Al Ghurair Centre seems determined to not disappear amid the deluge of new malls that has flooded Dubai in the last couple of decades. While geographic factors ensure that it will not be able to compete with Dubai Mall and the planned Mall of Arabia, its latest expansion is extremely bold, and is also timed to coincide with a re-branding that includes a new positioning, new marketing, a new logo, and community activities like the STREETCON urban art festival. If the momentum is sustained, it could result in a new lease of life for Dubai's first mall, and a revitalization of what used to be Dubai's high street.
Most of STREETCON is not actually on the street, except for a couple of murals painted along the road that runs through the mall's premises. One of them is a collaborative mural, to be completed by numerous artists over the ten days of the festival.
A small multi-artist gallery and studio called "The Mash-Up" was packed into a vacant space at the Spinneys block, in which customization toys were being worked on by artists, and urban/alternative art works, ranging from tin art to glass art to graffiti, were displayed.
The AGC expansion itself is actually quite revolutionary. It's a three-level complex with two large atria and many more shops and cafes, connected to the old mall, but with a brighter, swankier look. An expanded food court and entertainment centre have been added. AGC has also launched a magazine that, despite being an obvious promotion for the mall, actually has some low-spiel, interesting content.
The Courtyard Playhouse hosted its first musical act with a two-night free showcase performance by cellist Isis M, featuring guitarists Alex Pascoe and Adam Hoult. I went to the second show, which also happened to be during the Street Night Art event.
The concert began with a demonstration of Alex's impressive vocals and songwriting, backed by Adam, and supported by Isis on the cello.
The stage was then left to Isis, as she played several of her own compositions to a backdrop of vintage videos of the sea, as well as a few videos produced by local artists. Although there were quite a few technical hiccups and other lapses, it was a good performance overall, and an interesting concept.
Outside and down the road, about half of street 4B had been taken over by a new street festival organized by ALL Quoz twixt the warehouses.
The artification was, however, to be thoroughly temporary; no warehouse walls were made available for graffiti. Instead, long boards were set up on stands for artists to work on.
Music and/or dance was constantly on somewhere or the other, with performers taking turns with a variety of genres across three stages.
Many activities were available for visitor participation, including bus painting, a street painting studio, a conversation chair, and others. Numerous artists also lined the street with their work, available for bidding or purchase.
