Side Events
Medrar for Contemporary Art
22 November 2019 - 23 November 2019
Al Masaleh Bette’stalih
Roznama 7 – Studio Program
“Al Masaleh Bette’stalih” proposes a framework through which we can exchange ideas, experiences, and knowledge alongside producing artistic projects and research/artistic theses about our livelihood strategies within various fields of contemporary cultural work.
How do we make a living today? What are the challenges we face? What feelings does the concept of work evoke in us? How do the interests of stakeholders intersect to shape the contemporary scene? And how can we envision and develop alternative methods for production, organization, exchange, and coexistence in our field? What kind of infrastructure, shared spaces, and solidarity might contribute to making this field less economically unstable? What will artistic production look like in light of these questions, and what forms will the artistic practices and research/artistic theses take, not only addressing current conditions but also intervening in them?
“Al Masaleh Bette’stalih” is designed for professionals in contemporary art fields, including artists, coordinators, event organizers, writers, editors, and anyone engaged in contemporary cultural work. Additionally, it targets researchers specializing in intersections between creative work concepts, the market, and forms of regulation in economically insecure situations and alternative economies and societies in cultural work.
Program Structure:
The program spans nine months starting on April 1, 2019. Recognizing the importance of a space to gather all participants throughout its duration, it provides a workspace (studios) for all participants.
During April and May, the program engages in studying the realities and conditions of work and life in the contemporary cultural field through four case studies, categorized into two pairs: “Harm City Studios” and “Townhouse Roof Top Studios,” and “Nothing Fades, Everything Transforms Exhibition” and “Cairo Documenta.” Through these pairs, recent experiences in the cultural field are examined to reveal the nature of relationships, networks, resources, and emotions affecting participants within these examples and possibly within the sector as a whole. This part serves as a rich introduction to developing participants’ perspectives on the current reality and its implications for artistic production, artistic practices, event formats, educational methods within the field, relevant writings, forms of organizations, publication methods, and the exchange of research/artistic productions, imagining networks of interests and relationships that unite us.
In June, the program labs begin where participants work collaboratively in groups to study and enhance concepts and topics related to the program’s theme. The labs focus on forms of knowledge exchange and collective work.
For more information about the labs, check the application form.
The program concludes with a research forum that traces the impact of exchanges, ideas, discussions, and artistic projects produced during the program period. It also serves as an opportunity to create effective exchange spaces with the public.
Throughout its duration, the program hosts two directed working groups specifically designed for cultural managers, discussing topics relevant to the program’s theme. Applications for these groups and further details will be announced later.
The program offers:
The Participants:
We received 45 applications from female and male artists, researchers, and cultural activists with diverse interests and backgrounds. We focused on selecting individuals whose interests align with the program’s objectives and who have proposed research, production, and pedagogical projects relevant to the program’s themes and questions. At the same time, we recognized the importance of providing workspace and fostering ideas for the largest possible number of interested participants. Therefore, we divided the participants into two groups: one group receiving individual studio space and a stipend, and another group sharing studio space with the flexibility to join the program as needed.
This cycle, we welcome 18 cultural actors from various backgrounds!
// Group receiving individual studio space and stipend // Osama Ayad, Eman Ibrahim, Sara Younis, Mahmoud Magdi, Marwa El Sayed, Nahal El Shamy, Randa Abu El Dahab, Rawia Sadek, Roshan Al Qurashi, Hager Aze Eldin
// Group sharing studio space with flexibility to join the program as needed // Ahmed Mongy, Batool El Hanawy, Sohair Sharara, Fatima Al Zahraa Nyazi, Marwa Abdel Monem, Mariam Khalil, May El Shazly, Hend Moaz
Program Activities:
“Al Masaleh Bette’stalih” is a social educational program aiming to produce and exchange knowledge, experiences, and skills within the cultural field. Participants are required to commit semi-full time over six months and are provided with space for collaborative work and thinking. During April and May, the program offers an introduction to the realities of cultural work through workshops, lectures, readings, field visits, and film screenings. Throughout the six months, we present a series of public events aimed at expanding the discussion on topics of interest to participants in the program.
