The American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design's project called on for students around the world to revisit the Chateau and predict what it might look through a Utopian world view. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.
The American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design's project called on for students around the world to revisit the Chateau and predict what it might look through a Utopian world view. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.
The American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design's project called on for students around the world to revisit the Chateau and predict what it might look through a Utopian world view. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.
The American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design's project called on for students around the world to revisit the Chateau and predict what it might look through a Utopian w

Predicting the future: Alserkal Avenue exhibit puts our obsession with 'what next' in the spotlight


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Why is it that we're always trying to predict what our future might look like? What is it about the unknown that intrigues us so much, and makes us want to uncover what it might look, smell, or even sound like? Why, exactly, are we so speculative about what the future might hold?

These are only some of the questions that Kevin Jones hopes to answer this coming month through the programme he has put together for Alserkal Avenue's Foretold Now summer series. The Dubai arts writer is also a brand strategist and art critic.

"There's a lot of conversation at the moment in Dubai about the future, and I feel we are in a very future-focused space in many ways," Jones says. Every day, he drives by The Museum of the Future on Sheikh Zayed Road on his way to work, and every day it inches closer and closer towards completion. There's Expo 2020 just around the corner, promising changes for many. There are initiatives launched by the Dubai Future Foundation, and regular talk about smart cities.

Dubai arts writer Kevin Jones hopes to get people engaging with a different type of future. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.
Dubai arts writer Kevin Jones hopes to get people engaging with a different type of future. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.

What intrigued Jones, however, is less what the future holds and more why we are constantly speculating in the first place.

“Why do we need to forecast and foretell? Every year, trends emerge in fashion, food, hospitality and so on," he says. "Why do we need these trends? What in us draws us to this idea of prediction?”

Last Saturday, Jones launched Foretold Now at Alserkal through a presentation that began by ageing him before his audience's eyes. He used the popular FaceApp age filter (which uses a predictive algorithm to show what we might look like in 10, 15 or 20 years) to transform himself into a 75-year-old man.

We want to predict everything now: what we will look like, what we will be eating, who our politicians will be, what the climate will be. What is fall out of all this prediction? Is it ­anxiety? Is the future over-hyped to start with?

"What underlines this is fetishisation of this projection? We want to predict everything now: what we will look like, what we will be eating, who our politicians will be, what the climate will be," he says. "What is the fallout of all this prediction? Is it ­anxiety? Is the future over-hyped to start with?"

Through a series of debates, live musical performances and dialogues that Jones has ­curated, as well as a reading group that will be running throughout, Foretold Now will examine what drives us to ­predict the future.

This Saturday, the scheduled dialogue will encompass an architectural component. A group of architecture students from the American University of Sharjah's College of Architecture, Art and Design (Caad), submitted a proposal entitled Ecotopus. The 500th anniversary of the foundation of the Chateau de Chambord in France, widely believed to be influenced by Leonardo da Vinci, was the catalyst for this project, which called on students around the world to revisit the Chateau and predict what it might look like through a Utopian world view, ­considering the environmental and ecological challenges we face today.

Alserkal Avenue’s Foretold Now summer series features a series of debates. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.
Alserkal Avenue’s Foretold Now summer series features a series of debates. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.

"The students submerged the Chateau de Chambord under water," explains Jones. "They wrote an essay around the project to be read by Allison Williams, founder of the Dubai Literary Salon, and it will be set to a soundtrack the students chose. It's a mysterious, ­waterlogged project – beautiful, haunting and disturbing at the same time."

As a complement to that, there will be a performance on Saturday, August 17, by artist and professor at Zayed University Isaac Sullivan. Originally a sound artist, Sullivan will present Utopics: Three Drafts on Timelessness.

“He examines what the apocalypse sounds like,” Jones says. “He is riffing off my idea that it is invisible and he will admit that, but it has to have a sound. His piece, a projection of text and sound, was performed in Venice in May and includes field ­recordings that he has taken, other soundtracks that he then ­distorts into almost sonic decay, but he layers one thing over the other and every ­performance of this piece is added to future performances, so that adds yet another layer.

American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design (CaadAAD), submitted a proposal entitled Ecotopus influenced by the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the Chateau de Chambord in France. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.
American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design (CaadAAD), submitted a proposal entitled Ecotopus influenced by the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the Chateau de Chambord in France. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue.

"A crescendo of all of this is looking at the end of time itself," Jones says. The apocalypse and how it is visualised – and more importantly, by whom – is an ongoing theme of the summer programme that will be brought to a head through the debate titled The Invisible End: Artists and the Apocalypse on August 24.

"Maybe the artist is not the one to visualise the apocalypse for us any more, but the scientist instead. The scientist is perhaps more adept at depicting the conditions of this new apocalypse than the artist." And though he will not be taking a stance in this debate, Jones will be the one to unite thinkers, artists and futurologists and get them to hash out their positions.

Alongside Jones's opening presentation, Foretold Now launched with a reveal of the season's reading group book: the 1972 novel Roadside Picnic by Russian brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which will be explored in several sessions throughout the ­summer. Jones showed excerpts of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 film Stalker, which was inspired by Roadside Picnic, and Cinema Akil will wrap up the season by showing the film in its entirety on ­September 7.

So, what did Jones think of the initial reactions from last Saturday’s audience? “This is all quite dark,” he says. . “And that’s fine – these are dark subjects we’re discussing. I don’t want to replicate the conversations that others are having around the future, which are really interesting and not to dismiss them, but I want to look at this idea of prediction and get people to question the act of predicting and why are we so caught up with it. These are, after all, only explorations.”

Foretold Now is on Saturdays at 4pm until September 14. All events are free and open to the public, but registering at
rsvp@alserkalavenue.ae
is essential as spaces are limited

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Asia Cup Qualifier

Final
UAE v Hong Kong

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder

Power: 70bhp

Torque: 66Nm

Transmission: four-speed manual

Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000

On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970

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ODI FIXTURE SCHEDULE

First ODI, October 22
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Second ODI, October 25
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Third ODI, October 29
Venue TBC

While you're here
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Stree

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5

RESULT

Manchester City 5 Swansea City 0
Man City:
D Silva (12'), Sterling (16'), De Bruyne (54' ), B Silva (64' minutes), Jesus (88')

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

The specs

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Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Buy farm-fresh food

The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.

In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others. 

In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food. 

In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra. 

The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

SPECS
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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs

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Power: 254hp

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Price: From Dh126,000

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LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW

Stoke City v Tottenham

Brentford v Newcastle United

Arsenal v Manchester City

Everton v Manchester United

All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.

The specs

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder

Power: 220 and 280 horsepower

Torque: 350 and 360Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT 

On sale: now

Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books 

Mia Man’s tips for fermentation

- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 

A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro
Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books 

When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi

  

 

 

 

Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.