This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote:<\/mark><\/strong> Theatre is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place | Martha Graham<\/em> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gone, won\u2019t be forgotten<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a big day today, as I close the chapter on 14 years at Alserkal\u201d said\u00a0Vilma Jurkute<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in her personal\u00a0farewell post<\/strong><\/a>. It\u2019s probably no exaggeration to say that she single-mindedly (albeit not single-handedly) created a creative quarter for Dubai in\u00a0Alserkal Avenue<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in what was at the time a dusty, anonymous patchwork of furniture showrooms, car repair shops, and builders\u2019 supply yards hidden away from the SZR and Downtown. True, there was an incipient arty vibe a couple of streets away in the form of the Courtyard building, but it was Vilma who had the vision and the chutzpah to convince first Abdelmonem Alserkal and then an initially sceptical audience that it made financial and aesthetic sense to use that block of warehouses for galleries, eateries, and the other essentials for a buzzy creative district. We wish her well for whatever she does next; Alserkal Avenue represents\u00a0great placemaking<\/strong><\/a>, taken up now by the authorities to extend into the\u00a0Al Quoz Creative Zone<\/strong><\/a>, and that will always be her legacy. As she put it, \u201cAlserkal has become a global case study, and I am filled with gratitude to my colleagues and partners, with whom we have built Alserkal through a shared belief and collective ambition … Alserkal was never just a job for me. It was a mission, an obsession, and a calling. It was also the greatest school. And I will carry it with me wherever I go\u201d. Her combination of passion, professionalism and leadership will be hard to replace\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Performing in Abu Dhabi<\/mark><\/strong> Saadiyat is to get a\u00a0performing arts centre called Dar Al Funoon<\/a><\/strong>, designed by\u00a0Frank Gehry and provided with four theatres (main hall same size as Dubai Opera, studio theatre for 400, “jazz venue” for 250, open-air amphitheatre for 3,500) plus of course a whopping 5,000m2<\/sup>\u00a0of F&B and retail space. There are a few pretty renders but very little hard info; building has started, though, and the projected finish is 2030 …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get in<\/strong><\/mark> The third\u00a0Sharjah Architecture Triennial<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 themed Architecture Otherwise: Building Civic Infrastructure for Collective Futures and curated by\u00a0Vyjayanthi Rao with Tau Tavengwa<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 will open 14 Nov and run to 14 April 2027. There\u2019s a full participant list of 32, too, with practices ranging across architecture, urbanism, art and design to anthropology, education and community initiatives. We\u2019ll look in more detail at the programming, but in the meantime there\u2019s more in the press release\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wear your preferred auction house<\/mark><\/strong> Interesting to see\u00a0Sotheby\u2019s<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0attempting to position itself as a lifestyle brand, teaming up with\u00a0FRAME<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on a 31-piece\u00a0capsule collection<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that includes a \u00a3970 cashmere sweater, a \u00a3185 tee-shirt, and unisex boxers with Sotheby\u2019s logo on the waistband (\u00a3213). There\u2019s also the rather smart blue-and-white-stripe\u00a0Sotheby’s pyjamas at \u00a3677 but sadly the bottoms are out of stock …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Job opp<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a017A Art Consultants<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Alserkal Avenue is looking for a\u00a0senior manager<\/strong>\u00a0to lead a small team, handle clients, and oversee delivery. Min five years’ experience in the UAE art community plus \u201ca passion for shaping meaningful contemporary art projects\u201d. CV and cover letter to\u00a017arecruitment@gmail.com<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0before 10 July\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Residency opp<\/mark><\/strong> Artist collective\u00a0Studio Thirteen<\/strong> is inviting\u00a0applications for its first Residency<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0taking place 8 Jul to 19 Aug at its studio space in\u00a0Al Quoz<\/strong><\/a>. You get a dedicated semi-private space, critique and mentorship sessions, and exhibition opps. Apply to info@studiothirteen.art<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0before 1 July …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get away<\/mark><\/strong> The UAE has lifted the ban on\u00a0travel to Lebanon<\/strong><\/a>, allowing citizens to visit from this week.\u00a0Flights between Tehran and Dubai<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0have also resumed, but the ban on Emiratis traveling to Iran remains …<\/p>\n\n\n\n EcoAI?<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019re concerned about the ecological impact of using AI, try\u00a0discode.ai<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 an EU-built AI router that allows access to 100+ models from one interface, shows you the CO\u2082, water, and energy burned by each prompt, then auto-routes simpler questions to a frugal model so you’re not wasting whole oceans on getting at a one-line summary.