Tamashee - Redefining the Traditional into Contemporary

Tamashee is one of the region's high-end footwear brand based in Dubai. It has been envisioned and designed by Mohammed and Muneera, the two lovely, ebullient souls whose smiles are infectious. They can spread warmth by their presence and their eloquence. So what happens when they design something seeking inspiration from their past, raking up the forgotten, experiencing the traditional, inhabiting the cultural, researching at all levels and then producing a dream-like brand unique to the region that supplements and complements at the same time to the sensibilities of not only the region but also internationally as well.

Muneera and Mohammed - Founders of Tamashee

The Founders

Tamashee active co-founders are Muneera Al Tamimi originally from Saudi Arabia and Mohammed Kazim who is an Emirati. Muneera and Mohammed are very passionate about the rich culture of the Arabian Peninsula. They created the brand Tamashee in order to highlight the beauty of the region by shedding light through every collection on a specific element.

Tamashee

The word is a combination of two Arabic words - Mashee (to walk) and Yatamasha (compatible). This directly portrays Tamashee’s work in footwear whilst proving an aspect of compatibility in each of its values: the past with the present and the regional with the world.

Preserving Identity

Tamashee products have been inspired by the research of cultural designs and patterns. Tamashee carefully studies the history, form, and function of each cultural design and revives certain key elements of the past through its products.

Representing Culture

Tamashee seeks to redefine the traditional elements into contemporary designs and to make them appealing to both traditional-regional and modern-international tastes. They have evolved the construction of traditional footwear by pioneering modern-day methods and applying them to traditional techniques.

Coloring Lives

Creating an impact in society is the most important of Tamashee’s causes.

Tamashee achieves this by:

- -Spreading information about unique elements of the Arabian Gulf’s rich history (and the broader peninsula)
- -Providing a platform and a network for emerging artists from the Arabian Gulf to display and spread awareness of their talent.

Tamashee gives a lot of thought to every model it produces. The research that goes into every collection revolves around the materials used, crafts of the region, and the interesting story it conveys. 

Through its work, Tamashee thrives to create a soulful narrative from within the region that contributes to advancing the Arabian Gulf identity. Some examples of this can be seen in our products through the re-introduction of the turquoise color, the preservation and development of the rings used in the region’s footwear, and the use of the Hijri (Islamic calendar) calendar. 

In the current collection, Tamashee has adopted and adapted Musnad script, an ancient South Arabian script, and deconstructed it into unique symbols and patterns and imprinted it on their products be it footwear or bag/wallet giving it a distinctive existence.

Tamashee’s Production

A large part of Tamashee’s intricate and unique construction relies on handmade production which contributes to the uniqueness of each pair. Tamashee products are handmade in Spain, UAE, and India by experienced craftsmen using high-quality natural/naturally dyed leathers and materials in facilities with expertise that cater to global luxury brands.

Tamashee Experience

As part of completing the cultural experience, Tamashee offers guided tours to cultural locations in the Arabian Peninsula with emphasis on elements Tamashee has researched and documented. Tamashee’s founders are licensed tour guides in the Emirate of Dubai and are well connected to licensed tour guides all around the Arabian Peninsula.

Tamashee Experience trips include:

Taif Rose Festival, KSA

Asir Highlight, KSA

Northern Emirates, UAE

Al Jawf, KSA

Shuhooh, Rous Aljibal, UAE/Oman

And many more.

Image courtesy: Tamashee website

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. This was included primarily for the interest and pride that the Founders take in the traditional arts of the region, conducting research and infusing it into their products with a unique contemporary feel and spreading the rich cultural heritage across. Promoting such art and artists is primarily the emphasis of Hues n Shades.

A Day in a Life of an Artist – My Creative Day with Runa Biswas

How do I sum up a day that allows me to create art? Difficult I must say, as the ‘day’ is a sum total of thousands of days, of an unending journey of self-discovery.

My day starts with art in every form conceivable, like planning and preparing tiffin for my daughter at 5.30 AM. Tiffin and art? Then breakfast for my family and art? But, that’s how it is. I believe art is everywhere and one gets to absorb from any art form. Food is definitely one with its processes, textures and taste. It has to be healthy, tasty, interesting and inviting, all at the same time. That’s art too. Cooking is like meditation for me. It soothes me, helps me find a semblance of sanity out of chaos and madness. It’s like a jugalbandi (a duet of two solo musicians) between food and my chaotic artistic mind.

“…the ‘day’ is a sum total of thousands of days, of an unending journey of self-discovery.”

Aranyani (Forest Goddess)

Next comes exploring my home with its lovely terrace garden, that surprises me with mother nature’s art – the flowers and foliage in all their form, colour, glory and fragrance. Every day is a surprise, every day holds something new. I observe them and take inspiration for my day ahead. Do the shadow play of the leaves under the rising morning sun tries to give me a cue to composition? I think about such things as the day unfolds, and imbibe them. Perhaps, with the hope that they will sneak into my paintings. But oh wait, are the works that my brushes work fervently meant to paint or to create art? So I rummage my memories, travel back to childhood and discover my next inspiration, my next human story that I must bring forth on my canvas. And more importantly bring them to life, which touches souls and moves people.

