Just when I think I can’t love Iceland any more, I see this.In the tiny fishing town of Ísafjörður in northwestern Iceland, an exciting development in road safety has just been installed.  It’s amusingly eye-catching yet seriously functional. A new pedestrian crossing has been painted in a way that transforms it into a cleverly-detailed optical illusion where a ubiquitous “zebra-stripe” crosswalk appears as a series of concrete slabs, apparently hovering above the concrete road bed.

The innovative design gives pedestrians a feeling of walking on air, and more importantly demands the attention of drivers, who will be sure to slow down their speed once they spot the seemingly floating infrstructure.

Icelandic environmental commissioner Ralf Trylla had seen a similar project being installed in New Delhi, India. With the help of street painting company Vegmálun GÍH, he replicated the installation in Ísafjörður. We’ve seen the power of guerilla artworks in Istanbul, and massive murals across the facades of a Cairo slum. Art has the power to delight, inspire, and instigate change. Who’s streets wouldn’t be safer with a paint slap-on like this? 

Ísafjörður,in the Westfjords region of northwest Iceland, is known for its dramatic landscapes. The old town has a population of about 2,500 people and features wooden houses with corrugated tin roofs built by fishing merchants in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Westfjords Heritage Museum has exhibits on the town’s maritime history, including a collection of old fishing boats. The old hospital, now a cultural center, contains archives and photography.

And – just as in the whole of Iceland – it does not contain a McDonald’s.  Iceland, will you marry me?

Images by Ágúst G. Atlason of Gústi Productions

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More than 100 graffiti artists were invited to Tunisia as part of the Djerbahood project – an inventive rehabilitation initiative that uses street art to turn a dusty village into an inspiring open air gallery.

We have watched with great interest as Tunisia’s graffiti culture has grown since post-Jasmine revolution. Artists like VA-JO and El Seed have dazzled us with great designs, along with a unifying sociocultural message that spins the stereotype of the anarchist street artist.

And while the political landscape in Tunisia remains tenuous, graffiti artists appear to have significant freedom and support to share their work.

Related: Tunisia’s tallest minaret sprayed with El Seed Calligraffiti

In particular, 150 artists from 30 different countries were invited to participate in the Djerbahood, where they painted old, dilapidated and perfectly good buildings with their signature style. Famous Belgian artist ROA was among the artists whose playful work incorporates certain domed buildings into his pieces – like the large octopus with a bulbous head.

El Seed, who is Tunisian, was also present for the massive paint out. And we are also particularly enamored with the artist from Mexico, Curiot, who added a significant splash of color to the village.

The site of one of the world’s oldest and most famous synagogues, the El Ghriba synagogue, Djerba is the largest island of North Africa at 198 square miles.

Support for this inspiring project came from the Embassy of France in Tunisia, and Boga Cidre, Airbus, One Tech, Digard, SEH Legal and Yosr Ben Ammar.

A municipality in Morocco has similarly used graffiti in order to stem urban decay and to find idleness among the youth.

:: Djerbahood

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Beirut residents are fed up: everywhere they look there are cranes and bulldozers turning their city into a giant concrete mess and even the smallest efforts to beautify the city are destroyed. This time they are saying no to a municipal plan to demolish the iconic Massad stairs.

Also known as the Mar Mikhael stairs in the district of the same name, the 73 steps mean something to local residents.

Not only are they a popular destination for tourists and artists, including the Dihazahyners who famously painted the steps in an array of beautiful colors and geometric shapes, but the stairs are also important for circulating human traffic.

Getting around as a pedestrian is becoming increasingly impossible as every inch of space is set aside for cars and buildings, so the stairs offer some respite from the noise and pollution that has engulfed city streets.

Now rumors are circulating that former Minister Mohammed Chatah is involved with groups who plan to demolish the stairs to either make way for a road way, which a local dentist told Al-Akhbar is not necessary, or an underground parking lot that would double apartment prices in the neighborhood, and the locals are livid.

