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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Colour perfect

Among the participants at World of Music, Art and Dance (Womad) Abu Dhabi 2010 is Emirati artist Wasel Safwan, whose large, colourful canvas can be seen gracing the area near the North Stage of the festival.

"I was approached to participate last year, but unfortunately I was doing an international exhibition at the time. When they asked me again this year, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the festival... it's an interesting way to showcase UAE art," Safwan said.

The Al Ain-based artist admits that his style is influenced by his study of architecture, which has resulted in a uniquely abstract style that he describes as "UAE-ism". "I describe my work as UAE-ism because I'm always representing my country, both in my art and especially when I am abroad. I also conduct workshops that help me bring my style to university students and to share ideas with them."

Although Safwan is creating his piece throughout the three-day festival surrounded by the sounds of the public and performing artists, that is something that the artist isn't worried about.

"When I'm painting, I block out everything and I feel like I'm in my studio. I work outdoors, so I consider that to be my ‘studio' because it helps to inspire me," Safwan said.

"I'd love to do collaborations with a performing artist where I paint on stage while they perform, but I'm not sure it'll work because they might take only an hour or so to perform but I can take hours to paint."

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Abu Dhabi: Leading celebrities from around the Arab world - from Egyptian actress Yousra to Lebanese singer Roula Saad - turned out in full force to lend their support to the Noble Awards on Saturday at a gala dinner in the Emirates Palace Hotel.

The evening's host, Yousra, highlighted the link between celebrity and charity.

"I believe that every human being has an obligation to continue to raise awareness about the different issues affecting our world," she told on the red carpet ahead of the awards ceremony.

"That is why I am not only an Ambassador for the UN’s development programme…but have also been working closely with a cancer hospital in Egypt for the last three years."

Guests included ten charitable and philanthropical organisations from across the UAE who were honored for their continuous efforts to raise awareness and address the issues they represent.

“I’m in the media business and I feel that we tend to focus too much on the superficial things celebrities do and not recognise them or honour them for their humanitarian work and the charities they work for aren’t being recognised," said the founder of the Noble Awards, Janeen Mansour.

"So I that that it would be important to put these two groups together to hopefully put that out there and create awareness… and also to inspire people to get stand up and get involved, be it in a big or small [way],”.

Throughout the evening, celebrities not only entertained attendees but also presented trophies to highlight the efforts of organisations and individuals in the UAE.

Al Ain: More than 60 companies and 20 educational organisations have joined hands to offer job opportunities in a fair early next month, in Oasis city.

The event will enable Emirati youths to hunt for suitable jobs that promise a successful professional life in different economic fields, the fair organisers said at a press conference recently. The three-day event will be held at Al Khabissi Wedding Hall from May 3 to 5. The fair will open to public from 10am to 8.30pm daily. On the second day, it will be open from 10am to 3pm only for ladies.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Abu Dhabi: Families from the Arabic community in the capital enjoyed an evening of storytelling and comedy as the Hakawati Group, led by master storyteller Ahmad Yousuf Mohammad, performed some well-loved classics such as The Emperor's New Clothes in the style of 1001 Nights.

The event was originally part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2010, which was organised by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (Admaf) that ended on Wednesday, April 7.

It was re-scheduled to April 9 after the tragic death of Shaikh Ahmad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a glider crash on March 26 in Morocco.

Entertaining

"It [the performance] was very entertaining and the children loved it," George Khoury, a 37-year-old Lebanese expatriate who works as an electrical engineer, said. He attended the performance with his wife Marie and two children, Christine and Marwan, who are six and four years old.

The performance was centred around the theme of 1001 nights but with a twist. Instead of Scheherazade telling stories to stay alive, it is Shahrayar who must do so. The one-and- a-half-hour performance saw members of the theatre troupe act out various moral stories, with plenty of action and comic moments as well as lively audience participation.

Dubai: Grammy-winning singer Harry Connick Jr, known for his signature retro jazz style, will be one of the first acts to perform at the recently opened Abu Dhabi Hall when he stops in the capital on May 16.

The US musician-actor, currently on his world tour, will perform at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre's new venue to sing tracks from his new album, Your Songs, as well as old favourites, accompanied by a string orchestra and his big band.