Stay tuned for updates on public events through our Facebook page, and join us!
Urgent Eviction #1
Urgent Eviction #1 is a public meeting program organized as part of (Al Masaleh Bette’stalih), Roznama 7 – Studio Program.
The program began in April by developing a set of questions and concepts that will help us explore the reality of cultural work over the introductory months of April and May. We met over two days to share ideas about our concerns, drawing from our personal experiences and our work in the cultural field as artists, researchers, and cultural coordinators. We then developed broader themes to guide our research over the two months. We asked about the relationship between profit-oriented companies and non-profit cultural institutions, the history of unions in the cultural field, individual and institutional security and social insurance, financial sustainability and economic practices in the cultural field, as well as nepotism, personal networks, institutions, alternative work histories, and mechanisms that might contribute to our envisioning of the future of cultural work and our reality within it.
During April, we focused on two case studies: Haram City Studios and Roof Top Studios, through field trips, readings, meetings with individuals, film screenings, and exhibition visits. By examining these experiences, we aim to deepen our questions and achieve a tangible understanding of cultural realities.
Through the public program, we invite you to join us and share your ideas and experiences!
\\Schedule\\
– Sunday, April 21–
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
The film was shot on the rooftop of Roof Top Studio, where the directors met and developed a collaboration. The film is based on the experience of several workers who joined an acting workshop, through which they reflected on their roles within the work system. The spatial setting of Roof Top Studio serves as a stage allowing workers to embody various roles: laborer, factory manager, and police officer, portraying the interactions between these parties. The film relies on acting and recreation to raise awareness about larger questions concerning power relations governing the lives of the working class, especially factory workers. Philip will discuss the film’s development stages and the artistic choices made with Yasmina Metwally to develop a cinematic practice that could be considered part of biased cinema history.
Philip Rizk is a director and writer based in Cairo. He co-directed with Yasmina Metwally the film “Outside in the Street” (2015), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and later at the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in the same year. His writings have appeared online and in books including “2011 is not 1968: A Message to the Audience.” He was a resident visitor at the DAAD program in Berlin in 2016 and is currently working on a new film titled “World Without Maps.” Philip will lead a workshop within the framework of the (Al Masaleh Bette’stalih) program with participants on Sunday morning.
– Monday, April 22nd –
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Today, artists of Haram City face the oncoming threat of displacement from their studios and homes in 6th of October City due to changes in agreements between the fine art sector and businessman Sameh Sawiris. These changes have led to rent increases and pressures to either own the studios or evacuate them, as stated in a Facebook statement by a group of artists from Herm City Studios under the hashtags #Solidarity_With_Experiment_In_Crisis #Haram_City_Studios. In this meeting, two artists from different generations, signatories to the statement, will discuss the history of Haram City, the details of the current crisis, and the actions they have taken to resist the displacement of artists from their studios and homes due to rent raise.
Osama Abdel Moneim, born in Cairo in 1984, lives and works as an independent visual artist. Since 2002, he has participated in 47 international and local art events and held two solo exhibitions. He has won several awards, including the Grand Prize for Artwork at the Second Youth Salon, the Oscar of the Third Creativity Festival, and others. His works are part of the official collections of the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, the General Authority for Cultural Palaces, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Braunschweig, Germany.
Ghada Abdel ElMalek, born in Cairo in 1971, graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting Department, in 1993. She is a visual artist based in Cairo and has been actively involved in the art movement since 2007. She has had three solo exhibitions, participated in numerous art workshops, and exhibited in many group exhibitions. She received the Artistic Creativity Grant from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture in 2010 and 2011, and the Siwa Studios Grant in 2013 from the Egyptian Cultural Palaces Authority. She participated in a mural project “About Peace” The event was implemented by the Coalition of Youth Fine Artists and coordinated with the Masterpiece Movement as part of a week-long festival “Cairo, a Global City of Peace,” and was involved in an interactive project (a mural along Said Obeid Street in Imbaba about 500 meters long) with the participation of 30 artists, organized by the Coalition of Young Fine Artists.