(Related post: Beirut Green Project Maps Secret Eco Spots in the City)

Completely fed up with the incessant drive to build, a group that calls themselves Achrafieh Stairs has arranged a couple of sit-ins. One has already taken place, and another is scheduled for this Thursday at 4pm local time.

With 2,552 people following their Facebook page, it seems the group has a lot of support.

Siham Takayan, who owns a grocery store at the foot of the stairs, has watched the plans progress. First he said a representative from Ogero Telecom came in to remove a phone. And then some engineers stopped by to map out their plans.

“I stood up to them all alone,” Takayan told Al-Akhbar. “I sat in the middle of the stairs and prevented them from finishing their work until the neighborhood’s residents gathered and informed the workers and the engineers that they are unwelcome here.”

:: Al-Akhbar

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A disused government-owned slaughterhouse in Casablanca that ceased to operate in 2000 now hosts art exhibitions, music shows, film screenings and other cultural activities run by La Fabrique Culturelle.

Spotted over on Brownbook Magazine, The Slaughterhouse is an exciting new space for artists in what has become one of Morocco’s most bustling commercial centers.

Abandoned among a slew of other modernist structures, Les Anciens Abattoirs’ can be reached by the city’s extended tram line, which has helped to bridge neglected neighborhoods such as Hay Mohammadi and the more affluent city center.

Originally designed by French architects Albert Greslin and Georges-Ernest Desmarest and gifted to the nonprofit architectural preservation society Casamémoire, the former slaughterhouse continues to display some of its original infrastructure, including giant metal hooks used to hang dead animals.

In time, however, assuming that the municipality lends its approval and La Fabrique Culturelle can procure sufficient funds, the sprawling concrete complex will be divided into five creative districts that accommodate different cultural activities – including a documentation center and a library.

For now the complex is distinguished by its rough walls tagged with colorful graffiti, reminiscent of Imed Trabelsi’s abandoned mansion in Tunisia, which was colonized by the art collective “The Bedouins” after the Jasmine Revolution.

Dancers occasionally show off their moves on the rooftop, poets perform, and musicians fill the cavernous halls with traditional and contemporary tunes while people from all sectors of society explore this unique venue.

“The Slaughterhouse has rejuvenated Hay Mohammadi’s reputation, and has managed to decentralise Casablanca’s cultural scene, away from its core in the west of the city,” writes Brownbook’s Natalie Shooter.

While Al-Dusheira municipality has shown support for pro-society graffiti art, La Fabrique Culturelle is having a harder time finding support for their project.

Designed to promote the arts and culture in order to cultivate the same among a population dulled by capitalism and television, The Slaughterhouse costs €5,000 each month just to stay afloat.

“Right now we’re just hosting residencies and artists to create and perform, because we have no budget,” says project coordinator Dounia Benslimane.

Located near the Derb Moulay Cherif detention center, the building is protected from demolition, but it remains to be seen whether Moroccan authorities will have the courage to allow a project with such independent creative roots thrive without centralized control.

:: Brownbook Magazine

Photos courtesy La Fabrique Culturelle Facebook Page

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Perhaps cognizant that buying stuff only provides so much satisfaction and eager to contribute to the Arab world’s creative renaissance, Dubai Culture has commissioned small works of outdoor art that might transform at least small pockets of one of the world’s most materialistic cities into something a little more… interesting.

Collaborating with the advertising agency Xpoze and the Dubai Properties Group DPG, Dubai Culture initiated the “Outdoors Art Project” to display works of UAE-based artists around “The Walk” in Jumeirah Beach Residence.

“This outdoor gallery will showcase local art and talent around the United Arab Emirates, provide creative and fresh interventions in the space and add a new dimension to experiencing the JBR thus allowing the public to acknowledge the amount of creativity brewing within this society, and celebrating them by exposing their work,” Dubai Culture announced on their webpage.

“The artists can explore a wide range of mediums which can include but is not exclusive to: digital print, installation, mixed media and video projection,” they continued.

