The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has announced the participation of House of Artisans at the London Design Biennale 2023, which runs from June 1 to 25 at Somerset House.
Formation of Soof, the immersive installation by House of Artisans, will highlight the relationship between Emirati crafts and architecture. Among those featured are the Emirati Bedouin weaving technique sadu, inscribed in 2011 on Unesco's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
The House of Artisans will also explore the materials and tools used in sadu — shedding light on the soof (wool), maghzal (spinner) and ghazal (spindle), to show how women in the UAE produce their wares. Highlighting the relationship between culture, heritage and creativity, the installation will also draw on the transmission of crafts from one generation to the next.
Building on this, the pavilion explores the flow of movement involved in transforming the soft raw material used in sadu, which was fundamental to the construction of traditional tent structures.
Meanwhile, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority has also commissioned Emirati artist and designer Abdalla Almulla to produce an installation called And Beyond for the three-week event.
And Beyond is a celebration of Dubai's history, which draws on the emirate's historical camel caravans, and their role in building bridges between various societies, separated by desert. This theme is explored through the lens of the Hope Probe, the UAE's mission to Mars, to further highlight the power of human connection and collaboration through immersive design and storytelling.
Almulla explains: “This desert environment I rediscovered prompted me to think about the nature of the challenges of our ancestors and their ability to face harsh conditions and adapt to them.
"I juxtaposed the journey of camel caravans with the remarkable success achieved by the Hope Probe, which is an example of human ambition and our infinite capabilities via scenes inspired by my observations and experiences in Dubai.”
Reflecting on Dubai's participation, Khulood Khoory, projects and events director at Dubai Culture, said design was an essential element in creative expression, consolodating innovation and sustainability.
“London Design Biennale provides a space for constructive dialogue, anticipating the future of design and encouraging the exchange of experiences," Khoory added.
Established in 2016 by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans, the London Design Biennial, it promotes international collaboration and the global role of design. This year's event features more than 40 exhibitors from across the world. The theme, The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations, invites participants to transcend borders to envision new forms of international co-operation and participation through design.
The 2023 artistic director is Nieuwe Instituut, the Dutch national museum and institute for architecture, design, and digital culture, led by general director Aric Chen.
Expanding on this year's theme, Chen said: "The era of globalisation as we’ve known it is transforming into a new condition that we can’t yet define. What we know for sure, however, is that in confronting our ever-growing planetary challenges, working together is more critical than ever — and we hope this biennale can act as a testing ground for examining new possibilities for doing so.”
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
