This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest
The quote Advice to writers: sometimes you just have to stop writing. Even before you begin Stanisław Jerzy Lec
Hatta tip Get yourself to Leem Lake in Hatta to see Deliberate Pauses, an al fresco installation by Shaikha Al Mazrou. The lake is a bit of gem anyhow, but Al Mazrou’s five sizeable reflective metallic sculptures along its hiking trails make for an excellent reason to visit soon – and who knows what the sand will do to these polished cylindrical forms in her luscious signature scarlet? Curated with architect Faysal Tabbarah, the installations are the second in a series of three large-scale public art commissions at iconic sites by Alserkal Arts Foundation in collaboration with Dubai Culture …
Tango time Dubai Opera has another of its occasional BOGOF deals, with two tickets for the price of one to see Tango After Dark this weekend – top tango to the music of Astor Piazzolla. There are shows on 26 and 27 April; use the promocode TANGO50 at checkout …
Tonight’s must-see is Synchrony: From New York to Nigeria, a fascinating project in the NYUAD Arts Center’s Red Theater that features an extraordinary lineup of writers, directors, actors, and musicians who take inspiration from Wole Soyinka’s harrowing prison memoir The Man Died and Awam Amkpa’s 2024 film of the book (Soyinka and Amkpa will both be there). Check the lineup here; it’s going to be a great evening …
Just the ticket Incidentally, The Arts Center now has a WhatsApp channel for upcoming shows – specifically, when they go on sale. Since many Arts Center shows sell out quickly, this could be a very useful tool … Join it here to be notified when tickets become available.
Build it and they will come The 2024 edition of AEA’s Cultural Infrastructure Index, which tracks global investment in cultural projects, reports that the number of completed projects fell last year by 17% from 192 to 159. The total value of those projects was off by even more, 29% lower at $6.1bn, but then there was lots of renovation and adaptive reuse alongside the conventional build from scratch projects. The authors are moderately bullish about the future, but that was before the Trump tariff wars … There’s a free download here.
Phenomenal Get along to see the newly opened teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi when you can. It’s undeniably spectacular, a triumph of technology, and its dynamic installations are rather beautiful too – just as well, given that tickets are AED 150 for adults. It’s part art institution, part entertainment complex, and as such fits easily into Saadiyat’s role as a cultural district that is also a tourism destination. Details are here; buy tickets here …
Jazz hands It’s International Jazz Day on 30 April, with worldwide celebrations on and around that date including some special gigs in the Emirates. The biggie is the official International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert at Etihad Arena, organised by and featuring Herbie Hancock; it competes with Blue Note at Dubai Opera, a celebration of 85 years of classics from Blue Note Records. The day before you can catch a tribute to Quincy Jones from top trumpeter Riley Mulherkar and his quartet at NYUAD Arts Center …
Something for the weekend With Fast and Confused your task is simply to drive your car and follow the instructions. It’s bitesized, quite difficult, and highly replayable – try it here…
Things we didn’t know no.94 The best ever Glastonbury set was by David Bowie in 2000, at least according to its appearance on ‘best Glastonbury set’ lists (it scores 19 mentions). Beyoncé (2011) is second with 16, Pulp (1995) third with 15 …
Earworm of the week Pulp : Spike Island
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