Sayed Abdel Khalek, a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Expressive Arts, in 2001, Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Criticism. He has worked as a freelance artist and director since 2001. He participated in the 14th Youth Salon and is a founding member of the Association for Studies and Training of Independent Teams since 2004, which was established by six independent teams: Atelier Theater – Light – Movement – Fragmentation and Approach – Gypsy – Maghraty. He is also a founding member of the September 5th Group concerned with supporting the families of martyrs of Bani Sweif Theater in 2005. He participated in establishing the Links Theater in cooperation with Town House and contributed to organizing the Independent Teams Meeting until the ninth session in Cairo, Alexandria, and Minya, the largest gathering of independent teams since its founding meeting in 1990. He participated professionally as an actor and director in performances and films of the Independent Atelier Theater from 2001 to 2016, the latest of which was directing the theatrical performance “The Monkeys” presented at the Hanager Arts Center and as an actor in the film “Midnight Party.” He is a founding member of the Aswan International Women’s Cinema Festival and Workshop Director at the Aswan International Film Festival for Women’s Films since 2017. He received the Grant of Dedication from the Ministry of Culture in 2018 and completed shooting his first long documentary film “6 Characters.”
–Wednesday, May 8th –
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Discussion on the studio as a space for the artist’s work and the development of artistic practice.
We are questioning the nature of the space offered by “the studio,” not only based on case studies from April but also on the reality of the program we are in. It’s a program that provides studio space where we sometimes work individually and other times as a group. Do we need dedicated space for work, and what is the form of the studio today for us? What is the nature of the routine that connects us to our workspaces, and do workspaces enforce a certain practice on us or does practice dictate the workspace?
This open discussion invites the public and calls on several artists to reflect on their relationship with their studios in a seminar where we explore readings on the history, evolution, and nature of the studio as a space for creative work, and the type of activity taking place within artists’ studios in contemporary times.
Alaa Abdel Hamid, born in Dakahlia in 1986
Alaa is an artist and writer who uses multimedia including sculpture, texts, video, and installations. He employs assemblage and narrative of myths as artistic practices, blending real and imaginary narratives to mirror current political events. Alaa lives and works in Cairo. His works have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at the Medrar for Contemporary Art in Cairo in 2014, Saad Zaghloul Center in Cairo in 2012, and Artellewa Space in Giza in 2011. He participated in the Thessaloniki Biennale in Greece in 2011. He has undertaken several artistic residencies, including at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris in 2015 and Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France. He has authored two novels, “Security Personnel” in 2012 and “call me” in 2009.
Urgent Eviction #2
Participants in the (Al Masaleh Bette’stalih) program direct their attention during May to two case studies for this month: Cairo Documenta 1 (2010) exhibition and the “Nothing Vanishes, Everything Transforms” exhibition. This is done through field tours, readings, and meetings with individuals. Our aim in examining these two experiences is to deepen our inquiries and achieve a concrete understanding of cultural realities.
During the month, we are developing a set of questions and concepts related to regulatory mechanisms, administrative structures, and contexts where private capital intersects with the public sector. We explore experiments involving forms of Self-regulation of artists. The case studies raise questions about classifications like “youth,” “Egyptian,” or “contemporary” in their relationship to artistic products within local, regional, and international art markets, as well as the identity of those working in arts and culture. Can we view Cairo Documenta organizers as a “new generation,” young artists who have experimented with Self-regulation methods for presentation and production? What is the history of exhibitions in Egypt? To what extent does the public sector influence them compared to the private sector? What are the organizational and legal frameworks governing the work of cultural actors and artists? These questions serve as a starting point for the program, aiming to expand the scope of discussion with the public, initiating an understanding of current complexities and envisioning organizational structures and working mechanisms that critically engage with them.
