This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote:<\/mark><\/strong> The cause of death is birth\u00a0David Hockney<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A smile for Gaza<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Just when you think it couldn’t be worse, a group of 9-11 year old children in Gaza made a funny animated film <\/a><\/strong>about displacement, friendship and a large fridge. Artist Haneen Koraz runs the workshops that created the film; you can support the project via GoFundMe<\/strong><\/a> and Patreon<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also backing them is Animation Community for Palestine<\/strong>, founded by British animator Joanna Quinn, and it has just premiered To Gaza with Love<\/em> \u2013 a three-hour anthology of animated shorts with contributors from across the globe as well as from the region. See it on YouTube here<\/a><\/strong> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill’s excellent adventure<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0magpie has interviewed Bill Bragin<\/strong><\/a> of NYUAD Arts Center again \u2013 because he\u2019s always interesting, but also because we believe his programming is a yardstick for the development of the UAE\u2019s contemporary culture scene. We wanted to find out how his programming has developed<\/strong> for the season (“It can to be too easy just to repeat the formula\u201d), what keeps him going <\/strong>(\u201cI am what I am: but Abu Dhabi has changed me, the Arts Center has changed me\u201d), and where the Arts Center is going next<\/strong> (he\u2019d like to help export home-grown talent to festivals and institutions elsewhere). Now read on<\/strong><\/a> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arab money wanted<\/mark>\u00a0<\/strong>The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, the NGO that is the leading independent funder of artists and cultural institutions in the Arab world, has\u00a0awarded 87 projects and more than $1 million in grants<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for its first 2025 grant cycle. They came from a record-breaking 1,428 applications for Documentary Film, Critical and Creative Writing, Performing Arts and Visual Arts. AFAC, founded to be a catalyst for Arab artists and cultural practitioners and distributing an average of $4m per year, still gets most of its money from international sources \u2013 just 2.5% of funds come from Arab donors, \u201ca figure we are determined to grow\u201d …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who’s got the biggest art fair?<\/mark><\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0Can it be that Abu Dhabi Art has overtaken Art Dubai as the region\u2019s biggest art fair (and<\/em> it\u2019s fastest-growing)? We looked at some impressive numbers<\/strong><\/a> from the preview of this year\u2019s Abu Dhabi outing (19-23 November)\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brought to light<\/mark><\/strong> DCT Abu Dhabi has announced the locations for the second edition of its Manar Abu Dhabi<\/strong><\/a> public light art exhibition, running from 1 November (Al Ain) and 15 November (Abu Dhabi) to 4 January (both). Under the theme \u2018The Light Compass\u2019\u00a0there will be \u201cover 19\u201d commissioned works and site-specific installations. The artistic director this time is Khai Hori<\/strong>, whose CV includes stints at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Singapore Art Museum; co-curators are Alia Zaal Lootah<\/strong>, Munira Al Sayegh<\/strong>, and Mariam Alshehhi<\/strong>. More details when we have them …<\/p>\n\n\n\n 20 crafty years<\/mark><\/strong> ARTE The Makers\u2019 Market<\/strong><\/a>, reputedly the UAE\u2019s original handmade popup selling space (\u201cWe Make What We Sell\u201d) is celebrating its 20th anniversary<\/strong><\/a> on Saturday 27 September at its long-standing Times Square Center venue. We\u2019re promises a festive atmosphere and more than 100 stalls plus family-friendly demos, live craftmaking, and \u201chidden surprises\u201d. Worth checking out …<\/p>\n\n\n\n See the world<\/mark><\/strong> This looks an exciting option for open-minded academics with a global perspective \u2013 a fully funded PhD in Global Studies<\/strong><\/a> at the Africa Institute<\/strong><\/a> in Sharjah. It\u2019s a fascinating curriculum for a five-year course starting in Autumn 2026 and open to bachelor’s degree holders (no master\u2019s required). Apply before 1 December; details here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collecting art<\/mark><\/strong> There\u2019s a call for papers<\/strong> for the very first issue of the upcoming Louvre Abu Dhabi Research Journal<\/strong>, a new annual, peer-reviewed, open-access publication scheduled for publication in 2026. For its inaugural edition the Journal is looking for contributions to a thematic volume titled \u201cBuilding Art Collections: Global Perspectives in the 20th and 21st Centuries<\/strong>\u201d (with a focus \u00a0on practices in the MENA region). The deadline for submitting a 400-word abstract is 15 October; more here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n What (some) people think<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> “Listen, what’s your problem? They have slaves and they kill everyone \u2014 Get over it … Do I have issues with some of the policies towards women, towards the gays, towards the freedom of speech? Well, of course I do. But I believe in my own financial wellbeing \u2026 I’m being paid enough money to look the other way.” What a nice bloke. This is a US comic called Tim Dillon<\/strong> who\u2019s been dropped by the Riyadh Comedy Festival<\/strong> (he claimed he had been getting $375,000 for one show) over these comments<\/strong><\/a> about Saudi Arabia …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tonight’s the night<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> If you’re stuck for some Thursday evening entertainment, check out\u00a0The Sketchy Social<\/strong><\/a> (drink ‘n’ doodle):\u00a0PowerPointless<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(presentations from a never-before-seen slide deck):\u00a0and star Chinese violinist Siqing Lu<\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three shows to see<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> among many opening around this weekend: huge figures\u00a0from Sebastian Hosu<\/a><\/strong> at Volery,\u00a0four decades of retrospective for Leda Catunda<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0at Sharjah Art Foundation, and the multi-skilled Talal Al Najjar<\/a>‘s<\/strong>\u00a0show for Tabari Artspace …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Useful app of the week<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Blip<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is a\u00a0free AirDrop alternative for fast, cross-platform (Windows & Mac) file transfer at any distance. It can handle files and folders of any size without\u00a0zipping. Totally brilliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong> Sub\/Title<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0invites to a match a snatch of dialogue to the movie. It gets harder as you go up through levels …\u00a0Try it here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0There is no standard number of dimples on a golf ball<\/strong> \u2013 it varies by\u00a0manufacturer and model, though most have between 300 and 500. The average is typically around 336 …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last word<\/mark><\/strong> Some of you knew Nancy Sutcliffe-Jarrett<\/strong><\/a>. All of you should know that she is an unimaginably huge loss to her art<\/strong><\/a>, her friends, and me. To counter some of the vicious, arbitrary\u00a0stupidity of her death, there’s a Justgiving page here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark> <\/a><\/strong>Nothing Compares 2 U : Sinead O\u2019Connor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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