The Object as Mediator

Flemish artist duo Robbert&Frank/Frank&Robbert brought their performance art piece, The Object as Mediator, to the city this week. It's rare to see something of this abstract level here, even deep under the dermis of Dubai's art world. I had to miss their show at the Mahani event on Dec 10th, but there was, fortunately, another opportunity to see them perform today at The Mine, along with an unexpectedly strong turnout.

One especially interesting dimensions to their 45-minute performance was the lighting. The performance began with the gallery lights shut off, and all the lighting from then on came from performance props, including a film projector and the headlamps of a MINI they drove through the gallery. Featuring no dialogue, their performance, as well as the occasional audience members' participation, took place silently, with an oddball music track mix playing in the background.

Employing such props as wooden blood pools, forensic brushes, and miniature pine tree cutouts, the artists' actions during the performance seemed to be portraying the construction of violence, and depicting as farce the process of investigating, analyzing, and assigning responsibility for it. Such themes could be particularly relevant now, given recent events in the US and in the Middle East.

Quoz Art Festival and a spot of ISEA

The Quoz Arts Festival returned to the neighborhood this year, with a new branding, a wider audience, and a lot of food. Literally, one lane of Al Serkal Avenue, turned into a food street. A satellite attraction was the upcoming expansion of the Avenue, the construction for which was now looking much closer to completion in the plot next door.

Before taking a look around the galleries, though, I dropped in at the Fridge for the final performance of ISEA 2014: Maziar Ghaderi's Dissolving Self, featuring Vrinda Bhandula's dance performance visually augmented with a live projection behind her, controlled by her movements. It's not the first motion-controlled rendering in the world, but the simple bi-chromatic star field, coalescing, expanding and spining with her was beautiful in execution.

I only had the time to look at a few galleries. One I liked a lot was FN Designs and its exhibition of pop art, especially the long panorama of iconic aspects of Dubai life, pixelated and colored in a style reminiscent of retro computer games.

At Grey Noise, Michael John Welan's Lupus consisted of works in the metaphorical vein typical of the gallery, using different media and/or cultural symbols to wistfully allude to the demise of the Irish wild wolf.

Further afield, Mottahedan Projects' multi-artists exhibition, The Other Side of Visibility, featured a diverse and mostly interesting array of art, with my favorites including the works of Tala Madani (right), Maryam Hoseini (top left) and Habib Farajabadi (bottom left).

Hitting the sacks at Raw Coffee Company

A cafe in a coffee warehouse? You'd have to get on a ship to Colombia to get any closer to the source. That's what Raw Coffee Company does with the front of its Al Quoz space, from where it also distributes its signature brand of fresh, organic, ethically-traded coffee.

Tucked into a narrow lane leading into one of the warehouse compounds at 4A/7A near Noor Islamic Bank metro station, it takes a little effort to find, especially for those unfamiliar with the community; a sign at the outer end of said lane would be great. Art fans might have come across it, though, since a few galleries dot the area around it. Inside is a bustling cafe right up against stored sacks of raw coffee and a working roastery, which infuse the air with a rich aroma. Definitely a great ambiance.

The experience here is centered on the die-hard coffee lover, with the edible portion of the menu limited to a few varieties of cake and cupcake (but good ones, I should add). The coffee menu is also fairly simple: Arabica, available in the standard range of concentrations and milk options from a sharp ristretto (top left) to a creamy latte (bottom right), along with hot chocolate for kids, and a cold brew option (top center). For those who want to be a bit more involved, there's also the list of six brewing options from which to choose, the mild and delicious Chemex (right) among them.

Dale Nichols piano concert at The Fridge

As a piano music fan, I could not miss The Fridge's latest Fridge Concert Series concert, starring pianist and composer Dale Nichols. For about an hour, Nichols played several compositions on The Fridge's stage, including "Adrift" and "Vagabond's Revenge", and most memorably, "Dreams from a Kitchen Window" and "The Sea".

His music is not typical piano concert fare; it has been described as "cinematic", and does seem to lend itself well to inclusion in soundtracks. Which is to say that it is a very mood-evoking music, incorporating themes of nature and the weather, as Nichols mentioned during his introductions. His composition also eschews repetitive motifs, and his music is distinctively dynamic, changing direction subtly ever so often.

