Swiss artist’s abstract portrait project comes to Ithra

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At his Face-O-Mat installation, Swiss-German artist Tobias Gutmann creates abstract interpretations of strangers’ faces using ink and paper. (Supplied)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (AN photo)
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The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (Supplied)
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Updated 24 January 2024
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Swiss artist’s abstract portrait project comes to Ithra

  • “I made it quite intentional here because I didn’t want to be the European guy coming here and drawing the people … I felt like I want to take it a step further and actually let people draw each other,” he told Arab News

DHAHRAN: If you visited the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, during the Beyond Learning Conference this week, you might have seen Swiss-German artist Tobias Gutmann seated at his Face-O-Mat installation, creating abstract interpretations of strangers’ faces using ink and paper.

“With my project, Face-O-Mat, I look into people’s faces. It takes courage to look into someone’s eyes or let someone look into my eyes,” Gutmann said. “How would our world look like if we would take the time to connect through conscious everyday face-to-face encounters?”

Born in 1987 in Wewak, Papua New Guinea, to Swiss-German parents, and having moved to Switzerland at 13, the now 36-year-old Gutmann learned early on that no matter where he was in the world, he could communicate through art.




A participant shows off her drawing at the Face-O-Mat atelier. (Supplied)

The idea of Face-O-Mat was born in Stockholm as part of a class project in one of his two MFA programs. Through deliberate strokes made using a tool resembling a mini rake, Gutmann symbolizes facial features while fully utilizing the negative space on the page.

Once you decide to participate, you sit on a small table facing Gutmann. A cardboard box with a hole in it sits between you two. Some of his “collaborators” speak; others remain silent and let their eyes do the talking. Some stare at him and hold his gaze, while some shyly look away. The main language is the pen, the ink, and the individual’s face.

Since it takes about five minutes to create each drawing, it is a slower process than snapping a photograph.

How would our world look like if we would take the time to connect through conscious everyday face-to-face encounters?

Tobias Gutmann, Swiss-German artist

Gutmann captures a moment by crafting a tangible artwork that holds his interpretation of the expression on a person’s face. The drawings are saddled between playfulness and steady squiggly shapes that represent a person’s features and characteristics. He accents them with a touch of color, such as a splash of red to represent a vibrant lipstick or a dot to show the eye color.

It is estimated that over the years, Gutmann has gazed into the faces of over 5,000 people to draw abstract interpretations of what he sees as he looks into their eyes. Since this project began, he has gained international recognition by providing the Face-O-Mat experiences globally in places such as France, Hong Kong, the US, Portugal, Switzerland, and now, Saudi Arabia.

The plants thriving at Ithra became an inspiration for installation, which was set up with the help of two Saudi artists to help him construct his “garden.”




Gutmann captures a moment by crafting a tangible artwork that holds his interpretation of the expression on a person’s face. (Supplied)

In a statement, Ithra wrote: “At the heart of Tobias Gutmann’s artistic practice lies the creation and investigation of encounters — between people, cultures and environments, but also between what we perceive on the outside and what we feel on the inside.”

Although Gutmann has done this numerous times, the Saudi experience had one unique addition. Cradled within the fortress made of boxes were a dozen tables set up with pieces of paper, paints, and his signature tool so that anyone passing through might attempt to make their own version.

“I made it quite intentional here because I didn’t want to be the European guy coming here and drawing the people … I felt like I want to take it a step further and actually let people draw each other,” he told Arab News.




Visitors to the Face-O-Mat atelier at Ithra are invited to draw each other. (Supplied)

“I wasn’t sure about the culture (in Saudi Arabia) … I wasn’t sure if everyone would actually sit down in front of me and I thought maybe they would sit down next to someone they know. That was the idea of actually creating this activity that could live without me being here.”

After each portrait is finished in the Face-O-Mat experience, he hands it to the person to keep but not before asking if he can snap a photo for his ever-growing digital archive.

One person who had his portrait created was Bader Al-Jenaid, who recently moved back to nearby Bahrain after completing an accounting internship in the UK. Considering a shift in his career to become a football coach and work with children, he stopped by the Ithra building for Beyond Learning to catch a few of the offerings — and to wait in the long line that snaked around the space to have his one-on-one time with Gutmann.




