Art Basel will go ahead with its 50th event in Switzerland this September, complying with Covid-19 restrictions set by the Swiss government.
Fair directors sent an email to its VIPs on Thursday confirming the scheduled dates of September 20 to 26 are still in place.
Capacity has been capped at 20 per cent below that of previous years, and a day has been added to the VIP opening. The number of tickets for the public days of September 23 to 26 will be cut by one third.
Visitors will be allowed to attend only if they have been vaccinated or can present either a recent negative Covid-19 test or proof of sufficient antibodies after recovery from the disease.
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Switzerland has eased some coronavirus restrictions, allowing restaurants and bars to reopen and increasing the number of people permitted at public gatherings and private events.
Art Basel, typically held in June, cancelled its flagship fair last year and was expected to stage its next event in June 2021. In January, however, organisers postponed the dates to September.
The upcoming fair will be the first time it will return to Basel since the pandemic began. In May, a scaled-down Art Basel Hong Kong, with half the usual number of participating galleries, was held partially in person, with a hybrid format that included online viewing rooms, virtual walkthroughs and live broadcasts.
The Swiss event is set to follow this model, though it has not revealed if it has reduced the number of participating galleries. The exhibitor list will be announced in July.
Galleries have other ways to participate, however, particularly via digital initiatives, such as one in which dealers from around the world can attend by “hologram”.
Like the Hong Kong edition, Art Basel in Switzerland will host joint presentations, enabling two or more galleries to share a booth, and “satellite booths”, also known as “ghost booths”, which will showcase artworks from abroad but are staffed locally.
In the letter to VIPs, Art Basel said the Hong Kong fair had drawn in 30,000 visitors “despite extreme travel restrictions”, and deemed it a success.
Switzerland has reported a drop in Covid-19 infections and a rise in its inoculation rate to 60,000 to 90,000 injections per day. About 30 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
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Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
