The Finjan, book and app, by Daveeda Shaheen, a highly creative entrepreneur from Syria who is based in Dubai, explains the works of art that are left in an empty coffee cup. The cultures and customs that have evolved through them with every swirl and sip of coffee, Arabic coffee that is, are beautifully explained in The Finjan.
How did your project, The Finjan, come about?
Because we travelled a lot, my mother and I would always make it a point to sit together, drink coffee and discuss what we’d been doing in our busy lives. She would show me these images in the coffee cup and I’d say there was so much more to them — the Arabesque forms and beautiful designs. This exercise turned into an art project — art in the cup. And, that’s how the book came about — because there are so many fascinating stories that surround our Arabic culture; I wanted to do something personal that touched my heart. I thought about my roots and my roots are Arabic; and the thing that glued me to the Arab culture was coffee. That’s really how it started, a focus on the art in the coffee that all began in the Arab world.
What did you want to highlight about Arabs and coffee culture?
I wanted to point out where the heart of coffee all began — the Arabian Peninsula and throughout the Arab countries. Coffee was discovered by Arabs, and for 500 years, the Arabs had a monopoly on coffee. The Finjan, Arabic coffee, continues to be a positive focus and outlook on the Arab world especially during these hard times that the region has been going through.
What does the book include?
The Finjan is divided into two parts: the first part looks at the historical and cultural aspects of coffee. It is important to bring recognition back to all showing that coffee is and has been an Arabic beverage; the second part is an artistic depiction of the imprints that coffee usually leaves in one’s cup.
Tell us about the The Finjan App that you have recently launched.
The Finjan App is an app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It demonstrates the art of the Arabic coffee cup. It enables users to literally “flip the cup” to identify symbols in our virtual coffee cup and explore what these symbols mean. It’s a way of practising the art of the finjan any time and in any place. You must flip your iPhone over as if you are flipping over a real cup as one does.
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| This Finjan Feature Appeared in Oasis Magazine issue 17 |
How is this app different than other coffee apps?
The process of flipping the cup is very simple and it is a great deal of fun. If you don’t do it right, then you don’t get any “tiffil” or residue and therefore won’t be able to read your cup. Once you have the tiffil you have to examine it closely to identify a symbol. Then you can click on the symbol for information about what that symbol means. The app is a fun discovery of an Arabic tradition, and a way to promote Arabic culture. There is also a short video demonstrating how to pour your cup of Arabic coffee and how to create the tiffil in order to search for symbols and thus the art within.
What do you hope that people will get out of the app?
The mission was to create the most beautiful iOS app that helps to share the depth and wonders of Arabic culture. The first über quality app from the region. Helping to create a top quality app development industry throughout the MENA region. I hope that it helps in promoting Arabic culture and the arts in general.
Download the free App from iTunes! Download Here
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