I put on the music, my old radio or the music system. It depends, on what I am going to create that day. From Tagore songs to Bob Dylan, I shuffle through and then listen to them with my heart. Sometimes, I pause them to listen to a Bulbul just outside my window and join it humming my favourite songs.

”Do the shadow play of the leaves under the rising morning sun tries to give me a cue to composition?”

The morning newspapers confront me with reality, and also human stories of triumph and tribulations. A hot cup of Darjeeling tea balances my senses, soothes my nerves and strengthens my resolve to do my bit. As I sip the second flush muscatel, it takes me back to the sylvan hills and the mysterious customs of the Buddhist monks, of the simple life of the pahari (people inhabiting the Himalayan regions of Nepal and northern India) people. I shuffle my music list and listen to ‘Pahari’ by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Shiv Kumar Sharma and suddenly the hills invade my home. I am not a very religious person, but I do pray mostly to thank and rarely to ask.

Moving to the next, at around 9.30 AM, after all my family members have been taken care of, is when a mother, wife and daughter-in-law is ready for the artist. My studio beckons, the paints gear up, the brushes quiver and my canvases on easels become restless to meet me.

“My studio beckons, the paints gear up, the brushes quiver and my canvases on easels become restless to meet me.”

At 10 AM sharp I am at my studio. It begins with mundane things like checking messages and mails and responding to them. But, at times, exciting official work like responding to a studio or an enquiry. I also scan through a few art websites to get the day’s news.

The next half an hour I dedicate myself to read. Over the last couple of years, I have tried to build a small library of sorts. From theatre to tribal art to textiles, and of course study material on masters – both past and present, and both international and national. Ganesh Pyne is one of my favourites and so is Jogen Choudhury for his bold lines. I also like to read about Chittoprasad for his fieriness, as also Bhaijju Shyam for his dare to dream attitude. Hockney, Sabavala, Nolde, Manida…all of them suddenly fill my studio and sweep away the quietude. Each one inspires me, tells me to pick up the brush and lets go off the apprehensions about acceptance/rejection that clouds my thinking.

I then take a deep breath and look at my canvases, brushes and paints - My time to talk to them and listen to them. Have I failed them? Poured enough love for them? After all, they are all my children. At times they do tell me a lot of things, their worries or even sentiments. But in the end, our conversations end on one note – pick up the brushes and tell your untold story, paint for the greater glory of life.

“Each one inspires me, tells me to pick up the brush and let go off the apprehensions about acceptance/rejection that clouds my thinking.”

And so, I pick up a conte or a charcoal block to draw the first lines. Slowly the rhythm picks up and the line between reality and imagination starts getting blurred. The brushes follow, then the scalpel or maybe the syringes and tubes of color. In between, sandpapers come and go and so are the colour pencils and ink. It’s the most satisfying period, as I lose count of time and what is happening around; detached with the world yet attached to my own that I have created. After a spell, I step back and then I am my biggest critic. It depends at what stage the painting is, and whether it satisfies me as it evolves. The next is to go back to it with double the effort, maybe start fresh or course-correct if the painting needs so.

Till I am reminded by a gentle buzz on my phone that it’s Lunchtime, and that 3 hours have just flown. I come back to receive my daughter from school and listen to her day’s story until I serve lunch to my family. The afternoon is spent reading a book, maybe a fast-paced thriller on India’s archaeological findings or behind the scene anecdotes of Sherlock Holmes or even short stories by Tagore. At times I find similarities with the struggles and frustrations of the Master Painters, and at times the laidback afternoon brightens up on finding similarities of triumph and hope with that of my own journey. This is my recharge time for the evening shift.

“It’s the most satisfying period, as I lose count of time and what is happening around; detached with the world yet attached to my own that I have created.”

Evenings are spent helping my daughter with her studies, solving Maths, explaining physics and giving her tasks while I head for my studio again. Enroute I pick up groceries and vegetables. And then, I am back at my studio for the next 2 hours, picking up from where I left in the morning session. I draw the curtains and look at the city’s night skyline, the reflection of dancing lights on the lake and soak in the breeze. I head back home again for one of the most interesting parts of the day – my chit chat session with my husband, friend, guide and philosopher. Till dinner time, when the whole family comes together over the table. This is the time our discussions veer from unusual to the most mundane of topics from films to music to cybernetics to biotechnology to philosophy to cuisine, except politics that is.

At 10.30 PM it’s time to listen to the Night Jar and the whispering trees, and then the dreams take over; preparing me for another day, for an unending journey to find myself, my true calling.

About the Artist: Born in 1975 Runa Biswas comes from the old side of Kolkata, India and lived in a house that was 100 years old, surrounded by a history of 300 years. There was art everywhere, surrounding her with its many hues, patterns, colours and smell. From a very early age, she was drawn to art; painting whatever evoked a sense of happiness and freedom. After procuring a Diploma in Fine Arts from Rabindra Bharati University and an MSc in Economics from Calcutta University, she dived straight into the world of colours, mainly watercolours, then on to more experimental forays with ink.

