Intimate Laila
Intimate Laila is a love story between a young woman named Laila and her boyfriend Rudra. The two met when they were young, and soon became lovers. Laila started dancing for Rudra at engagement parties and weddings, and he came to her house every night to dance. For eight years, they had intercourse, and Laila fell in love with Rudra. However, he never reciprocated her feelings, and only saw her as a means to an end.
Laila Biali
Laila Biali is a Canadian jazz singer with career-defining vocals and a variety of instrumental chops. She has also served as a host of CBC’s Saturday Night Jazz program. She continues the jazz-pop fusion and interweaves the worlds of jazz and pop music.
Bialy’s recent album Out of Dust is a collection of songs that deal with loss and grief. The result is an album that’s personal, melodic, and intimate. The songs are more pop than jazz, and they seem to be cathartic. Perhaps Biali wanted to move past the pain of losing her friend and wanted to celebrate life.
Biali has won numerous awards and is a future SOCAN Music Songwriting Award nominee. Her recent Live in Concert album features an incredible lineup of musicians and was recorded at Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio. The trio also features George Koller on upright bass and her husband, Ben Wittman, on djembe.
Laila Amine
Laila Amine is a novel about the complexities of intimacy in postcolonial Paris. Her writing takes on the demonization of Arab men and the colonial tropes of intimacy. Intimacy is a central theme throughout the novel, as Amine explores interracial relationships and the harem, as well as the marginalized narratives of the Arab-queers and racialized periphery.
Amine challenges a number of myths about Algerians in the United States. For instance, the myth that the banlieue is a misogynistic and homophobic space is challenged. Amine also challenges Orientalist cliches, highlighting the historical context of her subjects’ lives. Moreover, Amine includes a literature review on related novels and the historical context of the era.
Intimacy also offers a critical framework to look at the representation of Paris in twentieth-century texts by authors of color. Amine develops a framework for postcolonial Paris that includes both fiction and the visual arts, and interrogates the failure of French universalism to accommodate colonial subjects. This framework provides the basis for a nuanced discussion of cultural difference and assimilation.
Laila Muraywid
Born in 1956, Laila Muraywid is a Syrian artist based in Paris, France. Her work spans various mediums, including photography, sculpture, and jewelry. She explores gender and female marginality through her work, which often features light and shadow. The resulting works are intimate, sometimes revealing, and often confront dominant social norms.
The artist is a frequent exhibitor in Paris, Europe, and the Middle East. Her works have been included in many museum collections. She has also participated in several expositions at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Her paintings, installations, and works on paper have been shown internationally, including in a number of galleries.
The multiforme approach of Laila Muraywid’s work allows her to explore different platforms. Her work is close to sculpture and includes unique gravures. She also produces jewelry and signs collections for couturiers. She even performs with her pieces, wearing them as carapaces and masks.
Mette Hay
The collaboration between Laila Gohar and Mette Hay was a natural fit. The co-founders of HAY Accessories, Mette and Laila regularly encountered each other at social events. They became friends and met frequently over dinners. Eventually, Mette approached Laila about collaborating with her.
Whether in a private nook on a sofa for extra comfort, a cosy lampshade, or a perfectly designed grater, Mette Hay’s designs have the potential to inspire a personal response. The design duo are passionate about human comfort, and strive to make everyday life better for the user.
