Temperature checks, sanitising stations and social distancing reminders – these have become all too familiar to most of us in the last few months. And when Alserkal Avenue held its first art event since the onset of Covid-19 on Saturday, September 19, they were in full force.
From 10am to 10pm, the arts neighbourhood in Al Quoz held one of its yearly Alserkal Lates, an event typically marked by exhibition openings, live music and performances. Though art spaces in the UAE have gradually reopened since June, none have hosted any large gatherings so far.
People are wearing masks that conceal their expressions, and sometimes it's interesting to see expressions change as people look at art
Alserkal Avenue decided to push ahead with Lates, opting to tighten measures to safeguard against the coronavirus. For one, the event timings were extended to 12 hours instead of the 6pm to 10pm schedule of past years (hence the name “Lates”) to help spread out visits.
With DIFC planning its own galleries' night in November and Abu Dhabi Art on course to stage an edition later this year, Alserkal Avenue’s event serves as a litmus test for what is possible for future art events and whether the public will show up.
For Lates 2020, capacity was narrowed to 5,000 people, with numbers monitored through pre-existing footfall counters at entrances and exits. Alserkal Avenue did not provide the visitor tally this year, but stated that it welcomed 10,000 people for Alserkal Lates in September 2019.
Masks were mandatory, as were temperature checks at entry points.
As student Defne Ozden, 18, pointed out, communication was also helpful in navigating our so-called new reality with signs and floor markings all around the venue. “There’s a lot of posters that say what you should do,” she said, adding, “Since there aren’t that many people, I feel safe. The guards checked our temperature, and I didn’t really see anyone not obeying the mask rule.”
One of the signs on the footpath read, "it's not you, it's Covid-19."
Among the galleries, restaurants and retail spaces, however, practices were varied, with some taking extra measures. Ishara Art Foundation, for example, asked visitors to fill out forms for contact tracing. Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde set up a sanitising station replete with masks, hand sanitiser and gloves at their entrance. For all spaces, signs indicating capacity and reminders of rules were stuck on entrance doors.
Physical distancing was the hardest measure to maintain. Even with fewer people going into galleries, paths still sometimes cross when looking at the works. A more stark example was at the entrance of the exhibition New Waves: Mohamed Melehi and the Casablanca Art School Archives, a major retrospective on the Moroccan artist, housed inside multidisciplinary space Concrete.
Capacity was originally set to 25 visitors, but reduced to 10 shortly before the opening. Entry to the show required pre-booking, though drop-ins were welcomed provided there was enough space. This led to lines outside the venue, which had only one entrance and exit point.
There were also short lines outside of Custot Gallery, which was showing works by Thomas Saraceno and Koo Jeong A. In both these cases, the lines often dissipated within minutes, though they indicate that visitors are still adjusting to new booking systems and that getting inside a gallery may now take longer than expected.
We want that return to confidence. It's about learning to be comfortable in a new setting
Still, people expressed their approval over the comeback of cultural activities in the UAE. “It shows that there is initiative and that things are happening,” visitor Andre M said. “Art is a way to connect and exchange thoughts that sometimes we are not able to share easily,” he added.
“People are social beings, and the fact that you have art that’s sparking conversation takes our mind away from current events,” architect and illustrator Sarah Al Adayleh said. She has attended past Alserkal Avenue events and noted one change in the experience. “People are wearing masks that conceal their expressions, and sometimes it’s interesting to see other people’s expressions change as they’re looking at the piece. For me, that was always entertaining, but now I’m more focused on my reaction. It’s more inward.”
Interactions like these are just one consequence of Covid-19. Before the pandemic, exhibition openings usually brought together collectors, patrons and artists, with groups congregating in galleries to socialise. While artist Saba Qizilbash, who lives in the UAE, was able to attend the opening of her show at 1x1 Art Gallery, Hera Buyuktasciyan in Turkey witnessed hers via Zoom through the help of the team at Green Art Gallery.
Malini Gulrajani, founder of 1x1, said that the extended event timings helped with maintaining safety protocols. With new faces and collectors both coming by the gallery throughout the day, she was satisfied with sales and footfall, considering the situation. “We needed it to elevate the mood and bring back some hope,” she said.
For other businesses, reopening goes beyond financial considerations. At The Fridge, the band Cubai performed to 60 people in a space usually meant for 180. “The concert barely made money to cover the technical costs,” director Shelley Frost said. The performing arts have been hit hard by the closures, with bands like Cubai unable to perform since March.
Speaking about her reasons for staging these shows despite a lack of financial viability, Frost said, “We need to take positive steps together as a society as we come out of lockdown. We want that return to confidence. It’s about learning to be comfortable in a new setting.”
The Fridge reconfigured seating arrangements in checkerboard style with two metres distance. Attendees are permitted to remove masks while in their area, but most wear them when they move around the space.
“We also feel a burden of responsibility towards the artists we represent. It’s important for these mechanisms to keep going again,” she added.
As art season in the UAE picks back up and institutions announce their autumn programmes, Alserkal Lates signals the public’s readiness for the return of cultural events. Over at Sharjah Art Foundation, for example, Tarek Atoui performed to a small group of attendees for his new show Cycles in 11. The future is still uncertain, but at least the doors are open.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GROUPS
Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
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INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The biog
Family: Parents and four sisters
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah
A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls
Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction
Favourite holiday destination: Italy
Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning
Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes
Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