\\The Schedule\\
– Tuesday, May 14 –
From 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Recalling the History of Cairo Documenta 2010 Exhibition
Meeting with Ahmed Nagy, Mahmoud Hamdi, Ahmed Talal, Mohamed Allam
Cairo Documenta is a collective exhibition, whose first edition was held at the Viennoise Hotel in Downtown in 2010. After almost a decade, we revisit the history of Cairo Documenta through a meeting with the organizing group, aiming to discuss questions about the exhibition’s organization mechanisms and its historical context in the local art scene. In addition to the mentioned names, Ahmed Al Shaer (currently abroad) and Ahmed Basyouni were also members of the organizing committee.
– Monday, May 20 –
From 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM
On Mechanisms of Organizing Cultural Events in the Public Sector
Meeting with the artist and curator Tarek Mamoon, inspired by his extensive experience within the Fine art sector and cultural centers in Cairo. Tarek Mamoon will discuss his history of collaboration with the governmental cultural sector and the lessons learned over the years. He will elaborate on the nature of the fine arts sector system, its bureaucratic complexities, its relationship with other governmental systems, and mechanisms for stimulating cultural product consumption and audience engagement.
Currently, Tarek Mamoon serves as the Director of the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from the Faculty of Specific Education, Cairo University, 1992, and a Master’s degree in Art Education, 2006. He has worked in various roles within the fine arts sector since 1995, including as a cultural and artistic member at the Fine Arts Office, Director of Saad Zaghloul Cultural Center, artistic member of the Arts Complex, General Director of National Museums at the Ministry of Culture, and member of the Visual Arts Committee at the Supreme Council of Culture. He organized art exhibitions, managed art facilities at the El Giza Arts Center, and served on several committees at the Ministry of Culture, including the committee overseeing and preparing works of participating artists in the Cairo International Biennale 2001, and a member of the Artistic and Cultural Activities Measurement Unit project committee.
– Sunday, May 26 –
From 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Meeting and Tour with Participants in the Program
We have been working on filling an entire room with diverse materials inspired by case studies during the introduction period to reflect the collection of our research paths throughout April and May. We divided into four groups (Alternative Group, Art Market Group, Audience Group, and Institution Roles Group), each developing its questions and ideas. The room bears the traces of our collective work to understand the reality of the field we work in and aspire to change some of its elements. During the meeting and tour, participants will present the key ideas we discussed and what we have concluded about the past, present, and future of the cultural and artistic field.
Between May 2019 and early August, participants focused on their individual projects in preparation for their first critical review sessions held during the first ten days of August.
The critical review sessions:
Between May 2019 and early August, colleagues participating in Schedule 7 – Studio Program (Al Masaleh Bette’stalih) focused on their artistic and research projects during the period from May to August.
The collective critical review sessions are held internally among participants in Roznama 7 – Studio Program (Al Masaleh Bette’stalih) and the program’s curators. Each participant presents their findings in their projects and personal research. Attendees, including program colleagues and curators, criticize the work, guide research paths, develop ideas, and discuss them with the project owner to assist in their development for the upcoming critique session or final research forum, an event open to the public and critics for attendance and discussion of the final form of various projects and researches.
The Labs:
Participants in Roznama 7 – Studio Program (Al Masaleh Bette’stalih) conducted open labs for the public to engage in as part of developing their work and enriching research sources, in the form of workshops facilitated by project owners.
Chick Museum Lab with Nehal El Shami:
Nahal presented her research project to the Studio Program about the nature of museums, their different types, methods of displaying artifacts within museums, and their value. Nehal organized the “Chick Museum” lab, which served as a practical experiment to create a museum. She invited children to participate in the lab and organized several field visits to various museums around Downtown and historic Cairo. Alongside these visits, sessions and discussions were held with children about the concept and importance of museums and how to handle artifacts of historical value.
At the end of the lab, under Nahal’s supervision, children will create a small museum showcasing artifacts they brought from their homes, overseen by their parents. The children also prepared the space to exhibit their artifacts and engage in discussions with the public about them.
“Secret Magazine” Lab with Sara Younis:
Sara’s work submitted to the Studio Program revolves around money and its direct impact on social life. Sarah invited various photographers to collaborate on producing a magazine titled “Secret,” inviting guests from different visual backgrounds including photographers Yasser Elwan and Heba Khalifa.
