A majestic model of Michelangelo’s 16th-century marble statue of David is drawing crowds to the Italian pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Visitors queue up and spend time clicking photos and taking videos as the exhibit allows them eye-level access to the copy of the Renaissance masterpiece.
The statue is the star of an exhibition called The Theatre of Memories.
One section has strikingly beautiful hand-painted tiles by Sicilian artists.
Memory is the mother of muses and inspires art. Without memory we have no science and no art is what David symbolises
Davide Rampello,
Italy pavilion
Enshrining memories is critical to inspiring new art, said Davide Rampello, artistic director of the Italy pavilion.
“He [David] is like a witness to the theatre of memories, Mr Rampello told The National.
“Memory is the mother of muses and inspires art.
“Without memory we have no science and no art is what David symbolises.”
Experts said the model is the most advanced reproduction in the world.
In an exhaustive process that included aging the model to replicate cracks and erosion, engineers scanned each microscopic detail of the original marble statue at the Accademia Gallery in Florence before it was 3D printed in Italy.
The decision to use technology to create the model instead of using a plaster cast was part of a laboratory approach to the pavilion.
The pavilion roof is made of three upturned boat hulks that can sail when the World Fair ends and the facade is a curtain of ropes.
It is one of only a few pavilions that does not use air conditioning and relies instead on natural climate control strategies.
Carlo Ratti, co-architect of the Italy pavilion and head of Carlo Ratti Associati, was conscious that all the material used did not end up in landfill after six months when the World Fair ends.
“We tried to explore circularity in architecture. We wanted to experiment so that everything we use here is recyclable or reusable,” he said.
“The ropes that are the facade of the pavilion are made from two million recycled plastic water bottles.
“These were turned into 70 kilometres of rope and then tomorrow the ropes will be reused again.
“So the idea to reuse is very important.”
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
