos of cars in Lebanon; in fact, I spent a long time taking photos of buses. Over here, though, it sometimes feels like cars are the only finely-crafted aesthetic objects around. That says a lot about a place. As the closest thing to public art in deserts of the the capitalist real, cars are synecdoches of time and … Continue reading “Beauty in Banal Things (True Self, False Self)” →