The Creek is For Me. The Creek is For Us.
2024-ongoing
The Creek is For Me. The Creek is For Us. (2024-ongoing), is an homage to Dubai Creek - inspired by and based on the 1976 novel Dubai by Robin Moore. The title is from a line of dialogue in the novel.
Dubai Creek is a waterway that divides the city and where the city’s economic development and growth started from the 1950s onwards. It was the main trading port and Dubai’s economic and touristic hub, before changes to property ownership laws in the 2000s that led to the hi-rise construction and real estate boom, which led to the city’s expansion further away from the creek.
Just like the past, the creek today is still bustling with wooden boats transporting people between the two sides of the city, and trading and cargo boats that travel to and from Iran, India, Pakistan and parts of Africa, alongside an increased number of neon lit floating restaurants.
Robin Moore’s novel, mostly set in Dubai, spans four years starting in 1967. Its protagonist is Fitz Lodd, a former American intelligence officer. Seeking new financial opportunities, he moves to Dubai, known then as an entrepôt of gold trade, and on the brink of modernisation, economic growth, and oil discovery. Working for multiple government and private entities, Fitz gets involved with gold smuggling, deals with oil cartels, transportation of weapons and espionage. Dubai Creek is a meeting site for many of these activities.
This series is part of an ongoing transmedia project that includes photography, moving image, installations and objects.
Developed during PhMuseum’s Mediae 2023/24 Online Masterclass On Transmedia Storytelling led by Salvatore Vitale, the series includes photography, moving image and installation. Complete series coming soon.
The Creek is For Me. The Creek is For Us.
Photography (ongoing)
Shot on 35mm and 120mm film, the photo series traces locations along the creek mentioned in the novel and beyond.
A visual essay about what lies along the creek, commercial and public spaces that encompass old and new sites, a landscape that is mostly rough around the edges - for habitation, community, leisure or business.
Dubai is a city that likes to perpetuate an image of newness and efficiency, with a reputation of hyper-capitalism and exploitation. The neglected or the “unpolished” urban landscape that is not incorporated in the city’s PR and branding campaigns hold untold stories and history of the place.
Creek By Night
Short film, digital (ongoing)
Two novels by Robin Moore were adapted to film, The Green Berets (John Wayne, Ray Kellogg, 1968) and The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)
What can a film based on Robin Moore’s Dubai look like?
Creek by Night is a two-channel short film that can be projected on one or two screens. It corresponds to the book by featuring the city at night with a focus on city lights reflected on the water, motifs found along the creek, and ambient sounds from the actual locations. It features extracted text from the book, narrated by different voices.
Stills from Creek by Night.
