Lebanese street artist Yazan Halwani was surprised to
receive a call from luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer six months ago, asking
him to become a brand ambassador.
“I don’t normally wear watches
but I’ve started now, of course,” the 23-year-old says. “Naturally, I
was very familiar with the brand and I’m glad that our collaboration has
been an open one – bridging two worlds if you like – creating something
relevant to both parties.”
Tag
Heuer commissioned Halwani to design a digital face for its Connected
watch, which allows the wearer to upload a variety of designs via its
touchscreen, in addition to thousands of lifestyle applications. Due
to be launched Wednesday night, just in time for Eid Al Adha, the
Arabic watch-face design will be available – via a dedicated Tag app –
to customers who buy a Connected timepiece, the prices of which range
from Dh5,550 to Dh37,000.
The
unveiling will take place on Wednesday during a private VIP reception
in Dubai, at the French restaurant Le Cantine du Faubourg, with Halwani
in attendance.
Previous watch-face creators have included Thor
actor Chris Hemsworth, American football star Tom Brady and footballer
Cristiano Ronaldo – but Halwani’s design is the first Arabic one.
The
artist is best known for his large-scale murals across the Middle East,
which feature portraits of musical, literary and political luminaries
from the region, and abstract formations of Arabic calligraphy –
portrayed as musical notation, petals or wisps of wind.
His calligraphic design for Tag Heuer – in muted shades of grey, white and blue – plays with the idea “Time Does Not Wait”.
“My
brief was to create an artwork from the Arab world, and I wanted to
find a commonality between Arabic calligraphy and watchmaking,” says
Halwani. “Firstly, the digital face represented a modern shift away from
a traditional watch face. And Arabic calligraphy – created centuries
ago in a specific script, size and repetitive, traditional art form – is
something I’ve explored in different dimensions, too. My design is
supposed to invite people in the Arab world, and everywhere, to consider
that they can still be progressive while always conserving their
identity.”
Identity
is at the heart of Halwani’s artworks, which tap into the country or
community in which he finds himself creating cultural talking points.
Having long witnessed the civil unrest of his native Lebanon, Beirut is
often the beautified backdrop for his murals.
His depiction of
Lebanese singer and actress Sabah adorns the concrete side of a building
in Beirut’s Hamra district, while the singer Fairouz is surrounded in a
sea of calligraphic notes in an alleyway in Gemmayzeh. A mural of the
late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish is another of Halwani’s noted
works in the city, and one that has prompted more than just conversation
among its observers. “I personally think that after I paint a wall,
it’s there to be altered or intervened with,” says Halwani.
“The
eyes, nose and mouth of Darwish’s portrait were erased, but everything
else was preserved and so I chose to keep it as that way. It was
someone’s interpretation of him and their expression of my work.
“That’s
what interests me most – that the mural can be an evolution. Yes, some
walls are more susceptible to damage or vandalism than others, but what
I’m really happy about is how the community rallies around and sends me
messages asking me to preserve or remake the walls. It’s very touching.”
From
the inception of a new work, to securing permission from the relevant
authorities, Halwani often has to wait for up to a year. The execution
of the murals, however, is much more streamlined, taking from just two
days to two weeks.
While Halwani is keen to leave an artistic
impression on the UAE’s urban landscape, he remains superstitiously
tight-lipped about any potential projects he has in the pipeline.
For
now at least, he’s content to have his artwork displayed on the wrists
of Tag Heuer’s customers. “It’s an honour to be involved with this
project, and I’m delighted that Arab art like mine would be interesting
on a global level,” he says. “I feel that I have a positive platform to
influence some international perceptions about the Arab world and its
art, and that means a lot. It’s especially nice to see in today’s
world.”
