This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote:<\/mark><\/strong> I wonder if a single thought that has helped forward the human spirit has ever been conceived or written down in an enormous room\u00a0Kenneth Clark …<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The place to be<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0No apologies for majoring on Abu Dhabi: it seems to be where it\u2019s all happening right now. The last version of\u00a0Abu Dhabi Art<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in its current guise is genuinely buzzy; it\u2019s the biggest yet but must also be\u00a0one of the best<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 some stunning work, especially in the curated sections (big shout out for\u00a0Nigeria<\/strong>). It runs to Sunday.\u00a0NOMAD<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of course looks an interesting complement, opens today (to Saturday). And\u00a0Manar Abu Dhabi<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is a blast, much easier to appreciate now that it\u2019s concentrated in two sites (Jubail<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Al Mina<\/strong>) rather than being scattered around the city. The light installations are live until 4 Jan; most of the talks and workshops finish this week, but there are related performances (all free) next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And\u00a0DCT Abu Dhabi<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0reports that\u00a0its plan is working<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 over\u00a04m visitors<\/strong>\u00a0for its cultural and heritage sites in the first six months of this year, a 47% increase on the same period in 2024.\u00a0Louvre Abu Dhabi<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0clocked\u00a0784,606<\/strong>\u00a0visitors, but the big increases were at the\u00a0Cultural Foundation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(49% more at\u00a0620,709<\/strong>) and\u00a0Manarat Al Saadiyat<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(207,684<\/strong>\u00a0visitors, more than doubled);\u00a0teamLab Phenomena\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>contributed\u00a0145,912<\/strong>, too. \u201cThese results are a direct reflection of our deliberate investments in cultural infrastructure, the diversification of our world-class offerings, and our targeted efforts to attract visitors from global markets\u201d …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Give me the book. I\u2019ll read it<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> A copy of Shakespeare\u2019s\u00a0First Folio<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was at Abu Dhabi Art (on sale for \u00a34.5m). This 1623 book is genuinely important, one of only around 230 copies of the first proper collection of Shakespeare\u2019s plays (it has 36 of them, 18 previously unpublished); it was put together by the man\u2019s friends and colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell “onely to keepe the memory of so worthy a Friend, & Fellow alive”. At time of writing no one had actually bought it but it’s “under consideration” …\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shhh<\/mark>\u00a0Dubai Police<\/strong>\u00a0wants a quieter life and so is deploying more\u00a0AI-powered noise radars<\/strong>\u00a0across the city. They can detect and document noisy vehicles, \u201cusing horns without necessary reason\u201d, and over-loud audio systems. \u201cOur aim is to make Dubai the safest and most calm city globally,\u201d a policeperson said. The law says owners of vehicles exceeding\u00a095dB<\/strong>\u00a0face fines of AED 2,000 and 12 black points. 95dB is quite loud \u2013 it\u2019s what you might get from standing next to heavy traffic, a bit less than a power tool, a lot less than a rock concert (120dB ish) …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doha’s designs<\/mark><\/strong><\/strong> Another brick in Qatar\u2019s plans for regional art-world prominence appears to be in place \u2013 GWC, described as Qatar\u2019s leading logistics and supply chain provider, is partnering with the Ministry of Culture\u2019s strategy entity QC+ to to develop\u00a0the Gulf\u2019s\u00a0largest full-service art storage and logistics facility<\/a><\/strong>. It will be in a designated free zone in Doha, will provide \u201cmuseum-grade preservation\u201d and professional care, and will have a conservation laboratory alongside the usual secure storage and viewing rooms. So it\u2019s not going to be just another way for transparency-averse collectors and dealers to hoard art; there will also be \u201clearning and collaboration zones designed to advance local expertise in art preservation and management\u201d. It all fits with Qatar\u2019s ambitions to be a cultural hub for the Gulf …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the rich go<\/mark><\/strong> This may shock you, but Dubai and Abu Dhabi are among the world\u2019s top five destinations for HNWIs, according to the inaugural\u00a0Spotlight on Wealth Trends 2025 report<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from Savills. Dubai is top, followed by New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi at No.5. \u201cTogether the cities offer a compelling blend of pro-business environments, robust legal frameworks, high-quality education, and lifestyle appeal.