A visual journey by Jalal Abuthina through Al Badaa, District 333

Walls. Not the sort that divide, but the ones that bring us together. Convergence.  Expression. Street art. That’s what Jalal Abuthina’s new book deals with. District 333 - beyond the surface, whispers the title. A municipality map of the approximate area adorns the otherwise plain white cover. Al Badaa near Satwa, or District 333 in Dubai [...]

Days two and three – ArabNet, Beirut and Bashar

Beirut is a cacophony of delights. And ArabNet is fantastic. Mind you, it’s nothing too exotic. Many of the faces have already said their bit in Dubai, some several times. I told Omar Christidas, the man behind ArabNet, as much when i interviewed him. But it’s not only about the stories. It’s about creating an [...]

Beirut & ArabNet- a first day recap

It’s been surreal in many ways. But not in the stereotypical Beiruti ways that are fed to you ad nauseum. The rampant hedonism that people keep associating with the city hasn’t been discovered just yet. Yes, the women outnumber the men, and fortunately, look exponentially better than the men. Yes, they’re not afraid to look [...]

Beirut-first impressions: a cussed, cussing sort of beauty

The plane wasn’t exactly Emirates’ newest. But I wasn’t complaining. The flight was mostly empty, and I made the most of it by stretching out over four seats to catch a solid three hour kip. It was mostly usual fare. Sartorially, a few wonderful people stood out in the plane. The pot-bellied dude in Harley [...]

The bow ties that bind

In apropos of absolutely nothing. There’s been a lot going on, both personally and professionally. Between Art Dubai, the Sikka Art Fair, the Emirates Lit Fest, the Abu Dhabi Book Fair, there’s a lot that needs to be written and spoken about. Mostly very, very good. And there’s a book to review, courtesy Jalal Abu [...]

A few words with Cherien Dabis of “Amreeka” fame

  On assignment, I tracked down Palestinian New Yorker Cherein Dabis, director of Amreeka, via email. The emails rapidly led to a phone convo. She’s gregarious, talkative and has positive energy I could feel reverberating all along the transatlantic wires linking us. Amreeka debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. It deals with cultural [...]

Sikka Art Fair – it talks, sings, dances and paints

It’s a riot of remarkability. A medley of music. A cascade of creativity. Say hello to the Sikka Art Fair. It’s being organized on the fringe of Art Dubai by Dubai Culture in cooperation with the Jam Jar. The PR and promotional material says it “will feature artworks by upcoming Emirati and UAE-based artists, galleries, [...]

Ad-ing to the fun: Music Master & Money Ball Guy

Now this is a good idea. A really clever idea. Want to promote a site about music – in this case www.music-master.com? Construct large images of musicians out of barcodes that smartphones can pick up. Watch as people stand there looking a little loony, giving MJ’s face a shave with their phones, ferreting for the [...]

I am 28. I am no longer ubermensch

A birthday rant. Warning: Contains strong language. Strong like dog poo in the morning breeze. And ridiculous amounts of cheese. And darkness, like three sheets of black paint scrapped off cars and stapled together. Be warned. I am 28. A nothing year. An in-between sum. Inconsequential. Except that it isn’t. 28 for me is utterly [...]

Geekfest Abu Dhabi – same same but very different

Geekfest Abu Dhabi had many firsts. It was the first time that twofour54 had opened its hallowed doors to an ‘unorganized’ event. It was the first time Dubai peeps had boarded a coaster bus and been ferried to represent Geekfest in the land of bureaucracy. It was also the first time I managed to actually [...]