The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. (Supplied)

“I’m a curious learner and I came into the Tobias Gutmann installation to get my picture drawn. I feel like the outcome I received made sense in a way … although it’s abstract, I can see myself in the portrait,” Al-Jenaid told Arab News.

While Gutmann was on hand at the center all week long, the father of two was eager to return to his wife and young children in Switzerland. He found his first time in the Kingdom to be filled with warmth and abundant in new Saudi faces he immortalized in ink.

The Face-O-Mat atelier will remain at the Plaza in Ithra for the next two months. People are invited to go there, dip into the ink, and draw what they see in each other to keep the non-verbal conversation going.

If you have had your portrait drawn by him, you are invited to join the thousands of others in his digital community. To scroll through the faces he has drawn, download the free Face-O-Mat app on your smartphone.

 

 


World’s first International Conference on Conjoined Twins kicks off in Riyadh

Updated 24 November 2024
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World’s first International Conference on Conjoined Twins kicks off in Riyadh

  • Top World Health Organization official commends Saudi Arabia’s efforts in the field

RIYADH: The inaugural International Conference on Conjoined Twins kicked off in Riyadh on Sunday. 

The event unites leading medical experts, humanitarian organizations, and families from around the globe to share vital insights, discuss innovative separation techniques, and forge collaborative pathways in the pursuit of improved lives for conjoined twins. 

Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar delivered a speech on behalf of King Salman celebrating the achievements of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has become a global leader in the field.

“Since 1990, 143 cases of twins from 26 countries have been reviewed by my dear colleagues, who have successfully separated a total of 61 pairs of twins to date,” he said. 

Prince Faisal added that it is the only program globally specializing in separating conjoined twins, making it one of the largest humanitarian medical programs in the world. 

He also highlighted a recent milestone: the UN General Assembly is considering an initiative by Saudi Arabia to designate Nov. 24 as the annual World Conjoined Twins Day.

In a video address, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, congratulated Saudi Arabia on its leadership in organizing the conference.

“I commend Saudi Arabia for its leadership in organizing this important World Conjoined Twins Day Conference,” he said. 

This recognition would honor the medical and humanitarian efforts in this field and highlight the challenges faced by conjoined twins and their families. 

Ghebreyesus praised the initiative as a model for global collaboration in rare and complex medical cases. 

“The conference provides critical insights, from surgical innovations to long-term strategies, shaping rare initiatives. A broader platform and registry for congenital anomalies would benefit low and middle-income countries,” he said.

A keynote address was delivered by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor to the Royal Court and supervisor-general of Saudi aid agency KSrelief.

As the head of the multidisciplinary team for the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, Al-Rabeeah provided insights into the occurrence and challenges associated with conjoined twins.

The history of conjoined twin separation reveals both the challenges and progress in medical science. 

“The first successful separation was by Johannes Fatio back in 1689 by using a constricting band for a set of Omphalopagus twins or those sharing liver and gastrointestinal organs,” he said.

With a 0.5 percent incidence rate, this early success involved “presumably, a small joining in the skin, probably a little bit of the liver,” said Al-Rabeeah. 

He added that a major breakthrough came in 1957 with the first successful separation of Craniopagus, or twins sharing one brain. 

Al-Rabeeah said that the epidemiology shows distinct patterns: “In Western countries, it’s been estimated that we get one conjoined twins in every 50 to 200,000 births.” 

He added that, however, it is more prevalent in Southeast Asia and Africa, “presumably because identical twinning and twinning is (found) more in dark-skinned people in Africa and also in Southeast Asia, increasing the incidence.”

The survival statistics, Al-Rabeeah reported, entail that “60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn, and those who live 40 percent of them will die in the first few days of life, and 70 percent of those who would survive will be females.”

He emphasized that the reasons behind this regional disparity remain unknown and require further research.

Throughout the conference, leading medical professionals presented their expertise on various aspects of caring for and separating conjoined twins. Topics included embryology, multidisciplinary team-building, antenatal care, and labor management. 

Dr. Nadia Al-Ghilan, from the maternal-fetal medicine department at King Abdulaziz Medical City, gave a presentation titled “Caring for Conjoined Twins: A Prenatal Journey,” describing the complex process of managing pregnancies involving conjoined twins.  

She said that caring for conjoined twins is a complex and delicate process as it requires meticulous prenatal planning and a dedicated medical team.

