This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest
The quote: Broken gets fixed. Shoddy lasts forever | Jack Moffett …
Art Dubai reinvented It’s Art Dubai time – the art fair runs this weekend (15-17 May) in its repurposed format, with fewer galleries in the selling section but a lot more going on for those without fat wallets. We take a look at what you get, and we like what we see; there’s enough to keep you interested for all three days, and there’s definitely nothing at all apologetic about the event …
Modernisms The UAE Ministry of Culture has inaugurated a National Register of Modern Heritage for post-1960s buildings that represent “milestones in the country’s architectural and social evolution”. The first ten include Dubai’s Union House, Sheikh Rashid Tower, and Deira Clock Tower in Dubai; and in Abu Dhabi the Cultural Foundation and the National Consultative Council building, both at Qasr Al Hosn. The criterion for selection appears to be cultural significance rather than architectural merit; for the latter you’ll need DCT Abu Dhabi’s brilliant Modern Heritage programme, which registers and protects modernist/modern-era buildings in the capital (64 of them so far) …
More opps Latest entries in our Opportunities listings: paid internships at 421 Arts Campus, an open call for art on the walls of RTA’s tunnels, and curatorial opportunities at Kutubna Arts Centre …
Make more of your museums Mon 18 May is International Museum Day, and all 16 Sharjah museums are offering free entry on that day. All Abu Dhabi museums – including Natural History Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, Qasr Al Hosn, and the Al Ain museums – are free on the whole weekend, 16-18 May. The only freebie in Dubai seems to be Expo City’s Vision Dubai experience (16-18 May again) …
Summertime performance The Junction’s Summer Residency Programme gives performers and groups a free space to develop work for 1-2 week slots during July and August with a public performance at The Junction at the end. Looks a good deal for theatre groups, stand-ups, dance groups etc. To apply, email info@thejunctiondubai.com with some info about who you are, what you want to do, preferred residency dates, any special requirements, any portfolio material …
Homeward bound The (potential) problem with Laughter Factory gigs is the drinking followed by the hassle of getting home, so this looks a great idea – the LF people have done a deal with Ride Skipper that gets you a driver to take you home in your own car for a discounted flat rate of AED 65 to go from any LF event to anywhere in Dubai. Book via WhatsApp 050 496 7981 quoting code LOL65 …
Flight times Gulf airlines are ramping up their operations back towards normality, but their major international rivals including British Airways, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines are taking a more cautious approach – many are restarting limited schedules on key Gulf routes only in July and for some it’s the autumn. The National has a handy reference …
Park life Sharjah Art Foundation is reopening Al Majarrah Park on 21 May. The refurb includes landscaping that that reflect the outlines of old courtyards and houses (taken from a 1963 map) plus seven large-scale sculptures alongside the activity areas for all ages.; it was done by the very cool Danish artist collective Superflex in collaboration with Schul Landscape Architects and KWY.studio, Lisbon. The Rain Room is right next to the Park. Access to the park is free, 10am to 10pm …
Rainy days Drop an image on to this page and see it through a window on a rainy day. Click and mouse movement adjusts settings (eg the blurriness). Surprisingly poignant, hence the name Heartfelt; and it might be usefully cooling too when UAE temperatures start hitting the big numbers …
Can art slow ageing? Researchers at University College London have found that a dose of art at least once a weekly appears to slow ageing (as suggested by changes to DNA and overall health) by comparison with those who rarely treated themselves to the creative arts – the art-enthusiastic group appeared to age as much as 4% slower. What’s more, the effects were similar to those delivered by a weekly workout …
421 residents The artists for the second half of the 2026 Artist Residency Program at 421 Arts Campus (Jul-Nov 2026), selected from an open call, are Alina El-Assadi (photography, installation, sculpture, moving image): Reem Hamed (sound, photography, text, clay, performance): and Yoonsik Chico Park (performance, installation, sculpture, image). The residency aims to provide the conditions for focused research and experimentation without the pressure of an expected outcome – “it’s through this open-ended support that new artistic voices and practices can meaningfully evolve” …
NYUAD Art Gallery reopens … The NYUAD Art Gallery has reopened to the public – it’s just about the last to do so (the university has generally been super-cautious). All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, curated by Nada Shabout, continues in the main room …
… NYUAD Art Gallery programmes The Arts Center is also back open, with The Voice of Hind Rajab (highly recommended) its next offering (2 June). And the programming for its 12th season has just been published; we’re looking at the detail, but it gets off to a terrific start with Dirty Dozen Brass Band (high-octane New Orleans jazz with added funk and bebop: 5 Sep) and the extraordinary The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave (exhausting acid house dance that’s been described as “a relentless feast for the senses”: 10-12 Sep). There’s more here, and tickets are already available for several of the shows …
Best bartender Sharfin Auni of Nobu Dubai beat more than 200 other bartenders to be crowned World Class UAE Bartender of the Year 2026. She’ll now represent the UAE at the World Class Finals in Scotland …
Useful app of the week SpeechPal is a free practice app that lets you rehearse any real-life situation “from job interviews and presentations to meetings” and get instant AI feedback on how you came across. It offers situation-based practice “feedback that cuts to what matters” and the ability to compare multiple takes to find your very best self (or at least your best voice). Surprisingly good. Apple only, sadly. Find it here …
Something for the weekend Takeaway is a word game with a difference – you start with an eight letter word, and you need to get down to three by removing one at a time so that the remaining letters can still spell something. Very, very hard. Try it here …
Things we didn’t know no.94 On average, we’re speaking aloud 338 fewer words per day each year – according to a study that analysed 2,197 recordings of people talking between 2005 and 2019 …
Earworm of the week Massive Attack / Tom Waits : Boots on the Ground
Be the first to comment