Michele Nastas Research

Michele Nastas

“Arabia” is historically a mythical place of the Western imagery, of exchange with the East, but in recent decades cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha have appeared as new worlds, new global epicenters made possible by a condition of hyper-mobility of people, cultural models, images, finances, goods, transferred from one place to another. These cities are mostly populated (as well as physically built) by expats from around the world, and today represent a living laboratory in which the local identity aspirations are measured against Western models and the traditions and cultures of origin of the inhabitants. In the title, the word “Transfer” refers to a place where travellers can spend some time, but can’t be a final destination, a condition that happens to the large majority of people living in those countries.

This image Arabian Transfer is a crowd funding project, a photobook and a journey through six cities of the Arabian Peninsula: Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait City, Manama and Riyadh,

This photo contrasts the city against who built it, but does not inhabit it. The game, the movement, the elegance of their long-sleeved clothes make everything lighter and more digestible. I was with Yeya – a former taxi driver, known during a night ride: we became friends and every New Year we wish ourselves better luck, he is Egyptian – and his brother. We spent some time there and I took dozens of photographs, including a portrait of them. Then, while we waited for dusk to photograph the skyline, in a bar we drank a classic chai served in the Styrofoam cup.

DECONSTRUCTING IMAGES