ABU DHABI // “Calligraffiti” was just one of the surprising art forms on display at the Art for All community week in Khalifa Park last night.
Thousands of residents, mostly families, gathered to take part in art workshops, activities and interact with local and international artists.
The Art for All week is a series of evening events aimed to unite the community through a celebration of the arts. It is being organised by the Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation.
“I appreciate that Abu Dhabi is introducing art to the public and promoting the right talent,” said Karim Jabbari, 34, a Montreal-based calligraphy-graffiti artist who arrived in capital for the event. “It’s a great effort on their part and I am glad to be part of it.”
The crowd watched as he taught a group of enthusiasts the technique of mixing calligraphy and graffiti.
“My mission is to bring Arabic calligraphy to the younger generation by using a technique of urban art – graffiti – and calligraphy,” said Mr Jabbari.
At the Art for All event, many explored the art of “Calligraffiti” and created a piece together with Mr Jabbari.
“I just wanted to try it out,” said Abeesha Jamal, 13, an eighth-grade pupil. “My friends know me for my art and it’s so nice to be here.”
Art for All also features an activity corner for children where they enjoy interactive workshops that allow them to express their creativity, including learning about the art of sand animation. It is the process of adding or removing sand from a glass table lit from below. Students from Cartoon Network Animation Academy used this technique to produce a short video animation.
Residents also had a chance to vote for the art pieces that will be displayed at the Art for All community Pavilion at Abu Dhabi Art. Forty-five entries by university students and Creative Lab participants will be exhibited in the park all week for the public to vote for their favourite.
The winning works will be displayed at the Art for All Community Pavilion at Abu Dhabi Art on November 7-10 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Hessa Al Hameli, the programme manager for art, culture and heritage at the Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, said it was important to encourage art through community events.
“This is for the community and we want them to feel welcome. Art for All is for them,” she said.
Art for All will run until October 23. For more information, click here.
rruiz@thenational.ae
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