Dubai Culture has also cooperated with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to commission an 11 works of art for display on Marrakech and Airport Streets.

The two artists working on those installations – Fatma Saifan and Salama Nasib Saeed – each have a distinctive street style.

“A graduate in Visual Arts from Zayed University, Fatma Saifan’s artwork titled Airport and Travel draws on the shape of the control box, camouflaging it to resemble discarded luggage and shipment boxes, to evoke different forms of travel,” Brownbook Magazine reports.

Saeed’s contribution, which has a mystical quality according to the magazine, celebrates Dubai’s numerous forms of transportation, including bicycles, boats and the metro.

Unlike the street artists of Egypt or Tunisia, who are confronting powerful political themes, artists in Dubai are slightly more benign. Nonetheless, even the smallest deviation from the monotony of consumerism is a source of spiritual relief and we applaud this meaningful initiative.

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After a full year of planning, O*GE’s hard curatorial work at the Castro street art project in Jaffa has finally paid off. In one of the most surprising marriages of fashion, design and urban art we’ve seen to date, the Israeli-based clothing company invited more than a dozen internationally-acclaimed street artists to work with their fashion designers to create a fascinating summer collection.

But there’s more. In order to provide a showcase of both the street art and clothing, O*GE designed a pop-up shop made of shipping containers, which is currently on show at Hangar 2 at Jaffa Port just south of Tel Aviv, and the graffiti artists are manifesting scaled versions of their work that has been immortalized on t-shirts sold at Castro stores around the world.

While we make no claims that Castro clothing is particularly green, O*GE has a knack for curating projects with a minimalist touch without sacrificing a drop of flair. In this case, the project called for something more industrial chic than their recently-completed Haifa flower fair, given that it is situated in a port hangar.

Illuminated recycled shipping containers positioned on top of one another are used as display cases for both the artists and Castro clothing. A coat of bright-red paint livens up the giant steel structures, which might have otherwise gone to waste if O*GE hadn’t transformed them into a temporary pop-up shop.

Outside of the building, the artists are working the walls. Among those invited to participate in the second Castro Street Art project are Alexandros Vasmoulakis and Paris Koutsikos; the image below depicts a small sample of their exceptional urban art.

If you’re in Israel, rush down to the port and catch a glimpse of the project if you can. Today is the last day it will be on display, though the resulting clothing line should be available all summer.

all images via O*GE Facebook Page

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TIME Magazine paid allegiance to the brave hearted souls in the Middle East North Africa region who rose up against despotic regimes by naming “The Protestor” as their 2011 person of the year. Known now as the Arab Spring, this powerful movement was sparked by the self-immolation of a college-educated fruit vendor in Tunisia who was fed up with corruption and dismal living conditions. Since the subsequent Jasmine Revolution, the country has teetered between its tainted past and uncertainty, but these five stories point to the very real possibility that its residents can look forward to a freer and greener future.

1. Tunisian Graffiti Artist

Tunisian graffiti artist eL Seed was born in France. According to Green Prophet writer Laurie. he played around with graffiti as a hobbyist but only became serious about the controversial art form within the last decade or so. He enjoys this medium for its immediacy and accessibility and for its very public nature. Graffiti isn’t hidden behind doors or restricted to fancy art galleries. His “calligraffiti” is designed to promote Arab culture and break down erroneous stereotypes.

2. The Bedouin Takeover

Once the glittering home of the country’s former Construction Minister and nephew-in-law of ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a giant mansion had been trashed by protestors during the Jasmine revolution. So a team of skaters and locals known collectively as “The Bedouins” converted the ill-begotten space into an inspiring skate and art park. Led by Nathan Gray, The Bedouins promote cross-cultural collaboration, self-expression, and a healthy working through of post-revolution issues.

3. 4th Desertec Deal and 2 GW of Solar!

