< PreviousWatches ICE WARNING The Flying Ace A UDEMARS PIGUET Ah, the flying tourbillon: one of the great wonders of the mechanical watchmaking world. For increased wonder, AP has added 469 brilliant-cut diamonds – that’s 3.67 carats in total, to you – making it the ultimate flex for your finery. From the openworked dial to the hand-stitched alligator strap to the 18-karat white gold dial, this is one concept you should get on board with. Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon, price on request, Audemars Piguet GQME_017_56_61_NOW_WATCH Diamond_11271302.indd 6030/04/2020 16:02:36 The Timely Reminder CHRIS T OPHE CLARET With 48 diamonds and 12 natural pigeon’s blood rubies, this is less a watch you wear and more something you offer to ingratiate yourself with a despotic leader. The clincher? It carries a mechanical 3D memo function that reveals two rubies on the dial as a prompt. Attention, Apple Watch calendar function: Christophe Claret just blew you out the water. Maestro, price on request, Christophe Claret @GQMIDDLEEA S T SUMMER 2020 61 GQME_017_56_61_NOW_WATCH Diamond_11271302.indd 6130/04/2020 16:02:47A t this very moment, writing anything other than an Instagram DM or, say, a grocery list just feels like an impossible task. My daily struggle for words is only punctuated by a reminder from my phone that I’ve gone way beyond my self-imposed three-hour daily digital limit. But even that’s useless. Useless. That’s a word I use regularly to describe my days right now. Too harsh? Well, I haven’t turned my place into a gym. I haven’t read Naguib Mahfouz’s trilogy, and I’m as far away from writing the book I had planned than I’ve ever been. In light of such lethargy, ‘useless’ feels the most appropriate adjective. From the very beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, I took a sense of protection from our state of isolation. Actually, I felt part of some never- before-seen occurrence. Us, in our homes, we are living history. Never before has a population been asked to stay home in such a way. Sometimes, I felt a bizarre excitement reading about the virus, its symptoms and the effects this invisible enemy has on our way of life. I referenced it, by way of contrast, with the Albert Camus’ 1947 ex- istential classic, The Plague and its spotlight on Oran. It led only to more questions. Our only certainty right now is uncertain- ty. When will life return to normal? When would be the next time we could spend a day at the beach? The situation is unique and nobody has answers to the questions we are asking. No manager to speak to, no search engine to quiz. We need to accept the unknown and get on with it. But no matter how hard we try to embrace the unusual times, surprise and curiosity can quickly became sadness. The routine we were keen to install soon starts to crumble. I haven’t engaged in multiple Zoom calls or Instagram Lives – at least, not yet. But I have taken solace in nostalgia. It seems others have, too. On Instagram, it’s been easy to see that many have turned to cooking as a way to cope. So much so that it got me into the kitchen, too. I found myself preparing classic North African afternoon (mint) tea combos as well as baghrir and sfenj, local interpretations of pancakes and do- nuts from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. But what I enjoyed most wasn’t just the output – which I swear was very good – it was the feeling. Cooking these sweets took me out of the fuzziness I had found myself in. This wasn’t about following a recipe, it was about connection. About calling your mother to see how she makes it, about sending pictures to her over WhatsApp and checking you were doing it right, it was about remembering moments when we were all able to sit and share this food together. Suddenly, I was gone. Not in my Dubai flat anymore. The shakshouka and handmade fries I had just prepared had taken me back to summer days in Algeria. There it was, the joy and pain of nostalgia laid bare. The word ‘nostalgia’, in several Euro- pean languages, gets its roots from the Greek “nostos” (return) and “algos” (pain) linking it to a distress or an affliction. Arabs use the word hanin to express nostalgia. I like to see it not as pain, but as something meaningful which takes me to a fluffy, comfortable and soothing state. GQ Dispatch W ORDS SOFIANE SI MERABET I L L U S T R A T I O N AIS TĖ S T ANCIKAITĖ The Nostalgic View From Here As the world stifles under lockdown, one French-Algerian creative wonders if looking back can take you forward GQ_017_62_63_DISPATCH Sofiane Di Merat_11280524.indd 6230/04/2020 14:59:33But make no mistake, this is not about being stuck in a moment. It’s about taking strength and reassurance from the past and moving forward with it. The majority of my own work, whether research or art installation, is based around celebrating the “future of nostalgia”. Our history and memories can inspire us to build new futures embracing