Al-Ghilan said that “this journey is filled with unique challenges, ethical considerations, and the utmost care to ensure the best possible outcomes for the twins and their family.” 

Early diagnosis, she stressed, is critical for effective prenatal referral, counseling, and planning for delivery and postnatal care.  

Al-Ghilan also underscored the importance of genetic testing in understanding the chromosomal health of conjoined twins. 

“Techniques like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling can help identify genetic abnormalities, providing valuable information for developing treatment strategies.”

The conference not only serves as a platform for scientific exchange but also fosters dialogue on building global partnerships to support conjoined twins and their families, particularly in low and middle income countries. The conference emphasized the importance of comprehensive care, from prenatal counseling to post-separation rehabilitation. 

For over 30 years, the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program has stood as a beacon of hope for families worldwide. The inaugural International Conference on Conjoined Twins is set to continue this legacy, inspiring further advancements in the care and treatment of conjoined twins globally. 


Doctor describes difficulties in separating twins joined at the skull

Baby girls Rital and Ritag Gaboura, two craniopagus twins, lie on a bed at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
Updated 24 November 2024
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Doctor describes difficulties in separating twins joined at the skull

  • “Conjoined twins are rare, as has been said, but ‘cranomalies’ are extremely rare,” Dr. Felice D’Arco said

RIYADH: A London-based medical expert at a conference in Riyadh revealed the difficulties in separating a rare form of conjoined twins in which the patients are joined at the skull.

Dr. Felice D’Arco, consultant pediatric neurologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, spoke during the International Conference on Conjoined Twins on Sunday about the condition, which occurs in about one of every 2.5 million births worldwide.

“Conjoined twins are rare, as has been said, but ‘cranomalies’ are extremely rare,” he said.

For radiologists, this means there are no standardized CT and MRI scanning protocols in place for such complex cases, and very few recent cases from which to learn.

“We have protocols for everything, epilepsy, tumors, neurogenetic disorders, this is not the case for craniopagus twins because of their rarity,” D’Arco said.

Medical teams must be set in place, and there must be two of everything; two anesthetic teams, two sets of MRI monitoring, etc., the whole hospital staff is involved in what is considered as an operation taking place on two patients simultaneously, D’Arco explained.

While there is a need to standardize procedures, Dr. D’Arco acknowledged that every set of twins is unique.

“As a radiologist, you need to have the flexibility to change your protocol as needed.”

Therefore, he said, it is best to start with a series of questions relating to different critical parts of the body.

One potential issue is the bones. A dual source CT scan can inform radiologists which parts of the skull of each patient is infused, or “missing,” in the other.

Another problem is the relationship between the brains. D’Arco said that small breaches connecting the two brains, identified by 3D sequencing, present a risk that surgery will cause damage.

Considering the possible ethical and medical complications that could come up in cases in which one of the twins is at risk of dying, he said: “Sometimes you need to ask, can we separate without jeopardizing the lives of the children? These cases are complicated, baffling, and confusing.”


Riyadh Music Week to spotlight Saudi talent, creativity

Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission is poised to launch the inaugural Riyadh Music Week, running from Dec. 5 to 14 in the capital.
Updated 24 November 2024
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Riyadh Music Week to spotlight Saudi talent, creativity

  • Event will include global summits, local performances, awards and cultural displays 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Music Commission, in collaboration with MDLBeast and the Saudi Research and Media Group, is poised to launch the inaugural Riyadh Music Week, running from Dec. 5 to 14 at various venues in the Saudi capital.

The event will spotlight the Kingdom’s growing music sector, highlighting its creative and commercial evolution. It will also serve as a platform for dialogue with international stakeholders on music policy and development.

Among the highlights is the Global Music Makers Summit, a premier gathering of industry leaders and policymakers from around the world.

The event will also celebrate Saudi traditional music, with small venues in Riyadh hosting performances to show off local musicians’ diversity and talent.

The week will also host the Music Cities Convention and Awards, which will be held in the Middle East for the first time.

Riyadh Music Week will include panel discussions, seminars and workshops led by industry experts, covering the latest global music trends.

The program incorporates key events from Riyadh’s music calendar, such as XP Music Futures, SoundStorm, and the inaugural Billboard Arabia Music Awards.