"I'm really looking forward to visiting your amazing country for the first time," Connick said.

"I know the United Arab Emirates is a country that enjoys music and culture and I look forward to sharing my music with you," he added.

The all-seated concert will begin at 8.30pm, with tickets priced begin at Dh395, Dh495, Dh549 and Dh595.

Abu Dhabi: The Fourth International Heritage and Education Symposium, which concluded yesterday, saw over 60 regional and international experts present their observations on the role of education in preserving heritage.

Experts also discussed what the true meaning of heritage is, and the best methods to preserve and promote each country's unique culture.

"The Intangible Heritage Convention, which was launched in 2003, was ratified by 121 states on January 26, 2010. In 2009, 12 elements from eight states, including the UAE, were identified and placed on the Urgent Safeguarding List of Intangible Heritage," Anna Paolini, Representative of the Unesco Director General for Jordan, said.

"This year, we are even discussing creating a convention to protect natural landscapes. That is causing a lot of debate, even among ourselves," she added.

Living culture

According to Paolini, Unesco identifies intangible heritage as living heritage, that is, cultural elements including language, dress and traditions that are a part of peoples' daily lives.

To ensure that these elements are not lost to future generations, the organisation utilises various methods including educational kits to raise awareness and interest.

"We have educational kits that we provide schools, that are a part of our Associated Schools Project Network [ASPnet], which is being revised for the Arab region.

"It is currently in print and will be distributed next month. We will also train teachers on how to use the kit effectively ... at the moment there are 660 schools in the Middle East who are a part of ASPnet, and over 100 of these are in the UAE alone," Paolini said.

"This year, we are calling on countries to encourage the use of museums as not only to showcase artifacts but also as places of learning that can stimulate the minds of pupils," she added.

Other participants in the symposium noted that in addition to using education as a means of preserving heritage, there are additional areas of concern.

Qualifications

"We should look inwards at members from our own communities who are passionate about preserving their culture in all its forms and equip them with the means to do just that, instead of hiring foreign consultants ... not all foreigners are qualified to give advice on what we should do ...

"I urge everyone here to please check the resumes of the people they are hiring no matter what their nationalities are," Dr Abdul Aziz Ali Al Horr, Head of Al Jazeera Media Centre for Training and Development, Qatar University, said.

Sharjah: International artists will be participating for the first time at the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial, which opens tomorrow at the Arts Area, organisers announced at a press conference. "This is the first international biennial where artists are participating from around the world, such as Iran, Germany and Morocco," said Abdullah Mohammad Al Owais, director of Department of Culture and Information of the Sharjah Government. The fourth edition of the Calligraphy Biennial will feature displays of artworks in various locations around the emirate including Sharjah city, Kalba, Khor Fakkan, and Dibba Al Hisn. The event is being held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah and will be open until June 7.

Modern perspective"It is an exhibition for Arab calligraphy that is combined with a modern perspective, as well as being accompanied with different themes. The purpose of the exhibition is to link the past techniques with the modern ones, and to raise the awareness of calligraphy on a global level," explained Al Owais. The Calligraphy Biennial will be displayed throughout the two months primarily at the Calligraphy Museum in Al Shuwaiheen, although several activities and exhibitions will also be held at the Sharjah Islamic Civilisation Museum and University City. The exhibition is hosting both individual and joint exhibitions, with a number of artists and intellectuals from Arab, Islamic and foreign countries taking part in seminars and workshops. The solo exhibitions will also feature the work of UAE photographer Saif Al Zari, who will be displaying a collection titled, ‘Desert on the Edge of Light', in Bait Al Serkal. Al Owais pointed out that a total of 333 artists are taking part in the exhibition that showcases 821 artworks from across 28 countries. "The seminars and workshops aim to encourage cultures to meet so that they can ultimately contribute in developing Arab calligraphy. It also gives people a chance to view calligraphy in a non-traditional way that does not use the Arab alphabet." In addition to the exhibition, the biennial event will also honour artists for their outstanding contribution to calligraphy, including Kathrine Pieper from Germany, Ali Hassan from Qatar, and Naja Al Mahdawi, from Tunisia.