\u201d And \u201cfavourable tax environments\u201d, of course …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the rich stay?<\/mark><\/strong> Michelin Keys<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0are the hotel equivalent of Michelin Stars for a restaurant \u2013 apparently they \u201cqualify each hotel experience in broader terms than simple amenities, to establish a new international and reliable benchmark for exceptional hospitality\u201d. The\u00a0new list for the UAE<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0has just appeared, full of the usual suspects: only one hotel got three Keys (\u201can extraordinary stay\u201d) and perhaps predictably it was\u00a0Atlantis The Royal<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 its funky stacked design also won it the Michelin Architecture & Design Award (\u201celevating the guest experience through a distinctive aesthetic identity\u201d). The UAE had\u00a0four hotels awarded two Keys<\/strong>\u00a0(\u201can exceptional stay\u201d \u2013 Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the rest in Dubai) and\u00a016 got one Key<\/strong>\u00a0(\u201ca very special stay\u201d). That last one has some of the more interesting picks \u2013\u00a0ME by Melia<\/strong><\/a>, of course, but also\u00a0Qasr al Sarab<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Bab Al Shams<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0Erth Abu Dhabi<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(those of a certain age will reminder this as the Armed Forces Officers\u2019 Club) …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the rich live?<\/mark><\/strong> Submissions for the third edition of\u00a0Dubai\u2019s Top 50 Homes<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(\u201ccelebrates the residences that capture the art of modern living through creativity, innovation, and design excellence\u201d) are now open\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for homeowners, architects, and interior designers seeking some recognition and applause. Last year saw 400+ nominations …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seven for SAF<\/mark><\/strong> Sharjah Art Foundation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0has named the first seven artists selected from nearly 2,400 responses to the open call to its\u00a0Residency Programme 2025-2026<\/strong><\/a>. They are\u00a0Maitha Abdalla<\/strong>\u00a0(UAE);\u00a0Afraa Ahmed<\/strong>\u00a0(Yemen);\u00a0Mila Balzhieva<\/strong>\u00a0(Russia);\u00a0Daria Goncharova<\/strong>\u00a0(Russia);\u00a0HUNITI GOLDOX<\/strong>\u00a0(Jordan\/Germany);\u00a0Fatemeh Kazemi<\/strong>\u00a0(Iran); and\u00a0Jim Jasper Lumbera and Joey Alexis Singh<\/strong>\u00a0(Philippines). A second group will be announced in February\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tonight’s the night<\/mark><\/strong> Dubai Singers & Orchestra<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(60 voices, 30-piece orchestra) are doing a selection of British favourites at New Covent Garden;\u00a0Vadim Grigoryan<\/strong>\u00a0is talking about his interesting new book,\u00a0Art Thinking: Art, Meaning and Brand Leadership<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0Sorbonne;\u00a0Cirque du Liban<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s acrobatics-plus-aquatics show starts a four-day run in Abu Dhabi …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three more to catch<\/mark><\/strong> More\u00a0good-looking gallery shows\u00a0opening in the next few days, among them:\u00a0Cindy Bernhard<\/a><\/strong>‘s theatrical chiaroscuro at Volery Gallery,\u00a0Hussain Jamil<\/a><\/strong>‘s reflections\u00a0at Oblong Contemporary,\u00a0Salma Al Marri<\/strong><\/a>‘s personal and collective mythologies at Alliance Fran\u00e7aise\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay in bed<\/b><\/mark> Just in case you missed it, Monday and Tuesday are the official federal government\u00a0holidays<\/strong>\u00a0for Union Day …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Useful app of the week<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Most online file converters are ugly, littered with ads, slow, and less than open about what they do with your files.\u00a0Vert<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is free and open-source, \u00a0converts files directly on your computer rather than a remote server (the exception is videos, which Vert deletes after an hour), and handles images, audio, video, and documents …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong> With\u00a0The Collector<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0you have to drag balls to the middle of the screen without being hit by the deadly nacho-like nasties. Well-designed, retro-ish, tricky, fun;\u00a0try it here<\/a>\u00a0…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0There are\u00a0219,000 paid parking spaces in Dubai<\/strong>, says the elegantly named\u00a0Parkin PJSC<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(the company which runs them)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark> <\/strong>Ben B\u00f6hmer : Caught Up In The Fire<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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