The centrepiece of this year's UAE National Day celebrations in Abu Dhabi – a luminous rotating cube called The Seed – is now a public artwork.
Located in Jubail Mangrove Park, the installation is the work of renowned British artist and set designer Es Devlin, known for melding light, video, language and music in her spectacular creations.
On December 2, the show Seeds of the Union was attended by UAE leaders exclusively due to safety reasons. Conceptualised around the mangrove tree and nature, hence the title, the show was also livestreamed on television.
The glowing cube was centre-stage during the event, accompanied with fireworks and performances on its surrounding platform, while projections relating to the UAE’s history flashed on the spinning object’s surface.
The show also acknowledged frontline workers in the Covid-19 pandemic, with narrations from a Filipina nurse and an Emirati policeman sharing the experiences and challenges they faced in 2020.
Voices of Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, the UAE’s first astronaut, and Chaica Al Qassimi, an Emirati Special Olympics martial arts athlete, were also played.
Now that it is open to the public, visitors can witness the work of kinetic art in action from Monday, December 14, to Saturday, January 30, during the evening. The daily capacity is at 400 people per day. Proceeds from the ticket price, which range from Dh15 to Dh30, will be directed to a conservation project for the mangroves.
The Seed is just the latest addition to Devlin's expansive body of work, which includes stages for opera houses and theatres, concert sets for big names such as Kanye West and U2, as well as architectural runways for fashion shows and immersive installations.
In 2018, she was tasked with developing the UK Pavilion for Expo 2020, postponed to next year due to the pandemic. She is the first woman to be commissioned by the UK to design a pavilion since 1851.
More information is available atFor more information, visit uaenationalday.ae
Scroll through to the gallery to see more from the UAE National Day show 'Seeds of the Union':
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
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The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
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By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
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By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
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A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
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U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