\u00a0Free to get started<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n SAF sounds<\/mark><\/strong> Keeping up a hectic pace of announcements,\u00a0Sharjah Art Foundation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0has launched\u00a0SAF Radio<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 basically a podcast-style selection of music, artist playlists, \u201ccultural deep dives\u201d and live pop-up broadcasts that also includes archival recordings from the Foundation\u2019s collection. It\u2019s kicking off with a series of 12 hour-long music sets curated by\u00a0Mohammed Abood<\/strong>\u00a0under the title\u00a0Aswaat<\/strong>\u00a0(\u201cconceived as a continuous listening experience, Aswaat is shaped by feeling and atmosphere rather than fixed genres … Each episode unfolds as a single uninterrupted mix shaped around a particular sensibility\u201d). We\u2019ve listed to several of them; they\u2019re definitely interesting, covering a very wide range \u2013 griot to Tarek Yamani, Mashrou\u2019 Leila to Bonobo. Bit light on Progressive Metalcore; more important,\u00a0why isn’t it available from podcast stores<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Free wifi for art<\/mark><\/strong> This is an interesting project:\u00a0submit an artwork<\/strong>\u00a0(anything goes: the current crop ranges from quick scrawls to quite detailed work) to get\u00a0free local internet access<\/strong>\u00a0(around Dalston Square in Hackney, East London). The \u2018curator\u2019 adds a title and inserts it into the gallery as part of the\u00a0monthly online exhibition<\/strong><\/a>. Something Alserkal or similar could try? Check it out\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mingle<\/mark><\/strong> Medina Creatives<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is having another of its networking\u00a0get-togethers for creative types<\/a><\/strong>(\u201ccome ready to mingle, promote and potentially find the best collaborations of your artistic career) at\u00a0One Life Kitchen<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in d3. 4 July, 4-6pm, music by the rather cool\u00a0DJ Laila<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Park life<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Dubai Municipality has launched a competition intended \u201cto\u00a0harness the power of AI<\/strong><\/a> across urban planning, architecture, and park design\u201d \u2013 redesign\u00a0Al Safa 2 Park<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to show \u201chow an integrated ecosystem of AI tools can augment the entire design journey\u201d. Open to architects, urban planners, landscape designers, researchers, startups and AI innovators: total prize money AED 200,000. More\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n New season at LouvreAD<\/mark><\/strong> Louvre Abu Dhabi\u2019s\u00a02026\u20132027 exhibition programme<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0features four major exhibitions exploring\u00a0board games<\/strong>\u00a0(inc examples from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia: runs 18 Jul to Apr 2027);\u00a0Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean<\/strong>\u00a0(14 Oct \u2013 Feb 2027: really looking forward to that); contemporary art with the\u00a0Art Here 2026<\/strong>\u00a0show (11 Nov \u2013 Feb 2027) culminating in the Richard Mille Art Prize: and\u00a0Living Legacies. Protecting Heritage. Building Hope<\/strong>\u00a0(23 Nov \u2013 Apr 2027), an important-looking show about preserving cultural heritage in challenging environments through artefacts, immersive projections and personal testimonies\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be seen on the scene?<\/mark><\/strong> SEEN\/SCENE,\u00a0Rizq Art Initiative<\/strong><\/a>‘s annual show for emerging artists, is back for a 5th edition with an\u00a0open call<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for young contemporary artists \u201cof and from\u201d the UAE to participate in an exhibition early in 2027. Deadline: 30 Jul (actually some of the bumf says 1 Aug, but it\u2019s the earlier date on the application form). Apply\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gallery watch<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Two summer group shows opening this week look well worth a visit: Ayyam’s\u00a0Tangerine Dreams<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(“occupying a unique space between intensity and comfort, orange embodies both vitality and reflection”) and Artbooth’s\u00a0In Transit<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(mixes past exhibitors with artists showing in the future) …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Useful app of the week<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Not all USB-C cables are created equal. They might all look the same, but\u00a0 Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Chain Reaction<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is an online game in which you place ‘atoms’\u00a0on a grid; you can put them in empty cells or those you already ‘own’, and when a cell reaches its limit \u2013 two atoms for the corners, three for the edges, four for the middle \u2013 it explodes, spreading atoms to neighbouring squares and capturing them from your rival.\u00a0Try it here<\/a>\u00a0…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Nomophobia<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is the fear of being without your phone (the name, somewhat crudely, is short for \u2018no-mobile-phone phobia\u2019). Seems the word can also describe the fear of being unable to use your phone because the battery is low …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark> <\/a><\/strong>Casi : Eleven87<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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some can\u2019t charge at full speed, some don\u2019t carry video, others might just be failing on you. This free, open-source Mac menu bar app reads your USB-C cable\u2019s actual specs and tells you in plain English whether the bottleneck is the cable, the charger or the port. Find it\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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