His EP, In Full Color, includes four lovely tracks, including the haunting "October", and the calming, melodic "Blossom", with its background of nature sounds.

Thank you for your cooperation

Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde's latest exhibition, Thank You for Your Cooperation, applies bold colors and words to a urban facade. Par for the course with Turkish artist duo :mentalKLINIK, who have been known to make resourceful and novel use of modern materials. The works on glass are especially striking.

From Page to Stage poetry workshop performance

(clockwise from top left) Zeina Hashem Beck; Frank Dullaghan; Marie Dullaghan; Rosine Saad; Lara Bogdanovic

Dubai-based poet and PUNCH founder, Zeina Hashem Beck, concluded her poetry workshop at The Courtyard Playhouse with a showcase performance at the venue. The small but enthusiastic class started with a group performance of Thomas Lux's Render Render and their own responses to it, followed by individual recitals ranging from witty observational to somber emotional. Another Dubai-based poet, Frank Dullaghan, headlined the event with readings of his own works, and Beck's love poem closed the event on a saccharine note.

A4 Space unfolds in Al Serkal

Al Serkal Avenue's A4 Space officially opened its doors on Monday with a live music performance by Hamdan al Abri, and milling throngs of have-a-lookers, bringing to the compound and the neighborhood a much-needed replacement for Shelter. With a cafe, a community library, a store, and rather large gallery and screening halls (the latter with stepped rows of beanbags), it also sort of fills in the void left by the old Pavilion. The space's design is neat, too; a platform constructed halfway into the front section, with another level of catwalk overlooking it, and little reading nooks complementing the desk space.

Opera in Al Quoz with Clare and David Lesser

I found out about it literally a few hours before it was to start, but after two foiled attempts to attend in the last couple of years, I decided to do some schedule tightening and make Clare and David Lesser's opera recital at Art Sawa's Al Quoz space this time. It was worth it, for the concert was lovely. David Lesser's piano playing and Clare Lesser's soprano singing made a great combination, and clearly had been through many hours together. The songs for the evening were also selected well, with some nice German compositions among them. I would have preferred the Crumb to have been placed right after the interval, so the recital could have ended on a more classic note, but it was a great performance nonetheless.

Office colors at Mottahedan Projects

The colors and lines in these works leapt out of the brightly-lit Mottahedan Projects gallery at the bend of of Al Joud Center in Al Quoz, grabbing attention across the intersection -- an intersection I had swung through numerous times to get to The Courtyard, I realized, without knowing the gallery existed. Well, I now do.

Within were displayed several paintings by Andrzej Zieliński, along with a couple of sculptures, under the title You Are Disconnected, Would You Like To Proceed?. The bold colors and the hint of Cubism in the projection of the familiar machines depicted in the paintings speak to a somewhat retro aesthetic, with the paintings standing out thanks to an often multi-hued and furrowed texture (from the scraping of thick paint layers), and the occasional inclusion of actual 3D objects on their surfaces.

His sculptures extend these techniques to the third dimension of edges and interior surfaces. His use of a rough-hewn rock tile base to support sheet plexi and machined metal technologically-themed structures is particularly intriguing there.

This exhibition will apparently only run for another couple of weeks (I'm guessing this means until the beginning of Art Season), so I would highly recommend checking it out before then.

At the crossroads in Al Quoz Pond Park

The last major park on my list, Al Quoz Pond Park is a pretty good deal: it's conveniently located right at the intersection of Meydan Road and Al Khail Road, with a view of the downtown skyline, and while there's not a lot of turf, it's trim, clean and well-kept.

The pond is large and surprisingly beautiful, with Caribbean-like blue-green waters, light sand, and three small rocky islands. It's fenced off, but one can at least enjoy the sight of it while walking, jogging, or using the public exercise equipment on the rubberized track that runs along its shore.

There are also a bunch of facilities, including a kids' play area and a baseball park, although these appear to be for residents only (not sure how exactly this status is demonstrated). Entry is free, but there are no vendors inside or within easy reach, so it would be advisable to bring one's own refreshments.

