This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest
The quote We are never definitely right; we can only be sure we are definitely wrong Richard Feynman
See me, feel me We’ve been watching DXB Unheard, basically so that you don’t have to. It’s an eight-episode podcast that “celebrates and uncovers the untold stories of Dubai”.
The idea is fine – get a broadcast pro (British daytime TV stalwart Kate Garraway) to chat with Dubai folk to “explore the hidden gems, personal triumphs and extraordinary experiences” of the city.
It’s not terrible, and the production values are pretty good; but boy is it short on insight – Dubai apparently is a wonderful place to live, a real melting pot, a hotbed of style and pop culture, etc. “In this series I get to introduce you to people who want to open your eyes and your mind to another Dubai, the one that is unheard, and explore what this city and its residents are all about” says Ms Garraway; but for instance there’s not much about the people who build the apartment blocks, staff the mall stores, or clean our homes – and of course there’s not much about the kind of people who are buying those $10m+ villas on the Palm (or where they got the money).
We aren’t sure who exactly the podcast is for – maybe out-of-towners who are thinking about a holiday or a job here? – but even allowing for the desire to see only the good stuff it’s a bit of a missed opportunity. Dubai is genuinely interesting, even if you aren’t going to ask any of the hard questions, and it deserves something that looks beyond the gloss.
If you want to try it for yourself, look for DXB Unheard on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Go now The Agenda is still a bit light this week, but it’s your last chance to catch some of the exhibitions that are closing soon to allow the galleries to wheel in their big Art Dubai Week shows. Three that you really ought to check out before Saturday: Shama Al Hamed at Aisha Alabbar, Nour Malas at Carbon 12, Hady Boraey at Fann à Porter …
One to put on your list for a pre-artweek visit: lovely expressive calligraphy by Ali Pasandideh at Kutubna Cultural Center.
Stressed UAE … Apparently work-related stress is prevalent in the UAE, with 90% of professionals regularly responding to work emails and calls outside official hours: 76% reporting their work-life balance has worsened since the pandemic: and 59% saying they find it hard to switch off. Market research agency Perspectus polled 2,000 people, which didn’t include team magpie …
Big deals Six of the top 10 cities experiencing the fastest price growth in the luxury property market last year were in Asia and the Middle East. Top three were Seoul (+18.4% YoY), Manila (+17.9%) and of course Dubai (+16.9% – there were 436 transactions worth at least $10m between June 2023 and June 2024). Dubai had the highest five-year growth (+147%). Is this a good thing or a bad thing? …
Operatic deals Dubai Opera is running another short-term money-off promotion – 25% discount on tickets for some (but not all) upcoming performances, but only if you book before Monday 7 April. Use promocode EID25 for Tango After Dark (top tango to the music of Astor Piazzolla: 26–27 April), The Pulse: Gravity & Other Myths (post Cirque du Soleil fusion of acrobatics, music, and light: 9–11 May), Carmina Burana (Maribor Ballet does Edward Clug’s ballet version of Carl Orff’s crowdpleaser: 23–24 May): and Stomp (fun percussive dance: 29–31 May).
Follow the likes Campseek works on the principle that if you like that band and I like that band, maybe I will also like some of your other tastes too – it lets you see what other music fans of a particular band or music genre have been listening to on Bandcamp. No guarantees, but it’s certainly interesting … Try it here.
Design for performance In case you missed it last time, our in-depth report on World Stage Design is here. It’s an impressive pretty special event, and this year it’s being held in Sharjah (18-25 October) …
Park life A bloke called Elliott Cost is running a fundraiser for his award-winning website cum art project One Minute Park – contributors upload a minute of video taken in their local park. This is a truly serene place on the internet, well worth keeping. Check it out here …
Something for the weekend Turn a map into a slide puzzle; specify a location (like your area) and a size, with optional watercolour mode. Best to start with 3×3 – that’s difficult enough! Try it here …
Things we didn’t know no.94 Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life …
Earworm of the week Marathon : Tired
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