Currently, Runa Biswas is based out of Bangalore. Over 15 years or so she had been able to develop a highly unique artistic language, experimenting with various mediums, textures, tools, and concepts. She uses a mix of wash technique, layer on layer glazing, pouring, batik and brushwork. This allows her to combine the rigidity of bold lines with the fluidity of watercolor. Her subjects are mostly figurative, inspired by dreams, folklore, mythology, and personal moments that were etched in her memory. Her tools are as varied as her subjects - brushes, pens, palette knives, droppers, twigs, combs, and even her nails. With speed and timing being key, she has trained herself to be ambidextrous, using both her hands at the same time to implement different applications.

This is the final episode of the mini-series "My Creative Day" this Season. You can check out the FIRST, SECOND and the THIRD one by clicking on the links.

Gandhi- Beyond Borders

My recent blog post on Artist K M Madhusudhanan’s (one of the eminent members of The Radical Movement, an avant-garde movement of the 80s) first Solo exhibition “Gandhi – Beyond Borders” happening at 1X1Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai was published in Nalini Malaviya's blog, Art Scene India. The exhibition is closing on 31 Dec 2019. It unmistakably explores the traces of melancholy, a sense of foreboding and inherent-volcanic-violence in today’s times. In case you are in Dubai and you haven't checked it out yet, do hurry.

It's been a great honour and pleasure to talk to this eminent artist about this particular exhibition and his earlier art phase as well. Thanks to Madhusudhanan Sir for his time.

You can follow this LINK to read about this exhibition.

The World Stirs My Imagination - My Creative Day with Katarina Rasic

I don’t have a routine or a studio, therefore explaining my creative day is a difficult task,  expressing what inspires me is what I will aim for. The street is my studio. Scavenging for long-forgotten treasures in the busy markets stir my imagination; letting the cold water of the ocean touch my feet while I compare the sound of snow with the sound of sand under my feet.  Saying goodbye with my art to one home, so another could welcome me.

When I decided to change my life and leave my permanent home, which was the moment when everyday devoured me; MONOTONY ruptures life, I decided to resist it and started the journey of a lifetime.

“MONOTONY ruptures life...”

Still from the performance The Inside Story (Processes. Emotions. Food), Encounters, ArtO2, Mumbai, India, November 2017

Interestingly, my journey began in India, Bangalore to be more precise. I felt great creative energy and decided that I want to move. The movement will be my permanency and my driving force in creative expression.

In extension to my creative practice and as my everyday creative process is teaching, from the start, I felt it as an extension of one another. The teaching imposes questions that I often take into my art practice, it pushes me to experiment in my own work and creativity of the kids always brings new ideas into the process. My days are different from one to another and each place brings a new excitement of the discovery.

“The movement will be my permanency and my driving force in creative expression.”

Mumbai took my heart the first time I landed in the city. I knew I never wanted to leave. Do we call it home though we weren’t born there? Every time I travelled out I was eager to come back, I missed the stuffy smell of the streets. Humid touch on my skin, noise and business, Mumbai was like a living creature with a heart pumping fast, never stopping, never getting tired. I never saw a city like that, energetic, always on the go, sweaty and busy, loud and grumpy, shiny and excited in the nights and lazy and quiet in the mornings. I always found endless inspiration on the streets of Mumbai. I collected water from the potholes of the city to create art, bathed in the sea to make a conversation with the city and collected the memories of the people living there, but it was time to leave.

“I knew I never wanted to leave. Do we call it home though we weren’t born there?”

I landed on the opposite side of the world in Rio de Janeiro, around a year ago from now. Rio shook the ground under my feet, uprooted me, and then stole my heart. It was a place that deeply changed me, I would say my entire art practice too. It made me question my work and look into my creative expression. I always say the point when creativity starts is when we are out of our comfort zone but are we ever really move out of it? How do you go out of the comfort zone, when you are the one deciding on the move? Well, I learned how in Rio. I learned how to dance on the waves of the ocean. inquired into my art, and started breaking it to build new ideas.

Moving from city to city brings a new set of questions, interests and gives us new pieces of the puzzle. Now when I am in Bangkok, again there is no routine, each day floats to another, some are there to inquire and discuss, others to create and reflect. Exploring and learning about new places and cultures impact my work greatly.

“Moving from city to city brings a new set of questions, interests and gives us new pieces of the puzzle.”

Last but not the least, I like to have a good set of markers and sketchbook with me at all times, this is very important when traveling around. But to a great extent, my work is impacted by the experiences and objects I find on the streets, which I use in performances or as a driving force to come up with ideas for my work, slowly going from more physical creation of the work to the exploration of the concepts and ideas to be transformed into performances.

 “The only constant is change.” said Heraclitus, which is a creative process in itself, I say.

About the Artist: Katarina Rasic is a Serbian artist living and working in Bangkok. She spent 5 years in India and a year in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Rasic’s performances and paintings stem from her personal experiences and actions. Her performances draw us into the repetitive ritual-like practice, where her body becomes an introspective tool to unearth notions of home, belonging and identity deeply rooted in our collective memories.

This is the third episode of the mini-series "My Creative Day". You can check out the FIRST and SECOND one by clicking on the link.