Workshop sessions continued to meet weekly for two months, during which participants worked on developing their ideas and coordinating shots and different projects published in the first and only issue of the Egyptian magazine “Secret.”
“In the Great Trap of the Time” Lab with Rawia Sadek:
Rawia Sadek has long been researching the life of feminist “Doria Shafik,” uncovering secrets about her upbringing, literary activities, role in opposition, personal life complexity, and mental health until her passing in the 70s.
Rawia issued an open invitation to comic art enthusiasts to work on a series of illustrated stories and comics depicting different stages of Doria Shafik’s life, collaborating with comic artists Aliaa Bassiouny and Tawfig, along with the presence of various guests during different workshop sessions such as Shawky, a comic artist and founder of TokTok magazine.
Publication Lab:
Mohamed Abdel Kareem and Noor El Safouri, curators of the second edition of Roznama 7 – Studio Program, coordinated the Print Lab to work with participating artists and researchers on creating a publication about the program as a whole, encompassing all writings, notes, and collective projects worked on by colleagues throughout the studio period.
Abdel Kareem and El Safouri discussed various publications and methods of self-publishing with the studio participants. Alongside Abdel Kareem and El Safouri, studio participants conducted recorded discussion sessions—later transcribed—about various challenges in artistic practices in general and within the studio in particular.
What Are We Selling in the Cultural Field?
We are preparing for the research forum, the final event of this year’s “Al Masaleh Bette’stalih” program, concluding our open program for the public. The first event within its framework is the workshop “What Are We Selling in the Cultural Field?” facilitated by Mariz Qallada, and we invite you to join us.
Our preparatory meetings for this workshop focused on the instability of work in the cultural field and the insights provided by the perspective of affective labor and precarious/temporary labor. These are aspects through which we understand our lives as cultural actors. We conceived a research tool around which the workshop revolves, settling on auto-ethnography for its potential to employ artistic research strategies on subjects such as emotional labor, individual agency versus collective will, solidarity, and support among workers in the cultural field. This opens up spaces for new practical and cognitive practices in arts and culture.
Auto-ethnography is a research tool in the humanities and social sciences, characterized by a liberated style of writing free from conventional and descriptive templates, allowing us to engage with ourselves and our experiences to confront broader contexts. Over the first two sessions, we progressed through successive stages of writing, note-taking, and reflection in an attempt to deepen our understanding of some questions.
First Session:
Focused on “What Are We Selling in the Cultural Field?” where we discuss the progress of the relationship between “work” and “capital,” starting from Karl Marx and moving through writings of the Italian Autonomia movement. We address overlooked forms of work such as women’s labor, care work, and minority ethnic labor, and inquire how we can broaden our concepts of work and its necessity in studying our work reality in the cultural field and its relationship with the global economic system.
Second Session:
Poses the question “Is it enough for each to follow their own path?” We write and analyze our personal experiences and what our insecure work may offer in terms of potential for reactivation or use of emotional involvement, often compelling us to work beyond the value of our wages. We continue to reflect on the potential of insecure work in the cultural field—whether it drives us to reaffirm individual will, analyze institutional structures, or perhaps requires us to blend both—and how we can achieve this.
Third Session:
Centers around “What do we think about when we hear/say solidarity?” Here, through exercises and collective discussions, we delve into intersections apparent in our diverse work experiences, our different positions, personalities, and occupations. How do we build networks and social relationships based on what is common in our experiences? What do concepts like solidarity and support mean to us, and can we imagine meanings that turn these concepts into practical actions to improve living, psychological well-being, and work atmospheres without restricting them to ethical approach?
The workshop is open to artists, researchers, writers, project coordinators, and professionals in fields intersecting with culture such as translation, publishing, education, and journalism. No prior experience in the discussed topics or writing is required—only an interest in the themes and a willingness to learn collectively, and share experiences, and knowledge within the group.
At the end of the workshop, there is an opportunity to develop a collective contribution presented to the public audience of the research forum in November 2019.
