This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest
The quote The things you do badly are as much part of your style as the things you do well Martin Scorsese
Art Dubai detailed The Art Dubai people have been outlining more of the programming for the fair’s 2025 edition (18-20 April). Highlights include a series of performances and site-specific interventions by the Mexican artist Héctor Zamora, marking the start of a co-commissioning partnership with Alserkal Avenue; a major new digital commission by Mohammed Kazem for Julius Baer and a series of new site-specific digital installations for Art Dubai Digital; and the outline of details of Art Dubai’s flagship cross-disciplinary Global Art Forum. Under the title ‘The New New Normal’, and commissioned as usual by Shumon Basar, the GAF will look at the way constant change makes everyday life feel often more unsettling and unpredictable than science fiction. Also as usual, the speakers will be a very diverse collection – among them architect Rem Koolhaas, artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan and the achingly hip Postpostpost (“the internet’s most unhinged meme account”) …
Meet in March Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual March Meeting is always interesting. This time it’s three evenings of conversations, performances and musical events under the title ‘to carry songs’ and posing the question: what is preserved and what is transmitted through the body, through voice, through the quiet solidarities of the everyday? March Meeting 2025 focuses on the power of community in preserving and passing on knowledge – usefully relevant during Ramadan. It runs 7–9 March at Al Qasimiyah School, Sharjah, from 9pm to 1am. Click here for more info and the complete programme; sign up here …
Opp extended The deadline for applying to SAF’s Sharjah Film Platform Feature Fund (get up to AED 500,000 to complete a narrative feature currently in production) has been extended to 31 May. It’s open to UAE-based scriptwriters, directors and executive producers. Info is here …
Bybit bitten $1.5bn has been stolen by North Korean hackers from Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, which contributed to a market fall of more than 20% for bitcoin. Bybit has pledged to compensate investors, but the breach raises concerns about security, regulation, and Dubai’s ambition to become a global crypto hub …
Acting up This weekend the Junction starts a six-week acting workshop for adults – two sessions per week (1-2.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays) culminating in the opportunity to perform at Short+Sweet Theatre Festival. Learn acting techniques, stage presence and character building from experienced theatre people. Book a spot on 050 724 4823 …
Sometimes you just have to laugh magpie came late to Josh Johnson, but he’s now our go-to among US club stand-ups who talk about the news. He’s very good on Boeing, Diddy, Tiktok, and much more; but here he is on Deepseek vs Open Ai …
Mine is bigger than yours Saudi Arabia plans a Mercedes F1 experience centre to rival Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World. The new attraction will have 60 simulators and straddle the Qiddiya Speed Park circuit, which is due to host future Saudi GPs; it will also have Falcon’s Flight, a roller coaster which promises to be taller, faster, and longer than any other … including of course Ferrari World’s Formula Rossa, currently the world’s fastest roller coaster.
Efie moves Next month Efie Gallery is relocating from its current Al Khayat Art Avenue home to a new 4,400 sq ft space a couple of streets away in Alserkal Avenue. It will continue to show significant artists from Africa, but the new HQ will also house an expanded Rekord Gallery – “an immersive and exquisitely designed listening room showcasing a collection of over 2,000 original vinyl and shellac records from the 1940s to today” …
Instagram for Bluesky? Flashes for Bluesky reskins the app to be much more visual and image-oriented, giving a way to quickly post photos (with filters!) of your own …
AUS goes back to L’ÉCOLE American University of Sharjah and L’ÉCOLE Middle East School of Jewelry Arts have signed a deal that will give AUS students special access L’ÉCOLE’s expertise in the history of jewellery, the world of gemstones. and jewellery-making techniques. There will apparently be joint research projects, co-hosted events, guest lectures, and mentorship programmes – plus unspecified “future initiatives ensuring a sustained exchange of knowledge and expertise. L’ÉCOLE is of course supported by Van Cleef & Arpels …
Something for the weekend How fast can you click the ‘pop the confetti’ button? Mindless slightly competitive fun. Try it here …
Things we didn’t know no.94 Latest estimates say 99% of livestock in the United States is factory-farmed.
Earworm of the week John Glacier : Home
Be the first to comment