who we are. At a time when life feels like part of some bad sci-fi film, we are not just condemned to wait, we can discuss and define how we would like tomorrow to be. Creative industries are a great example of how nostalgia can be used to heal the current wounds using contemporary tools. International museums such as Musee d’Orsay in Paris and the British Museum in London are offering digital tours and sharing online content. In our region, the Dubai arts district, Alserkal Avenue, has been very proactive by setting up access to all the galleries it houses, as well as featuring the Moroccan artist Mohamed Melehi’s exhibition online. Meanwhile, Cinema Akil, Dubai’s arthouse cinema, has shared a selection of classic movies for viewing in your isolation station. Music is part of the nostalgia move- ment, too, with the UAE Ministry of Culture recognising as much, organis- ing the screening of a classic concert on YouTube starring the late Emirati icon Jaber Al Jassem and Bedouin-inspired voice of Samira Tawfik. Not that you can’t find the warm embrace of nostalgia on a new release chart, too. Enter The Weeknd, of space and thought. One of the most refreshing Instagram accounts right now is @radiokarantina, offering sounds and videos from isolation. Okay, not radio per se, but the Beirut-born show shares eclectic playlists, letters, images, and video collages created by musicians and artists in self-iso- lation. The audience dedicate songs to their friends and the Karantina team cre- ates a personalised montage. You kind of want to climb into these videos and dance along with them. Elsewhere, my quarantine highlight will definitely be Radio Al Hara. Imagined as a communal radio station project based in Bethlehem and Ramallah, it’s an open and collaborative platform with very diverse segments from music to culture and cook- ing. The plan is to extend across borders, into other places in Palestine and beyond. Finally, in the evening, I listen to Bahr al Leil (mis)translated by Midnight Ocean, a selection of cosmic, tropical, and urban fantasy music by Karim Kattan, the writer who decided, crucially, not to write during the pandemic. The painful – but necessary – part of our lives right now is accepting that we don’t have control. For decades, we have prided ourselves on a need to be efficient and proactive. Particularly when it came to work. We would take meetings, send strict deadlines, send emails and follow-ups to those emails… but this is all redundant right now. Life is different, altered. The reality is that so many people have worked on events, projects and launches that won’t ever happen. But as tragic as this all is, it has perhaps offered perspective on what’s important in life. The luckiest of us are only symboli- cally grieving: mourning the temporary loss of our freedom of movement, or our summer plans or birthday parties, all these taken-for-granted moments that have fallen by the wayside. But these moments are all recoupable. And then, of course, how we recall it all will likely take on a rather different light. Ultimately, nostalgia is a filter. The most ancient of all filters. It’s how we choose to remember the various episodes of our lives. But when, in years to come, I look back on the pandemic, I won’t see the virus as something that brought people together. I know in my heart that, really, togetherness was already within us. Now, I simply pray for better times. ■ “I felt part of some never-before- seen occurrence. Us, in our homes, we are living history.” with his 1980s aesthetics and sound refer- ences that give Khaleeji fans an homage to Saudi superstar Mohammed Abdu. When you begin to examine it, you notice that nostalgia soon flies at you from all angles. Our restricted movements took me back in an entirely different way, highlighting a time in my youth when going to the supermarket would be a major event of the week – freedom! Previously, you might have thought of radio as dead, but here lies a freedom @GQMIDDLEEA S T SUMMER 2020 63 GQ_017_62_63_DISPATCH Sofiane Di Merat_11280524.indd 6330/04/2020 14:59:44Pam Nasr Prod Antzoulis Oumayma E lboumeshouli As the world navigates strange waters, it occurred to will inevitably push to the surface. An era of self-isolation has seen people with video calls becoming a new lifeblood bonding us all together. In a strange in favour of a face on a screen. But while the digital revolution continues, ever, we wanted to show that. So, we called people from the Middle East and to Dubai, Cairo to Ramallah. Captured over video calls, each and joy. In other words: the human condition in Copy Of GQME_017_64_79_FEAT_Cover Story_11283051.indd 6403/05/2020 10:18:49Experience the full feature at GQMiddleEast.com A bu Hamdan Y asmeen Mjalli Amr Youssef PHO T OGRAPHY PROD ANTZ OULIS S TYLING KEANOUSH ZARGHAM Mona T areen us that, even in the worst of times, human endeavour interact in the most unique and creative ways, way, connections