Here you can find texts that we commission sometimes on a subject of interest that we want to pursue, or that have come about as part of an event we’ve organized, or, at other times, that are a way to engage writers we are excited about. It is a growing collection, so please check back every now and then for new texts.
Why Call It Labor? On Motherhood and Art Work, 2020
Why Call It Labor? On Motherhood and Art Work, 2020
Contributions by Mai Abu ElDahab, Basma Alsharif, Lara Khaldi, Mary Jirmanus Saba, and Mirene Arsanios with Nikki Columbus.
This publication comprises four essays and one conversation with contemporary artists and curators discussing their experience of becoming mothers as professionals in the arts, its reality, and effects. While their reflections represent a similar strata of art worker in terms of background, class, and career trajectory, the impact of instruments of patriarchy on rendering maternity invisible that they describe is both recognizable and insidious.
Edited by Mai Abu ElDahab
Published by Mophradat and Archive Books
Text design layout by Valerie Arif
Arabic and English
€10
You can purchase the book from Archive Books and its distribution network, or by contacting us: office [at] mophradat [dot] org
Mophradat tote bag, designed by Valerie Arif, 2019
Mophradat’s tote bag, edition of 200, 2019
Design by Valerie Arif
Printing by superette.nl
This tote bag has been ethically produced and printed on 100% organic cotton. It is designed in Mophradat’s signature pink colour, and is printed with a surprise design twist.
It may be purchased for €10 plus the costs of shipping & handling.
To purchase a bag, please contact us at office [at] mophradat [dot] org.
Both Sides of the Curtain (Live in Beirut), LP by Dwarves of East Agouza, 2018
Both Sides of the Curtain (Live in Beirut), 2018
by The Dwarfs of East Agouza
A vinyl LP of delicate improvised freeform by The Dwarfs of East Agouza — Alan Bishop (acoustic bass, alto sax, vocals), Maurice Louca (organ, keyboard, beats), Sam Shalabi (electric guitar) — recorded live as part of Meeting Points: Both Sides of the Curtain in Beirut.
Produced by Mophradat and Unrock
Recorded by Fadi Tabbal
Mixed and mastered by Peter Koerfer at Ivory Tower
Artwork by Mariana Castillo Deball
Graphic design by Studio Manuel Raeder
Realization by Mai Abu ElDahab (Mophradat) and Michael Stahl (Unrock)
Recorded live in Beirut, Lebanon on April 15, 2017 as part of Meeting Points 8, commissioned and produced by Mophradat
Thanks to Sharif Sehnaoui.
€25
Purchase from Unrock and its distribution network, or by contacting us: office [at] mophradat [dot] org
Glossary of Terms by Nile Sunset Annex, 2017
How to Know What’s Really Happening? by Francis Mckee, 2017
How to Know What’s Really Happening, 2016
by Irish writer, curator, and medical historian Francis McKee
In this post-truth era, how does one navigate the endless information available and choose a viable narrative of reality? In How to Know What’s Really Happening, Glasgow-based writer and curator Francis McKee looks at various techniques for determining verity, from those of spy agencies and whistle-blowers to mystics and scientists.
Edited by Mai Abu ElDahab, Maha Maamoun, Ala Younis
Designed by Julie Peeters and Valerie Arif
Published by Kayfa ta, Mophradat, and Sternberg Press
Available in two editions: English and Arabic
€6
You can purchase the book from Sternberg Press and its distribution network, and you could also contact us through office [at] mophradat [dot] org.
Final Vocabulary: On Searching for New Languages, edited by Mai Abu ElDahab, 2015
Final Vocabulary: On Searching for New Languages, 2015
Contributions by Federica Bueti, Malak Helmy, Francis McKee, Haytham El Wardany, and Brian Kuan Wood
This publication comprises five essays that take an intimate look at language’s role in moments of dramatic change, and ask how to find meaning for artistic practices in these transformative conditions. Taking its cue from the aftermath of the events of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, Final Vocabulary does not provide answers as much as it captures the spirit of the moment of searching that the writers found themselves in.
The book was developed out of a live conversation at an event called the Informal Meeting, which took place in Leuven in January 2015, where participants were asked: “Our histories and references are often in a different language (abstract or actual) than we use ourselves; what tools do you think are or might be useful to help you trust your own memories and narratives? What, if anything, do you think we might borrow from art to experiment with language in different situations?”
Edited by Mai Abu ElDahab
Published by Mophradat and Sternberg Press
Designed by Kaisa Lassinaro
Available in two editions: English and Arabic
€8
You can purchase the book from Sternberg Press and its distribution network or contact us at office [at] mophradat [dot] org.