A choir of 30 date palms sing in unison as part of Louvre Abu Dhabi's new interactive installation, Singing Trees, which becomes available to the public from Tuesday, February 25. The songs, which include the traditional Emirati Ayyala, play on speakers strapped around each palm. With the use of presence sensors, the volume of these tunes increases when visitors get closer to the trees. The more people interact with the trees at the same time, the more resonant the music will be.
The work aims to call attention to the natural environment and encourages visitors to appreciate it. As the climate crisis deepens and countries face the consequences of policies that have aided environmental destruction, the art world is also trying to find ways to respond. The setting itself is not entirely natural, however, as the work has been installed in the manicured outdoor landscape at the museum's entrance. Visitors can experience Singing Trees for free until Saturday, March 7, after which it will travel to Paris in September.
Partnering with Paris’s Theatre du Chatelet, Louvre Abu Dhabi commissioned design and technology studio Umbrellium from London to create the installation. Known for developing products that tackle urban issues, such as road safety and air quality, Umbrellium has previously worked with cultural institutions such as the Barbican Centre, where they created an immersive environment with light.
Incorporating their ongoing concerns with air quality to Singing Trees, the studio used a programming tool linked to the world air quality index to update the speakers on Abu Dhabi's levels of air pollution. On a hazy day, for example, the audio quality will crackle, while on a clear day, it will play distinctly. Powered by rechargeable batteries, the units communicate with each other wirelessly and are split into groups of bass, alto, soprano and tenor.
In creating Singing Trees, Umbrellium has tried to stay mindful of the environment, using perforated cotton for the exterior design of the speaker covers, and ensuring that the belts that hold them in place do not harm the date palm trees. Though the production of the work, which includes shipping materials and using energy to charge the speakers' batteries, is not sustainable, the studio's chief strategy officer Andrew Caleya Chetty says the installation's main purpose is to send a message. "The role of art for me is one of dialogue and investigation. It gives a different lens to see an issue. We're trying to bring everybody into the conversation… The air quality work we do is about enabling citizens or viewers to understand that they have a role in climate change and a simple action on their part could be like a butterfly beating its wings. It could have a very large ramification," he explains.
Ruth Mackenzie, artistic director of Theatre du Chatelet, agrees. "One of the very important things about art institutions and artists is that they are trusted and people listen to them," she says, adding that it is one way to raise awareness of climate concerns. "The piece is asking… to look what happens if we care about our natural environment. That's a very universal message that often people don't hear in all the flurry of daily news."
The musical pieces for Singing Trees also include traditional folk songs in English and French, specifically Greensleeves from late 16th century England and L'Amour de Moy from Medieval France. The Ayyala song has been recorded by local performers from the capital, and it will travel with the installation when it is presented abroad. The song is part of the traditional Emirati group dance that embodies solidarity and has been included in Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.
The installation also coincides with UAE Innovation Month, a government initiative that seeks to promote the development of new technologies to enhance quality of life in the country. “This project is dedicated to UAE Innovation Month, which the nation is celebrating and which we take part in every year. We decided to present this project because it is a mix of technology, art and environmental awareness. It is particularly important because it is an ongoing exhibition that will tour the world, with the key start here in Abu Dhabi,” says Alia Al Shamsi, acting cultural programming manager at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
“It is a very beautiful way of presenting a dialogue about sustainability. Art has the capability to translate complex issues such as environmental awareness through a simple gesture – approaching a tree – but it shows that the tree has a voice and awareness in it,” she says.
Singing Trees will be at Louvre Abu Dhabi until Saturday, March 7
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What the law says
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.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Foo Fighters
RCA records
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
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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 ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Listen to Extra Time
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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