have become deeper as physical contact has been eschewed the human heart beating beneath it remains strong. This issue, more than beyond, chronicling quarantine tales from New York of these stories brims with hope and sadness, frustration and boredom, love all its glory… separated, but never more together. Copy Of GQME_017_64_79_FEAT_Cover Story_11283051.indd 6503/05/2020 10:19:01The Middle East’s creative class is as ambitious as it is diverse. We gathered three artists we admire – with roots from Lebanon to Morocco to Cyprus – to explore how creativity looks and feels in uncertain times. It’s an isolating period around the world. How are you cop- ing? PAM: Everything starts with acceptance, I believe it to be the key to sanity. I’ve noticed the little things that make me happy: when the sun comes out, when I discover a really good track, have a good conversation with someone, or when I’ve perfected a new dish. Today, I’m taking my time in enjoying these little, mundane pleasures. PROD: At the beginning of my self-isolation, I would find it challenging to focus on doing things that felt productive. As the days would pass, I found myself distracted by trivial tasks. I realised that introducing small changes to my day-to-day was becoming crucial and actually something to look forward to. I started replacing my coffee with a ginger and honey tea – it made such a huge change to my mornings. How has your daily routine changed? OUMAYMA: I try to wake at the same time up every day – I don’t want to lose my sleep- ing rhythm. Before Ramadan, I used to have my breakfast with my Zoom meetings. I try to plan all meetings in the morning so I’m free in the afternoon to do things around the house such as redecorating and painting the walls. I’m currently living with my mum and we are redecorating the entire house. It’s a nice activity to do during quarantine and Ramadan. PAM: I’m falling asleep two or three hours earlier than I usually do and waking up earlier too – a goal of mine for almost a decade! My daily routine didn’t change too much because I work from home anyway. I do have one [ CHAP TER 1 ] The Creatives PAM NASR (Film Director, New York City) PROD ANTZOULIS (Fashion Photographer, Dubai) OUMAYMA ELBOUMESHOULI (Stylist & Art Director, Amsterdam ) rule though: I don’t watch anything before sundown, not even on weekends. That way, I make sure I do all the work I have during the day. My mom and I meditate in the evenings, coinci- dentally always around 7pm, as we listen to the sound of the city applauding our healthcare workers, which is so bittersweet. How are you staying in touch with friends and family? Any virtual activities that you’ve done together? PROD: I’m not the best when it comes to online communication and a lot of my friends would say the same. Now that I’ve had no choice, it’s forced me to be more active online and, to my surprise, I’ve actually been enjoying it a lot. April 19 was our Easter, and I couldn’t be with my family, so we organised for each of us to cook something and have a virtual sit-down lunch where for a moment, it truly felt like we were together. PAM: Zoom has become a huge part of our lives of course. I’m also so blessed to have my mom here with me, she happened to be visiting as all of this went down. OUMAYMA: When we do our iftar, we like to FaceTime our family members to show them what we are having – also to create that feeling of togetherness. Do you feel that the lockdown has helped your creativity flour- ish? OUMAYMA: For me, it’s been a source of inspiration somehow. I try to look for new ideas every day. I have a huge collection of old fashion magazines and they have helped me a lot. My dad left a lot of his garments when he passed away last October. He used to be a photographer and he really inspired me to do the same thing. I often go to his work room to discover new things. The first months after his passing, I was very emotional and couldn’t go in the room – there were too many memories. But now, I use OUMA YMA ELBOUMESHOULI (Stylist & A rt Director) PROD ANTZOULIS (Fashion Photographer) W ORDS AD AM B AID A WI Copy Of GQME_017_64_79_FEAT_Cover Story_11283051.indd 6603/05/2020 10:19:19“My mind and body are asking me to attend to different parts of me right now, and that’s what I have to do. You can’t pour from an empty cup.” P AM NA SR (Film Direct or) Copy Of GQME_017_64_79_FEAT_Cover Story_11283051.indd 6703/05/2020 10:19:41“We organised for each of us to cook something and have a virtual lunch where for a moment, it truly felt like we were together.” all of these memories as an inspiration and look back on such an amazing time. PAM: A friend asked me if I was feeling creative the other day and my answer was a solid no, and I’m choosing to be very okay with that. My mind and body are asking me to attend to differ- ent parts of me right now, and that’s what I have to do. You can’t pour from an empty cup. What did you learn while putting