Nadi al Quoz: 14 weeks of free stuff at Alserkal Avenue

Alserkal Avenue’s Nadi Al Quoz is 14-week programme of creative activities designed as a retreat from daily routine and intended to emphasise the imagination.

Nadi al Quoz launches on 17 July and runs to 29 October (seven days a week, 10am-7pm) in Warehouse 90 within the Avenue.

The Arabic word ‘nadi’ suggets a club or society where members of a community can come together over shared interests. Nadi Al Quoz seems to be inspired by the idea of such social groups; the programme, which is coordinated by Raja’a Baig for Alserkal Avenue Programming, encourages participants to “step into a temporary sphere of activity”.

Warehouse 90 is being converted into a social space with hammocks and sunbeds, workbenches and bar stools, and food and drink.

We’re also promised “a number of contemplative and lively events”. Attendance will be limited and registration will be required, but all of the activities are free.

There’s a programme summary here, but this is what’s on offer:

Urban Yoga A free one-hour session from the Business Bay yoga studio; mats and water provided, all levels of knowledge and ability welcome. Fridays (22 Jul – 28 Oct, 4.30 to 5.30pm)

Ikebana Learn the basics of  the Japanese flower arrangement art (emphasising symmetrical lines and spaces) with Ikebana Second Master Harue Oki in a two-module workshop. Limited to 10 participants, so book early. Module 1: 19 Jul, 7-9pm … Module 2: 26 July 7-9pm

Mall Crawl A drawing workhop in seven modules; Layan Attari  takes participants to a different mall each week to work on gestural, architectural, figurative and perspective drawing.  Saturdays (23 Jul – 3 Sep, 10am to 1pm)

WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK Dubai artist/curator Lantian Xie leads a four-module seminar-style reading group on capital, production, and alienation covering everyhting from macroeconomic theory to video games. Should be good … Saturdays (6 – 2 7 Aug, 3 to 5pm)

Life Drawing An intensive two-module live-model figure drawing workshop led by artist Saba Qizilbash. All materials provided. 23 and 30 Aug, 7 to 9pm

Panic of the Audible Hosted by music producer and curator Karim Sultan, this four-module panel discussion programme uses personal listening material  as a starting point for  conversations on art, biography, society and possibly even music. Tuesdays (6 – 27 Sep, 7 to 8.30pm)

Purpose and Product Two-day prototyping design workshop led by Dubai-based OE-O Studio, known for minimalist product and fashion design. Limited to 10 participants, so book early. Tuesdays (11 and 18 Oct, 6 to 10pm)

Center for Architecture Discourse A two-part talk and research presentation led  by architect and independent publisher Meitha AlMazrooei that looks to develop a critical and discursive rhetoric around architectural theory and praxis in the region. Tuesdays (4 and 25 Oct, 7 to 9pm)

Speaker Series Artists, architects, writers, musicians, anthropologists and cultural producers talk about recent projects, ongoing research and current work. Each talk is followed by an audience Q&A and a broader discussion about making things in the UAE. Saturdays (3 Sep – 22 Oct,  6.30 to 8.30pm)

3 Sep Karim Sultan
10 Sep Uzma Rizvi
17 Sep Wafa Tajdin and Amirah Tajdin in conversation with Shannon Ayers Holden
24 Sep Saira Ansari
1 Oct Architecture + Other Things
8 Oct Yasser Elshestawy
15 Oct Deepak Unnikrishnan
22 Oct Saba Qizilbash

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