The Alchemy of Wisdom is a book like no other in Kuwait. It is an art book, as beautiful as you’ll find on any coffee table, it is an exploration of Kuwait through the question ‘What is the secret of Kuwait?’ The answer being its people, it then follows that a celebration of Kuwait’s most inspiring individuals would be the best way to fully explore Kuwait’s secret.
This was the drive behind this impassioned project for Sheikha Intisar Al-Sabah, Founder and CEO of Lulua Publishing. She was looking for a specific kind of inspiration though. “I was looking for men and women who make us proud to be Kuwaitis, in part because they are Kuwaitis.” In total she found forty-eight of them and she would capture their spirit in words and pictures.
Sheikha Intisar Al-Sabah, along with Lulua Publishing Group Editor, Zeina Bitar, worked on collecting pearls of wisdom from these inspiring Kuwaitis – a not unenviable task. They met with them and culled inspirational words that would then serve as inspiration for portraits. The Alchemy of Wisdom is first and foremost a photography book. Celebrated British photographer Cristian Barnett was charged with the task of capturing the philosophy of these individuals and their words through his lens. “I always saw ‘The Alchemy of Wisdom’ as a photography book, driven by images that best illustrated the pearls of wisdom gathered from our Kuwaitis. I wanted the book to be an artistic masterpiece like no other in the Arab world, because these individuals deserve a book that is as inspirational as they are,” says Sheikha Intisar Al-Sabah. No two images are alike and each photo is a unique representation of the person whose wisdom it is distilling and each location was different.
The book itself is stunning; deep black, the title embossed in gold lettering of English and Arabic, the cover hints at the wisdom lying in wait on the enclosed pages. The pearls of wisdom are transcribed in English and Arabic and are accompanied by stunningly reproduced portraits of Kuwait’s most inspiring individuals.
Within the pages of the book you can make your own exploration of the question, ‘what is the secret of Kuwait?’ You will find the answer in the many inspiring and wonderful Kuwaiti pearls, dived for by Sheikha Intisar Al-Sabah and Zeina Bitar and captured on camera by Cristian Barnett. It truly is a wonderful, inspirational book.
For more information on The Alchemy of Wisdom, visit: thealchemyofwisdom.com.
The book can be purchased at Dar Nur, Dar al Athar, Sadu House, FA Gallery, Gallery Tilal, and Contemporary Art Platform (CAP) or alternatively, please contact Lulua Publishing on 9405 8795 or info@thealchemyofwisdom.com.