Tunisia may be pursuing one of the most ambitious renewable energy sectors on the planet with the possible exception of Scotland and a series of Scandinavian countries. Truly, their plans are staggering, and their willingness to float a substantial amount of money to support alternative energy programs even more so. One recently announced project is the 2 GW TuNur Concentrating Solar-thermal Power (CSP) plant from the Mediterranean solar developer – and founding member of MedGrid – Nur Energie.

4. World’s Top 50 Tourism Destinations

The recently released 2011 “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness” report by the World Economic Forum compiled in conjunction with Booz & Company demonstrates a noticeable shift that tourists around the global are heading to the East, with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Asia rising in rank, and sustainability continues to establish itself as a key tourism trend. While eco-tourism has taken a back seat to other pressing issues in the Middle East, Tunisia placed 47th on the list of desirable destinations.

5. Tunisian Eco-Retreat

This beautiful Dar HI eco-retreat in Tunisia designed by Matali Crasset demonstrates just one reason that Tunisia is one of the most accessible and desirable holiday destinations for eco-aware travelers. Set astride a clip of the Sahara desert and nearby a salt lake, it was built using local knowledge and local materials and features a soothing minimalism that takes the edge off any greater uncertainty. Clear here to learn more about this beautiful space.

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When Nathan Gray and his posse of skateboarders and street artists collectively known as “The Bedouins” were scouting out the perfect place to build a skate park in post-revolutionary Tunisia, some of the locals suggested they inhabit Imed Trabelsi’s abandoned mansion.

Once the glittering home of the country’s former Construction Minister and nephew-in-law of ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the building and grounds had been trashed by protestors during the Jasmine revolution, so a team of skaters and locals set about converting the place into an inspiring skate and art park. It is also an important location for PUSH Tunisia – a documentary scheduled to make its official debut later this year.

Adaptive reuse

Trabelsi’s swimming pool was filled to the gills with rubbish when The Bedouins came upon it, but within a day it was spotless and equipped with concrete concave cambers repurposed from broken pillars that allow skaters to perform their tricks.

Gray told The Guardian in a recent profile that “everyone showed up and liked the idea of converting the place into something anybody could skate and enjoy. The locals told us they’d help out however we needed them to. They didn’t know hot to build it, but they were down to make it happen.”

Egyptian street artist Yehia Ossama put the finishing touches on this inspiring new urban space with a mural entitled “Al Arab,” which means “The Arabs.” His idea was to honor everyone in the region who has sacrificed their personal security and often their lives for the benefit of a better future.

Films that inspire

This is not the first time Gray has entered a beleaguered zone intent on uplifting disadvantaged or traumatized youth. While he was in university, he traveled to Bangladesh and donated a pile of skateboards and lessons to slum dwellers. Later he returned and lived with his new friends for a while and filmed the documentary “Smile.”

Then, during the Lebanese war in 2006, he gathered Arab and Jew skaters together – “people who aren’t supposed to like each other” – and filmed a second documentary called SOUR aimed at bridging a cultural divide during one of the most divisive periods of the region’s history.

PUSH Tunisia will profile the characters who are being transformed by The Bedouins’ most recent creative outreach program. Each person’s unique history will be chronicled, as well as their response to the revolution and their thoughts about Tunisia’s future.

Creating awareness

“Although the emphasis will be about skateboarding there is also an important element of connecting African, Arab, and American cultures, inspiring those affected by conflict, and creating a sense of awareness of the current events happening in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt,” according to The Bedouins’ online literature.

Gray hopes that in addition to establishing a platform for the locals to express themselves, the documentary will raise awareness of the people affected by the Arab Spring uprisings – both then and now. They received support from skateboarders, NGOs, and even the American embassy in Tunisia to make this vision a reality.

If you’re in the area, try to catch a preview screening of PUSH – one of the most exciting developments to come out of the new Tunisia.

:: The Guardian

images taken from PUSH Tunisia’s Facebook page

More Creative Arts Projects in the Middle East:

Balyolu: Turkey’s First Honey Tasting Tour

Israeli Artist Transforms Rockets into Roses

Zabaleen Film Portrays Cairo’s Garbage City People

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