Visual cello at The Courtyard Playhouse, and Al Quoz Street Night Art

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.

Movie night at The Cribb

Miranda Davidson Studios screened Training Day at The Cribb in Al Quoz today, which also gave me a chance to check out the venue. The place is located at The Football Centre, which made it convenient to get to from the Manara exit. The Cribb is on the 1st level, and is accessible by swipe card, featuring pay-to-use office space run by i360accelerator, aimed at entrepreneurs and mobile workers. The screening was held in the meeting/event room, en route to which I passed several desks, a modest cafe, and a lounge space.

What I saw of the place looked pretty cool and colorful, and well-designed for its intended purpose. Some in the target market (especially those used to the models of Pavilion Downtown or MAKE) might have issues with them having no on-demand pay-as-you-go options for walk-ins, if not with having to pay at all. For those who can commit to frequent and long-term usage of the place, though, the monthly packages are fairly attractive, and, depending on the package, include such perks as branded workspaces, dedicated desks, and free software access, presently starting at about AED 20 a day (which is not too bad, considering that the cafe is reasonably priced).

Launch of Capsule Arts Dubai studio in Al Quoz

Dubai's newest art spot, the Capsule Arts studio/gallery in Al Quoz, launched last Thursday with an event that was appropriately decorated with the works of over 20 artists. The organization was founded almost a year ago, and deals in art prints and commissions.

The launch party was held in their new studio, a hangar-sized warehouse with a partial second level, located near Oasis Centre. So many attended, it might as well have been a post-summer arts community regroup event.

Noush like Sploosh (L) and Fathima Mohiuddin (R)

Arcadia Blank (L) and Lama Khatib Daniel (R)

Kate Toledo (L) and Jill Thomas Whatley (R)

Some of Dubai's most well-known contemporary artists were represented among the displays on the walls of the space that night, including a good number of pop pieces and drawings, and even one section of graffiti (via photography).

Galleries night and The Fridge season launch at Al Serkal Avenue

Dubai wiped summer sweat off its brow and unpacked its suitcases on September 9th, as the Al Quoz art scene kicked off the Fall season with a galleries' night at Al Serkal Avenue.

Nation Estate still

I particularly liked Larissa Sansour's Nation Estate at Lawrie Shabibi; it was a very interesting juxtaposition of a futuristic utopia with Palestinian cultural icons.

Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde's exhibition of Aisha Khalid's works was highlighted by this one piece, entitled Yourself of Yourself.

Hatty Pedder returned to Mojo Gallery, this time with images of Beirut. I loved the ones with the brightly-colored pane backdrops, and her drawing is a huge plus.

At Grey Noise, the theme of the fascinating joint exhibition Intangible experiences, arrangements and manoeuvres by Charbel-Joseph H. Boutros and Stephanie Saade was the de- and re-contextualization of objects. Quite philosophical.

The Green Art Gallery was displaying the photography of Jung Lee, each piece a different word or phrase written in neon and set in natural scenery. Although they resemble hipstagrams at first glance, the quality of the photography and the choice of backdrops and colors make them stand out artistically.

Fusion violinist Elena Thedvall and vocalist Melisa Le Rue at The Fridge

Serkal resident The Fridge also launched its music season with a singer-songwriter session, followed by some of their artists and groups performing across a range of genres. These included a great demonstration of string talent by Fusion violinist Elena Thedvall, and a clappy-happy show by singer Melisa Le Rue with the choir group Dubai Vocal Ensemble.

Courtyard Playhouse and First Long Form Night

The combined improv acting batches of Drama Dubai gathered this day for our first long form evening. We all had a blast, especially with one of my favorites: towns and chairs. It was great to have a casual long form session in the almost 100% finished Courtyard Playhouse, Dubai's newest community arts space. The carpets are lain, and the paint smell is gone, so we were kind of inaugurating it as a usable space.

Apart from drama, there are going to be a lot of other interesting activities going on there, from stand-up to photography. The bleacher seating arrangements, which can be extended in the floor space as necessary, and the substantial stage space will together also make it an attractive venue for performances. Yes, I think we in the arts community here can look forward to seeing a lot of it henceforth.