The week provides a unique platform for local and international collaboration, celebrating Saudi Arabia’s rich musical heritage and dynamic contemporary scene.

By supporting emerging and established artists, Riyadh Music Week underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to nurturing talent and growing its music industry.

The Saudi Music Commission, established in February 2020, leads this transformation, focusing on equal access to education, empowering talent and boosting the local economy.

Its efforts aim to enhance the Kingdom’s global musical identity while building world-class infrastructure and creating new industry opportunities.


Bangladesh Days celebrates heritage in Riyadh

Updated 24 November 2024
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Bangladesh Days celebrates heritage in Riyadh

RIYADH: The Bangladesh Days, held as part of Riyadh Season under the theme “Global Harmony,” concluded Saturday night at Al-Suwaidi Park, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Organized by the Ministry of Media and the General Entertainment Authority, the event attracted people of all ages and backgrounds, who were able to enjoy a rich cultural experience reflecting the diversity of Bangladeshi heritage.

Bangladesh Days offered visitors the opportunity to taste renowned Bengali cuisine, purchase traditional clothing and artisanal items, and attend folkloric performances.

The activities provided a comprehensive experience, offering a close-up look at the vibrant traditions of Bangladesh and reflecting the cultural diversity Riyadh Season seeks to highlight.

The “Global Harmony” initiative celebrates a variety of cultures, including those of India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Bangladesh, and Egypt.

Riyadh Season has already drawn more than 6 million visitors from around the world, according to Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.


The inspiring story behind Saudi Arabia’s Conjoined Twins Program

Updated 24 November 2024
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The inspiring story behind Saudi Arabia’s Conjoined Twins Program

RIYADH: Ahead of the International Conference on Conjoined Twins held in Riyadh, Saudi aid agency KSrelief Supervisor-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah hosted a media roundtable on Saturday to discuss the goals and expectations of the two-day conference that concludes on Nov. 25.

Recalling the inspiration behind the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, Al-Rabeeah explained that in 1990, amid the Second Gulf War, a set of Sudanese conjoined twins, Samah and Heba, were seeking financial support from King Fahd to get treatment abroad.

King Fahd brought the issue to Al-Rabeeah’s team at the time at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, and after months of tests and deliberations, they completed the first successful conjoined twins separation surgery in the Kingdom.

The operation took 18 and a half hours.

“We started to invest in the nationalization of the medical team until … all specialties were from Saudi Arabia,” Al-Rabeeah said. “Today we have seen 143 sets over 34 years. We have separated 61 sets with 100 percent success … and we have 7 sets waiting to be separated.”

King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital now has the only known conjoined twins operating room.

King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman moved this program under KSrelief to support low-income families and families from conflict zones.

“Humanity has no politics, no boundaries, no religion, and no color,” said Al-Rabeeah.

The conference will cover a range of topics, including the candidacy process, antenatal and post-natal care, cardiac conditions, ethical considerations, reconstruction, and 3D imaging.

Al-Rabeeah also said the conference is set to discuss and sign several UN agreements related to children, including on conjoined twins, polio vaccination in Afghanistan, artificial limbs, infectious diseases in children, and the children of Gaza.

He also spoke about the importance of combining medical knowledge in the Gulf and working together to create specialized centers across the region for different matters, to make operations more cost-effective and advanced.

“Science is not owned, it is for everybody,” the Saudi aid agency chief said.

On the technological developments that are optimizing this procedure, Al-Rabeeah mentioned the use of argon lasers, ultrasonic knives, new electric coatings to avoid bleeding, less sensitive prosthetics, and, most importantly, early diagnosis.

Al-Rabeeah said that the greatest research in this program has been done on early detection of conjoined twins in the womb. They are now capable of detecting conjoined twins sometimes at just eight to 10 weeks.

Al-Rabeeah’s most crucial piece of advice is urging women to start prenatal care early.

The importance of psychological care for both the patients and the families was also discussed. Al-Rabeeah pointed out what is referred to as “separation trauma” that twins endure when learning how to adjust to their bodies after having been connected all their lives.

“The twins, they have pain, they have suffered. I have seen two kinds of tears in my life. We all know about the tears of despair, the tears of pain. But with conjoined twins, I have seen clearly the tears of happiness and joy.

“When I come out of the operating room, going in with one bed, and coming out with two beds … this is the best moment in my life.”