Second AlUla Artist Residency programme wraps up


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

An open studio event will be held next week to publicly reveal the works, research and creative processes of the six AlUla Artist Residency programme participants.

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the French Agency for AlUla Development, or Afalula, announced that the second programme has officially wrapped up. The 12-week residency gave the artists the opportunity to pursue their work in the historical site.

Filipino multidisciplinary artist Augustine Paredes, who lives in the UAE took part in the scheme, along with Moroccan-Canadian photographer M’hammed Kilito, French-American transdisciplinary artist Sabine Mirlesse, Emirati poet Afra Atiq, Saudi multidisciplinary artist Mohammad Alfaraj and Saudi visual artist Daniah Alsaleh.

Together, they represent an array of mediums, including poetry, painting, sculpture, photography, as well as installation, performance, video and digital arts.

The work and research of the six artists will be revealed to the public during a two-day open studio event in a guesthouse in the palm grove of Mabiti in AlUla. Photo: Royal Commission for AlUla
The work and research of the six artists will be revealed to the public during a two-day open studio event in a guesthouse in the palm grove of Mabiti in AlUla. Photo: Royal Commission for AlUla

The artists interacted with historians, archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists, farmers, wildlife and agricultural experts, as well as the local community, to exchange ideas and glean inspiration for their artworks and research. Their works during the residency drew from AlUla’s natural and cultural landscape.

Through a curated public programme of workshops, talks, film screenings, and readings, the artists introduced their ideas and practices to the greater community of AlUla.

Their work and research will be revealed to the greater public during the two-day open studio event in a guesthouse in the palm grove of Mabiti. The event, running on December 19 and 20, will give visitors the opportunity to meet the artists, visit their studios and be immersed in the culmination of three months' worth of research, experimentation and production. The event will also feature performances by Atiq and Parades, along with a discussion with Alfaraj, Kilito and Mirlesse.

The 12-week residency gave six artists the opportunity to pursue their work in AlUla. Photo: Royal Commission for AlUla
The 12-week residency gave six artists the opportunity to pursue their work in AlUla. Photo: Royal Commission for AlUla

A panel discussion featuring all six artists-in-residence will take place on December 20, followed by a closing event to celebrate the creative community that has formed around this residency programme.

The AlUla Artist Residency programme will resume in January next year, with a new iteration that will further investigate the dialogue between the past and present, reflecting upon history and its artistic heritage through the lens of digital and technological innovation.

The first AlUla Residency Programme was held between November last year and January this year, and also featured six artists, including Rashed AlShashai, Sara Favriau, Talin Hazbar, Laura Sellies, Muhannad Shono and Sofiane Si Merabet.

RCU’s ambition is also to gradually connect the AlUla Artist Residency programme to its wider cultural assets, and explore the area's agriculture, botany and perfume, as well as the Arabian horses, arts, design and architecture that make up the cultural fabric of the city.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme

Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.

The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

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Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

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Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

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Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.

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Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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UAE

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Norway

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Canada

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Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
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Updated: December 15, 2022, 3:35 PM`