This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote<\/mark><\/strong> Life is like a 10-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use Charles M Schulz<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaza Mon Amour<\/mark><\/strong> A group of 50+ Palestinian artists is trying to set up a\u00a0Gaza Biennale<\/strong><\/a>, looking for a location and seeking institutional partners both at home and abroad (and they\u2019re interested in finding partner galleries). \u201cIt is a message to the art world that there are artists working under unbelievable circumstances, facing obstacles and the harshest conditions, and still creating work, talking about art, teaching art, and running workshops with kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fashionabilities<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Apply for a six-month\u00a0fashion design residency<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0run by Design Council Abu Dhabi at Abu Dhabi University \u2013 10-15 applicants will be invited to participate, three of whom will be selected from the final show for a further three-month internship in NYC. But get in quick \u2013 the deadline is 15 December. Here’s the\u00a0Opportunities listing<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notre Dame de Desseins<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Amazingly, Macron’s\u00a02019 pledge to reopen\u00a0Notre Dame by the end of this year looks like being realised. As an alternative to the many pics of the gorgeous restoration, try\u00a0Carol Adlam’s illustrated journalism of the story<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Delayed Gratification<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best films<\/mark><\/strong> Sharjah Art Foundation has announced the winners of the\u00a0Sharjah Film Platform Awards<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 four best films (Documentary Feature\u00a0Coconut Head\u00a0Generation<\/strong><\/em>, dir Alain Kassanda (France\/Nigeria 2023); Documentary Short\u00a0Surveilling A Crime Scene<\/strong><\/em>, dir Alana Hunt (Australia, 2024); Fiction Feature\u00a0Cu Li Never Cries<\/strong><\/em>, dir Ph\u1ea1m Ng\u1ecdc L\u00e2n (Vietnam \/ Singapore \/ France \/ Philippines \/ Norway 2024); Fiction Short\u00a0Upshot<\/strong><\/em>, dir Maha Haj (Palestine \/ Italy \/ France, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The festival concluded a week ago; there\u2019s still an Open Call for the\u00a0Sharjah Film Platform Feature Fund<\/strong><\/a>, AED 500,000 to develop a feature film (deadline end Feb 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get creative<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0The second edition of the\u00a0Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Forum<\/a><\/strong>, organised by Dubai Culture and Al Quoz Creative Zone, is running this weekend. While we don\u2019t yet have the actual schedule (and it doesn\u2019t appear to be on the website)\u00a0we do know that there will be Keynotes by Natasha Sideris, Anas Bukhash and Sumaya Dabbagh; the return of the ‘Community Hub\u2019 featuring potentially useful partners in finance, licensing, manufacturing and more; entrepreneurial skills workshops; and a programme of panel discussions, TED-style Lightning Talks, mentorship sessions, “and so much more\u201d. If you’re in the creative sector it\u2019s definitely well worth registering\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>, especially as it\u2019s free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the subject of uninformative press releases, we\u2019d like to be able to tell you more about the inaugural\u00a0Dubai Sculpture Symposium<\/strong>, which is running now till 22 December with live sculpting and some panel sessions in Al Shindagha. But that\u2019s about as much as we know (apart from the participation of Azza Al Qubaisi, Aktham Abdul Hamid, Georgi Minchev, and Liu Yang among unnamed others). Maybe the Dubai Culture\u00a0website<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0will be vouchsafed some more information \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fair enough<\/mark><\/strong> Photofairs<\/strong>\u00a0has cancelled its planned Hong Kong edition scheduled for March 2025, citing \u201crecent logistical constraints\u201d (unspecified). Photofairs also killed off its New York edition earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also\u00a0India Art Fair<\/strong>\u00a0has cancelled its recently announced Mumbai event, the first edition of which was planned for November 2025 to coincide with\u00a0Art Mumbai<\/strong>. At least one gallery said they didn\u2019t have the resources to attend both, and Art Mumbai is the established option (plus\u00a0The Art Newspaper<\/em>\u00a0says<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Art Mumbai has been offering current exhibitors a discount if they commit\u00a0to the fair). India Art Fair\u2019s Delhi edition will still go ahead in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bluesky starter pack of the week<\/mark><\/strong> Drowned in Sound<\/em>\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0collection of music mags, blogs, podcasts is\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong> Sort-of snooker. Simple and addictive. It’s\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong> A chef’s hat traditionally has 100 pleats. Apparently it’s meant to represent the 100 ways you can cook an egg.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark><\/strong> The Waitresses : Christmas Wrapping<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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