The success of YouTube has completely democratised video entertainment. Media companies no longer decide what we ought to be watching; we can decide, and if what we want isn't being made, we can simply make it ourselves.
In the 14 years since the video-sharing site launched, it has seen the rise of genres that would never have been commissioned by television companies, and whose appeal has been completely unexpected. Gamers showing off their skills on PS4, ridiculously detailed food reviews, ranting conspiracy theories and gently whispered lullabies have all hit the big time, but in the past few months, a new trend has emerged that features no big personalities, big reveals or shock tactics. It's simply people taking objects afflicted with rust, dust and grime and carefully restoring them.
The rise of restoration
Since last summer, the top five restoration channels have accumulated more than one billion views between them, and their popularity has inspired many others to start a hobby that's wholesome, calming and good for the planet. "Ever since I was young I've always wanted to take things apart and see how they work," says Steve Ablitt, creator of the Restore It channel. "I remember my mother would always tell me to stop, saying leave it alone, that I'd ruin it. But I've always been drawn to hands-on stuff."
Ablitt's videos, and indeed those of the whole genre, follow a very similar pattern: they begin with shots of the decaying object from every angle, whether it's a vintage table fan, a water-damaged clock, a broken drill or a rusty corn milling machine. It's carefully taken to bits, with every nut and bolt laid out for inspection. Then each piece is cleaned, polished – or, as a very last resort, replaced. It's then painted, reassembled and demonstrated to be working perfectly. And audiences have gone mad for it, subscribing in their millions. "All of these videos are beautiful works of mechanical art," says one enthusiast. "It inspires me to have a go."
Copycat channels are emerging all the time. “So many people are doing their own restorations, now,” says the anonymous creator of the TysyTube channel, who we’ll simply call Tysy. “It’s growing so fast.”
I'm completely self-taught from the internet. I've learnt by trial and error and there's been a lot of editing.
Neither Ablitt nor Tysy have any special training. They're just enthusiastic amateurs with a perfectionist streak. "I'm completely self-taught from the internet," says Ablitt. "I've learnt by trial and error and there's been a lot of editing. I cut out a lot of the mistakes and the misery, because they're not enjoyable to watch."
The deeply satisfying transformation of a lump of rust into a beautiful vintage object offers a persuasive reminder that things can be repaired and regenerated, and all it requires is some hard work. "I spend at least a week on each of them, if not two or three," says Ablitt.
The appeal of watching something being restored
The genre shines a spotlight on the wastefulness of modern economies, where throwing broken things away is second nature. It also has parallels with the global rise of Repair Cafes, where teams of volunteers battle disposable culture by helping visitors to repair broken items. In today's cookie-cutter world of manufacturing, the objects restored by these channels feel quirky, elegant and unique – and many of the results are achieved very cheaply. "You need a few tools, but my last project cost me maybe €30 (Dh124)? It's really not that much," says Tysy.
The appeal of these videos isn't just down to their ecological credentials. An unattractive, unused and unloved object gaining a new lease of life (as Tysy's channel slogan says, "Make something new from something old") is a compelling and delightful narrative. It has some similarities to the genre of so-called autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR videos, where the viewer's desire for calming, unthreatening entertainment is catered for with slow-paced make-up tutorials, towel-folding, shirt-ironing and gentle words of reassurance. "Someone told me recently that they'd watched my video of restoring a wiring loom in a car and that they'd found themselves in a sort of a tranquil state," says Albitt.
An anonymous nature
The anonymity of the genre contributes to its restful nature. Unusually for YouTube, very few (if any) words are spoken, and very few (if any) faces are seen. Just shots of hands doing the work, and the occasional caption where necessary. “I love to watch work being done without a personality fronting it and without any opinions being expressed,” says Ablitt. “Then I don’t have to think whether I like that person or not.”
Indeed, the restorers' shunning of the limelight is charming in itself. "It might be because we're afraid to speak to the camera," says Tysy. "I certainly don't like it. I could show my face, but then maybe people wouldn't want to watch."
It might be because we're afraid to speak to the camera," says Tysy. "I certainly don't like it. I could show my face, but then maybe people wouldn't want to watch.
YouTube viewers are known for their blunt criticism, and while the restorers' anonymity curbs some of the rudeness in the comments section, it's impossible to become a YouTube sensation and to completely escape grievances. Viewers complain that these antique pieces are being deprived of their age, that they should be allowed to decay gracefully – and, more commonly, that restorations are being done "wrong" and aren't sufficiently authentic. "I was upset by those comments at the start," says Tysy. "But if you pay attention to the bad ones, you'll just end up stopping doing something you enjoy."
These works of "mechanical art" are piling up in sheds all over the world. Between TysyTube, Restore It and other leading channels – Gear Show, My Mechanics, Hand Tool Rescue and Really Random Channel – more than 100 objects have been restored in the past six months and the thousands of hours of work has prompted a close attachment with their creators. "Each of the pieces has their own story," says Albitt. "I spend so long on them that it's hard to get rid of them."
Tysy feels similarly. "For now, I keep all the objects, but I'm running out of space. Maybe I'll sell them on eBay one day, but I don't know if people would want to buy them?"
If viewers and subscriber numbers are anything to go by, there’d be no shortage of enthusiastic bidders wanting to secure a memento of their favourite video.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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%3Cp%3ESixteen%20boys%20and%2015%20girls%20have%20gone%20on%20from%20Go-Pro%20Academy%20in%20Dubai%20to%20either%20professional%20contracts%20abroad%20or%20scholarships%20in%20the%20United%20States.%20Here%20are%20two%20of%20the%20most%20prominent.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeorgia%20Gibson%20(Newcastle%20United)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20reason%20the%20academy%20in%20Dubai%20first%20set%20up%20a%20girls%E2%80%99%20programme%20was%20to%20help%20Gibson%20reach%20her%20potential.%20Now%20she%20plays%20professionally%20for%20Newcastle%20United%20in%20the%20UK.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMackenzie%20Hunt%20(Everton)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAttended%20DESS%20in%20Dubai%2C%20before%20heading%20to%20the%20UK%20to%20join%20Everton%20full%20time%20as%20a%20teenager.%20He%20was%20on%20the%20bench%20for%20the%20first%20team%20as%20recently%20as%20their%20fixture%20against%20Brighton%20on%20February%2024.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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.”
