Editorial musings from the nest
The quote: All of these notes, these drawings, and these sentences written with a marker fade over time. Only the ephemeral lasts Eugène Ionesco …
Treasure hunt DCT Abu Dhabi is inviting nominations for its Urban Treasures 2027 list of “long-standing local businesses that give the emirate its unique soul”. Chosen businesses get branded materials to display their ‘Urban Treasures’ status. Check out the current roster here, and use this form to suggest an addition. (After six editions of Urban Treasures, and given the pace of ‘modernisation’ in the city, we must be running low on options …)
Top passport The UAE passport has the top spot in Arton Capital’s 2026 Passport Index, meaning Emirati citizens get access to 182 other countries under the index’s “easy access” categories – visa-free, visa on arrival, eTA, and certain quick eVisas. This puts the UAE well ahead of Singapore and Malaysia (175 destinations) and Spain (174). It matters to non-UAE passport holders, too, because visa-free access deals are usually a calculated tool of diplomacy and national interest.
Theatre awards There’s still time to get in a nomination for the 2026 UAE Theatre Awards before the deadline of 31 Oct. Here’s the form.
ZNM exhibits Zayed National Museum is marking its first anniversary with its first temporary exhibition. Tracks Through Time: The Camel in Society, Trade and Art opens early December, “the world’s first exhibition to comprehensively explore more than 7,000 years of camel history” (so from wild camels several thousand years ago to camel racing today). ZNM director Dr Peter Magee said the exhibition “represents our mission … to deepen understanding of the UAE through original research and meaningful public engagement”.
Publishers opp This week’s Sharjah Art Foundation initiative is an invitation for UAE-based artists, designers, artist-led initiatives and collectives with an interest in independent and experimental publishing to apply for a booth at the ninth edition of Focal Point, Sharjah’s annual art book fair (11-13 Dec at Bait Obaid Al Shamsi). Send proposals to publications@sharjahart.org before 10 Nov.
Second life contd Last week we reported that the Jameel’s Tarabot pavilion is being dismantled prior to a new life underwater somewhere as a marine habitat. We’re told the unbuilding will be finished by 26 Oct after which it will be located in the sea off RAK.
PAAD ties The second Edition of Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial opens in Al Ain on 23 Oct, followed by Abu Dhabi on 15 Nov 2026 (it runs in both places until 15 Feb). We have the names of 21 artists involved (only three from the UAE, which gives the room to feature more international contributors) and we know the six locations (two in Al Ain, four in Abu Dhabi); we’re still waiting for a map or other info about who will be where …
A new creative neighbourhood? Maybe … You may have thought that Saadiyat already had a Cultural District, but developer Aldar (official partner of Frieze Abu Dhabi) reportedly used its presence at Frieze London last week for a throwaway mention of a new “creative neighbourhood” called NoMa – as in NOrth of MAnarat Al Saadiyat. So not exactly an Alserkal Avenue, and definitely not the repurposed warehouses etc of the MiZa district that the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation created in the port area with the 421 arts space at its centre. Instead NoMa just looks like a real estate brand for some of the development in the area labelled SDN1, but right now that space already seems quite full; it will be interesting to see what exactly is proposed. SDN1, incidentally, is the area to the North of the Manarat that runs up against the St Regis on the right and includes most of the littoral around to the Sheikh Khalifa Bridge (in which you’ll find the Louvre, Guggenheim etc – the Saadiyat Cultural District sits inside this and doesn’t have a sea edge. Or indeed much of the overt culture).
AI can save 12 mins per week UAE employees save 3.6 hours per week from using AI but then spend 3.4 hours per week clarifying, correcting, and rewriting AI-generated material. So says a survey of 500 UAE employees released by enterprise AI platform Workday, which has just launched here.
Tight times at Art Basel? The New York Times says Art Basel negotiated a much reduced fee to continue with its Miami spot up to 2031, with Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz reportedly arguing that the company’s finances were less than rosy following years of “extraordinary losses in which MCH [Art Basel’s parent] almost faced insolvency”. Seems he threatened to move from Miami to (gulp) Las Vegas. And apparently all Art Basel fairs were facing “a cyclical downturn” with galleries limiting fair participation in response to a slower market.
Design in Dubai Advance promo for Downtown Design (5-8 Nov) promises some good stuff – a creative collaboration between Veuve Clicquot and Yinka Ilori, a pop-up showcase of Buccellati’s Aquae Mirabiles (a series of immersive ‘underwater’ environments first seen at Milan Design Week), and talks by influential names including the French interior designer Tristan Auer (he did the Hôtel de Crillon and Hôtel Les Bains in Paris among other spectacular makeovers: currently working on the Burj al Arab).
Outside the tent there’s the usual Dubai Design Week buzz in d3 including the Urban Commissions winner Three Gardens and a Room by Reem Nassour’s NAO Architects studio; 30 UAE-based creatives in the UAE Design Exhibition; lots of large-scale installations and site-specific interventions; many hands-on workshops; exhibits by d3 tenants including 25 years of Woods Bagot and an exhibition by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts that features goldsmithing techniques from the Second Iron Age; Pinterest’s first physical activation in the region; and a showcase by Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children. The marketplace, always fun, runs 7 and 8 Nov.
There’s 50% off Downtown Design tickets for a while if you use the promocode DESIGN50 (one-day passes normally AED 80, four-day AED 150); most of the rest of Design Week is free.
Top flight Singapore Airlines was named World’s Best Economy Class Airline at the 2026 World Airline Awards, with Cathay Pacific second place and Qatar Airways in third. Neither Emirates nor Etihad made the overall top 20, though Emirates did get Best Economy Class Onboard Catering in the Middle Eas
Sharjah Museums updated Sharjah Museums Authority has a new visual identity to celebrate its 20 years (right). It feels cool, contemporary and coherent, all of which you want from this kind of exercise. A nice piece of work by Fikra Design Studio.
Get creative Registrations are open for the Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Forum (30–31 Oct, Al Khayat Avenue) – two days of conversations, practical workshops and opportunities to connect organised by Dubai Culture: “from building a brand and finding funding to exploring AI and telling your story, the programme offers fresh perspectives and practical tools to help move your ideas forward … Whether you’re starting something new or growing a project you love, come meet others making things happen”. There’s no detailed programme yet, but past editions have been well worth the visit – especially as it’s free … Info here.
Tonight’s the night Three shows that you might still be in time to catch this evening – first of two Junction performances of Un Air de Famille, a rather good French comedy from Culture Emulsion: The Fridge Open Mic, pot luck in spotting Dubai’s next stars (and it’s free): and the UAENO’s Romantic Masters in Abu Dhabi (Rossini, Mendelssohn, Brahms) with a second performance in Dubai on 25 Oct …
Useful app of the week Tiny Little Office is one of the most extraordinary collection of tools we’ve ever seen. It’s a super-lightweight suite that includes a more than adequate word processor, spreadsheet, presentation maker, animator and more (there’s even a trip planner). The really clever bit is that it stores everything locally in the address bar – “every document lives in the address of its page, after the #; Copy the link and you have copied the document; Open a link, change it, and the address bar is your own copy”. Genuinely amazing, uses local storage (no cloud required) and is free. Check it out here.
Something for the weekend Keywraith is a space invaders-meets-typing arcade game. Much fun, and very very hard after the first few levels. Try it here.
Things we didn’t know no.94 Bulls don’t hate red – they are actually colour-blind. But they will react to the movements of the bullfighter’s cape as a perceived threat.
Earworm of the week Sprints : Trickle Down
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