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The UK has a 170-year Expo heritage but its pavilion in Dubai promises to write a new chapter in history and is the nation’s first designed by a woman.
Creativity and poetry are at the heart of the building’s concept by British designer Es Devlin, which resembles a giant horn.
Visitors can view poems lit up in LEDs on an enormous facade every minute of the day.
Everyone is invited, and that is the Britain that I knew growing up, so there is common ground
Es Devlin,
UK Pavilion designer
“Being the first woman to design a pavilion, I felt the extra weight of responsibility on my shoulders,” said Ms Devlin, 50.
“It is difficult to express your country inside a building or sculpture.
“Someone told me when I was growing up there is no such thing as society, just the individual. The opposite is true today and we are all collectives."
Everyone who steps into the building will become part of its creation, Ms Devlin said. The pavilion’s design has been five years in the making, with work commencing in October 2019.
Visitors to donate words
In a concept inspired by scientist Stephen Hawking, visitors to the UK pavilion will be invited to donate a word they feel describes humanity or life on Earth.
Advanced AI technology will use these words to generate poetic couplets that will combine to create a collective message. Ms Devlin has been working with AI experts in California for five years, to develop and train an algorithm to develop poetry.
The first word ‘dignity' has been entered by Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo 2020.
More than 100 British poets have already contributed some 15,000 poems to the project.
“The horn is like a call to action, and invites everyone to gather within it," said Ms Devlin.
“The words of visitors will become part of a collective poem.”
The cone-shaped 20-metre pavilion has rows of protruding slats that extend outward to form the circular facade.
“As you enter visitors will hear a soundscape from voices from all across the UK, including choirs from Norwich and Bradford, and sea shanties from the coast," said Ms Devlin.
“Everyone is invited, and that is the Britain that I knew growing up, so there is common ground.”
Another theme of the UK pavilion is innovating for a shared future, connecting man, mind and machines.
The visitor journey will include a maze of aspiration, a choral space, a facade for displays and a restaurant and bar called 1851, named in recognition of London’s first Expo event.
A UK business programme from October 22 will take a look into the future by exploring everything from fashion, food, how we will live and learn and what we will create in the years to come.
The future of travel is another key topic in a week of events from November 9.
Speakers lined up over the coming months include former politician Dr Tristram Hunt, now director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, actor Robert Llewellyn, winner of the 2018 Global Teacher Prize Andria Zafirakou and president of AstraZeneca UK Tom Keith-Roach.
A number of state visits are also planned with leading politicians and ministers over the course of the next six months.
The Red Arrows aerobatic display team will represent the UK at Expo 2020 Dubai with a spectacular 20-minute display and fly-past to celebrate the first week of the event at 4pm on October 8.
The UK’s national day will be celebrated with a special show on February 10.
“Expo is an amazing concept of the world in one place,” said commissioner general of the UK pavilion Laura Faulkner.
“We are reimagining relationships with the rest of the world in new trade agreements and partnerships with businesses and in education.
“It will be like staging a Davos every day and a Glastonbury every night.
“We hope the ripples started at Expo will be felt for many years to come.”
Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team the Red Arrows - in pictures
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