together this visual project with GQ? PROD: It has been a beautiful experience to say the least. This opportunity has not only given me something exciting to look forward to in a time like this, but also a great way to share my creativ- ity virtually with other people around the world. A lesson to take away from this experience is definitely patience. A lot of the time we are rushing to meet deadlines and sometimes don’t dedicate enough time to enjoy the pro- cess of working. What have you learned over the past few months in isolation – both about yourself and about the world? PAM: I have truly learned the importance of mental well-being and how vulnerable we, as humans, are. I’ve made it a point to myself to focus my efforts inwards and simply let love, light and faith guide me. Copy Of GQME_017_64_79_FEAT_Cover Story_11283051.indd 6803/05/2020 10:20:02@GQMIDDLEEA S T SUMMER 2020 69 Actor, model and eccentric Saudi creative Abu Hamdan – you’ll probably know him bet- ter as Warchieff – is a man in demand at the minute. Two features on Netflix and four mil- lion Instagram followers are proof positive of that much. But whether showcasing the movie Arabian Alien at the Sundance Film Festival, or getting a role (without really trying) in the true events-inspired Saudi flick Wasati, Hamdan remains delightfully off-kil- ter. And if life under lockdown has taught him anything – other than that he really takes too long to work out what to eat – it’s that you should never really underestimate what you have. “Right now, I’m just adapting to what’s available,” he explains. “It’s funny, we used to believe that so many items we had were average or not really useful. The thing is, it turns out that we just never understood their real value…until now.” Tell us about your lockdown routine. I’m a person who blocks out things, so I’m just trying to ignore what’s going on outside right now and focus on myself. I’m trying to fill my days with activities, playing some music. I’ve accepted that this won’t end soon, so it’s better to try to do something with my time. Watching movies that I haven’t seen yet and playing video games. These are the essentials. Video games and entertainment. Do go on… Well, sometimes I wake up at 11pm, sometimes 6am. My friend Chndy and I are living in the same house and we waste a lot of time just thinking about what to eat. Then I get on the computer, watch random videos, maybe try to learn something simple, too. Then I’ll play video games, before maybe working out. Sometimes we barbecue in the yard. I try to change it up, but it’s mostly the same. Do you have a self-care regime to help with the lockdown right now? I try to create a simple routine that can keep me busy away from the outside world. When I feel bothered or not too pleased with the situation, I try to watch something that attracts me and allows me to focus on it – like documentary or a film, or maybe a game I wanted to play but never had the time for. This allows me to focus on a different world, and it works. What have you learned over the past few months? I realised that humans are weak and stupid. Weak because we don’t know how to deal with this [Coronavirus] situation, and stupid because we’re the ones that caused the problem in the first place. How are you staying in contact with friends, family, and the out- side world? I’m keeping in touch with my family through the phone, sometimes FaceTime. The only thing that’s giving me com- fort at this time is that no one can ask, “Where have you been?” Some people don’t comprehend that you can work in this space and create something useful – be it tangible or not. So, this quaran- tine is allowing me to focus on doing things without distractions. Do you feel that the lockdown has helped your creativity? I would say that my creativity would increase even further if I went out and met new people. In recent years, I’ve travelled a lot and got introduced to so many people. It became a part of my normal life and now that’s what expands my ideation process. But, hey, at the same time, lockdown allows us to see things on the internet that we didn’t know existed and they might be resources ready to open doors that we never knew about, too. Have you worked on any new projects under quarantine? Chndy and I started a one called Jazzy Spa Sounds. We stream it on Twitch. There are silly things on there, but at the same time we play music. We’re learning how to mix using a DJ controller and we’ve already collaborated with [fashion label] Les Benjamins, who asked us to do a one-hour livestream DJ set on their Instagram account. So, you kind of started a record label in quarantine? Yes, exactly! We’re thinking of doing more online, especially during the lockdown period. [ CHAP TER 2 ] The Actor ABU HAMDAN AKA WARCHIEFF (Creative & Actor, Riyadh) W ORDS RAND EL HADETHI ABU HAMD AN (Creativ e & A ctor) Copy Of GQME_017_64_79_FEAT_Cover Story_11283051.indd 6903/05/2020 14:49:22Next >