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November 22nd and November 23rd | Marathon (Al Masaleh Bette’stalih)
The marathon starts at 11 AM on November 22nd and ends at 1 AM on November 24th.
We open Roznama Studio to the public for 36 hours, during which participants will showcase the implementation of their work stages to the audience. The format chosen for the event aims to extend the time to occupy studio spaces for a long period where we interact together: eating, conversing, engaging around artworks, discussing them, eating again, and then producing posters about work environments within the cultural field.
We meet each participant twice, whether inside their studio space or in the corridors used by some to display their works. Some presentations are repeated, while others occur twice in different ways.
Here is the schedule. We look forward to welcoming you.
Note: You can bring a sleeping bag and stay inside the studio for the night of the 22nd.
The event | We start on 22 November and end 1 am on 24 |
Breakfast and Beverages and Program Overview | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM |
Marwa El-Sayed Presents (Graph Chart) as part of her research project on social relationships as infrastructure in the art scene between 1989-2019, inviting the audience to participate in its development. | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM |
Marwa Abdel-Moneim Marwa presents a dual-print project titled “Eating Meat,” where the artist attempts to document human consumption of the universe through a mythological framework. | 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM |
Eman Ibrahim Iman presents her second puzzle book focusing on architectural entities as a case study, part of her long-term research project “I am Munira from Egypt.” | 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM |
Nehal El-Shami Nehal publishes a print as part of her research project addressing our intertwined relationship with the museum as a cultural institution that should reflect both our present and heritage together. | 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
Fatma Abu Douma Fatma presents a multimedia work exploring the personal narratives and psychological dimensions faced by a group of women working in the creative field. | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM |
Break / Lunch | 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
Mariam Khalil A tour of Mariam Khalil’s studio showcasing works in development, discussing her relationship as a photographer with oil painting and photography. | 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM |
Hagar Az Eldin Hagar stages remnants (objects, language, action, conflict) from the inner world of middle-class homes, aiming to create space for questioning personal relationships with the public. | 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM |
Eman Ibrahim | 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM |
Rawiya Sadek Rawiya presents personal prints and diaries (“Memory of the Ephemeral, I see nothing but what is unseen”), alongside participant prints from the workshop (“In the Trap of the Great Time”), covering the 1960s and two important events in Doria Shafik’s life during 1967-1968. | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM |
Ahmed Mange Ahmed presents “Temporary Printing,” an experimental project under development addressing publishing and its various practices. | 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM |
Burnout / Poster Workshop on Work Fatigue | 10:00 PM – 1:00 AM |
Musical Playlist by Ahmed Mange | 1:00 AM – 4:00 AM |
Nap Break | 5:00 AM – 10:00 AM |
Breakfast and Beverages | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM |
Reading and Discussion Session A session starting from contributions within the program’s print to contemplate “Toxic Work Environments”: What does it mean for a work environment to be toxic? How can we broaden our understanding of the nature of relationships that arise within our workplaces? | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
Fatma Abu Doma | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM |
Tour at the Chick Museum with Nehal El-Shamy A project coordinated by Nehal El-Shamy where children create their museum themselves, following several tours Nehal conducted with “Chicks” at Cairo museums in early 2019; a group of children aged between five and twelve. | 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM |
Sara Younis Sara presents her work along with the team – Hadeer Nagy, Salma Shatah, Norhan Ibrahim, Manal El-Sayed – “Siria,” a photographic print they have been working on since last June. The print includes several illustrated stories exploring the impact of money on our daily lives. | 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM |
Rawiya Sadek | 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM |
Break / Lunch | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM |
Hagar Azz Eldin | 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM |
Marwa Abdel-Moneim | 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM |
Ahmed Mongy | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
Marwa El-Sayed | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM |
Mariam Khalil | 8:00 PM – 8:30 PM |
Nehal El-Shamy | 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM |
Sara Younis | 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM |
Osama Ayad Osama presents a film of his choice, followed by a session discussing the creative work challenges faced by a new generation of male and female creatives in various fields (music, cinema, arts, design). | 10:00 PM – 1:00 AM |