Analysis
A cultural free zone for Al Quoz
Dubai Culture has announced the implementation of the first phase of a large redevelopment plan for Al Quoz that formalises the Alserkal Avenue area as the centre of a new creative free zone “to attract […]
Award
Taken with a pinch of salt: the Audi Innovation Award winner
The 2019 Audi Innovation Award for the Middle East was presented to Amman-based design studio Twelve Degrees at the opening of Dubai Design Week. Simplification was this year’s theme, and Twelve Degrees came up with […]
Festival
A new festival for Abu Dhabi: old meets new?
This December Abu Dhabi is getting a new city-centre festival, centred on the recently redeveloped Al Hosn area. Essentially it’s a replacement for the old Qasr Al Hosn Festival, which took place on some of […]
Culture
Abu Dhabi’s five-year culture plan: short on detail, long on tradition
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has unveiled a five-year Culture Sector Strategy that has the aim of “strengthening the foundations and infrastructure of Abu Dhabi’s cultural ecosystem”. It also aims to […]
Competition
Ayyalah-inspired installation wins the Christo prize
The winner of The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2019 is Sila, an architectural installation designed by AUS students Ibrahim Abdellatif, Falwah Alhouti, and Omer Al Raee. The installation – named after an Arabic term that […]
Heritage
National Day show in Abu Dhabi: “epic” and “unprecedented”
The largest and most complex stage ever built for an Official UAE National Day Celebration event will serve as a fitting metaphor for the country’s role in today’s globalised world, according to the press release […]
Art
Okwui Enwezor named as curator of 2021 Sharjah Biennial
The noted critic, writer and curator Okwui Enwezor (1963–2019) has been named as curator of the next Sharjah Biennial, opening in March 2021. The theme will be ‘Thinking Historically in the Present’. Okwui Enwezor sadly […]
Design
Making a better world: young designers at Global Grad Show
The Global Grad Show is one of the best reasons for Dubai Design Week, in magpie’s view. The young are always going to produce some of the most imaginative design thinking, even if they may […]
Art
Luxury through a long lens: the LouvreAD’s winter show
Could there be a better exhibition for the UAE? The Louvre Abu Dhabi’s big winter show is 10,000 Years of Luxury, a title which manages to press all the right buttons – heritage and tradition […]
Dance
From radical to mainstream: why Merce Cunningham matters
“In some ways it feels like the past four seasons of presenting dance at @nyuadartscenter were preparing us for this moment” tweeted NYUAD Arts Center head Bill Bragin a couple of days ago. The occasion […]
