After a two-year hiatus, the Quoz Arts Fest by Alserkal will return this weekend.
The free-to-attend event, taking place at Alserkal Avenue on Saturday and Sunday, will feature live music, outdoor installations, contemporary art exhibitions, midnight film screenings and art workshops for children and adults.
The festival last took place in January 2020 and welcomed 40,000 visitors to more than 100 attractions. For its ninth event, the festival is exploring the theme of Waking Dreams, where visitors will be invited to “sleepwalk through daytime dreamscapes.”
Here are seven things to see and do at this year's Quoz Arts Fest:
Gaia
UK artist Luke Jerram’s installation lets you get up close and personal with the planet. Floating in three dimensions, Gaia measures seven metres in diameter and features highly detailed imagery of the Earth’s surface compiled from Nasa’s Visible Earth catalogue.
The installation aims to instil in viewers the overview effect experienced by astronauts when witnessing the planet from outer space. Common experiences include a feeling of awe for the planet, and a renewed sense of responsibility towards it.
Gaia, which gets its name from the personification of the earth in Greek mythology, will be set up at the multidisciplinary space Concrete for the duration of the festival.
The Colour of Pomegranates
Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov’s 1968 masterpiece The Colour of Pomegranates tells the story of 18th-century troubadour Sayat Nova. This is no-run-of-the-mill biopic. Instead of adopting a conventional narrative, the film traces Sayat Nova’s intellectual, artistic, and spiritual growth through scenes laden with symbolism and iconography.
The film’s tableaux-esque scenes blend folklore and metaphor, deviating from the realism that prevailed in Soviet cinema. As such, authorities stifled the film’s distribution, with only scattered underground screenings presenting the film in a restructured form.
The edition screening at Quoz Arts Festival features the cut closest to Parajanov’s vision. The film will be showing at The Yard at 2.30am on Sunday.
Yoga in The Yard
There are two yoga classes scheduled for the Quoz Arts Fest.
One catering to intermediate and advanced level yoga practitioners will take place at 9.30am on Saturday. The class will exercise vinyasa-style yoga, in which students are challenged more deeply on both a physical and psychological level.
A beginner’s class is scheduled for 9.30am on Sunday and is suitable for those who want to efficiently learn the basics. Both classes will be held at The Yard.
Lippan Art Workshop
Lippan art originates from Kutch, in India's Gujarat state. Also known as clay mirror work, the art form is Kutch’s traditional mural craft.
The workshop at Quoz Arts Fest will teach you modern techniques to create Lippan art. It will cover a brief history of the art form, and how to compose and create your first Lippan wall mural. The workshop is taking place at 3pm on Saturday at the Ame Artistic Studio.
Jindi
Jindi is one of the local music scene’s most versatile acts, blending the sounds of 1970s soul, funk, Motown and reggae.
The Sudanese singer and songwriter will be performing with his band at The Yard at 9pm on Saturday. The show will be replete with the world sounds Jindi has become reputed for, and will feature songs from his debut EP 1995 as well as hit singles including Midnight Love and the recently released Afro dancehall track Hassa in collaboration with Nigerian producer Masterkraft.
Lucid Dreaming
Your gateway to becoming a conscious dreamer. In this workshop, Syrian artist Sara Naim will teach you the tools and techniques to lucid dreaming, putting you in the cockpit as you navigate through your dreams.
“The ability to control, play or interact with one’s dreams offers endless possibilities and benefits for the dream and wake state, including psychological insights and harnessing mindfulness,” the workshop information on Alserkal's website reads. The workshop will be held at 3pm on Sunday at Warehouse 50.
Analogue Al Quoz photo walk
An opportunity to enhance your analogue photography skills and discover Al Quoz anew, this photo walk by Gulf Photo Plus is aimed at beginners and experienced photographers alike.
While most events on this list are free and only require pre-registration, the photo walk is offered at a price of Dh260. Participants will be given a Kodak FunSaver disposable camera to shoot with.
You’ll have the seasoned photographers at Gulf Photo Plus to guide you along the way, giving you tips on how to approach the analogue medium and familiarising you with Al Quoz beyond the walls of Alserkal Avenue.
More information is available on Alserkal Avenue's website.
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Dunki
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
More coverage from the Future Forum
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
Joy%20Ride%20
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
More on Quran memorisation:
