Dylan Barnes – ‘twenty seven, twenty eight’

In twenty seven, twenty eight, Dylan Barnes documents the last half of his 27th year and the first half of his 28th, a transformative period for him, like many of us. A simple introduction describes the project better than I can:

These images were created between January and December of 2016, a time that encapsulates my last six months of being twenty seven and the first six months of being twenty eight years old.

This work stands as a personal visual record and reflection of a time where unexpected, tragic, and transformative circumstances, both direct and indirect, made me become more aware of my interrelationship with others through ambivalence, loss, and despondency.

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Al Wahhab, the Generous Bestower

Among the beautiful names of Allah, Al Wahhab reminds us of the generosity of Allah: we don’t have to ask for the ability to see or hear, to walk, talk, and live, in general. He just bestows these gifts on us, to whatever extent He wills. He didn’t have to send all the Prophets and Messengers, but He did, and He bestowed on them good character, that we may learn by example, and sent down instructions to them, and made clear the halal and the haram, that we may strive to worship Him appropriately and avoid His punishment. Continue reading “Al Wahhab, the Generous Bestower”

I ran an Instax through the washing machine. Here’s what happened.

These things are resilient!

I left the Instax in the back pocket of a pair of slacks, so it had some protection when it went through the washer and dryer. Overall, there wasn’t much damage to the front side at all, just a bit of rounding to the corners, and the chemical strip at the bottom was bent. On the back, the plastic backing was damaged a bit, peeled up from a couple of corners, but overall, it survived with not much problem.

I wonder how an Impossible Project Polaroid Originals would fare…

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Don’t get too comfortable

With my recent reminders on forgiveness and mercy, it’s important to remember: while Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is Al Ghafur, Ar Raheem, the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful, He is also As Sami, Al Basir, Al Kabeer, the All Hearing, All Seeing, All Aware. He is Al Muhsiy, the Accounter, and Al Haseeb, the Bringer of Judgement. He is Al Muntaqim, the Avenger, Al Muqsit, the Requiter, and He is the Destroyer, Al Mumit, and Ad Darr, the Afflictor.

We shouldn’t get too comfortable…

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some Nate Matos zines

‘Various Shades Of’ and ‘In the Middle’ are the first two zines in Nate Matos‘ new “Color Theory” series. Like the Blandscapes, each issue contains a group of photos on a single theme: ‘Various Shades Of’ chronicles the brown that pervades manmade landscapes and ‘In the Middle’ features trees and shrubs in urban settings. The Color Theory zines are larger and somewhat more finely finished than the Blandscapes, with stiff covers and slick, machine-cut paper, but they’re still inexpensive and properly zine-y.

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Unboxing Panobooks

4 or 5 months ago, I came across the Panobooks Kickstarter and remembered the frustration I had when I first started my office job, balancing a notebook or tablet with a keyboard, trying to keep both in front of me, within easy reach and all. I tried small, top-spiraled notepads, turned on their sides, but they were ultimately unsatisfactory. And it was this memory, long ago solved, rather than some actual need or use case, that led me to back the project…

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He knows

As Allah azza wa jall tells us in the Holy Quran

وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا بِالْحُسْنَى

And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth – that He may recompense those who do evil with [the penalty of] what they have done and recompense those who do good with the best [reward] –

الَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ إِلَّا اللَّمَمَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَاسِعُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ

Those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, only [committing] slight ones. Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He was most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.

Forget the Shadow. He, subhanahu wa ta’ala, Knows, and He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.