Welcome to the latest edition of The Arts Edit, the weekly newsletter from The National's Abu Dhabi newsroom rounding up this week's most noteworthy arts and culture stories.
IN FOCUS
In the immediate aftermath of October 7, 2023, following Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad proved vital for millions worldwide. For weeks, she revealed to the world what was really happening on the ground in Gaza – putting a human face on unimaginable horrors.
But the words she wrote in her diary when she put down the camera each night are quietly more devastating.
The Eyes of Gaza, now available across the Middle East and being released in the US in September, is not only an essential historical document, but also the debut of a talented voice from the Arab literary world.
“I was always thinking that my first book would be poetry or a novel. Something with positive vibes,” Alaqad told me when we sat down together in Dubai.
“I never envisioned that my first book would be about genocide – a real genocide that I actually lived and covered. But unfortunately, that's the reality we live in Gaza.”
In the 18 months since she and her family were forced to flee their home, Alaqad has used her massive social platform, which grew from 4,000 to 4.2 million, to continue to raise awareness on the daily tragedies, refusing to make long-term plans when her heart remains in Gaza.
She has hit pause on her master’s studies, turned down full-time jobs and refuses to commit to long-term projects. “How can I plan anything when I don’t know when the genocide will stop,” she asks.
Alaqad holds on to one guiding hope – that when the violence ends, her real work will begin.
“I want to go back to report on the rebuilding of Gaza, and that’s holding me back from doing a lot of things. In the back of my brain, I’m like: ‘Maybe in two days, maybe in one week, the genocide will be over.’ So I can’t commit to this or that, or sign a contract, because I need to be able to go back the moment it’s possible.”
But The Eyes of Gaza wasn't written to raise awareness now. In her mind, it exists for the next generation of Palestinian children, who will hopefully discover her words in a peaceful era in which they can no longer relate to what she and her people have endured.
Find more from our conversation here.
In recent weeks, more prominent cultural figures have raised their voices for Gaza. As English-Irish actor Steve Coogan pointed out, earlier in the war, many felt they could not speak out for fear of persecution. In 2023, some actors who supported the Palestinian cause, such as Scream star Melissa Barrera, were dropped from projects after calling Israel's actions a “genocide”.
But now, the public pressure to acknowledge the goings-on in Gaza – and often to use the word genocide – has moved far enough that those who had held back their feelings can now speak out.
Major cultural events across the world, too, have become an essential outpost for activism. At Spain’s Primavera Sound at the weekend, Irish band Fontaines DC and UK group Idles voiced support for Palestinians.
During their set on Saturday, Fontaines DC performed beneath a “Free Palestine” banner and a projected message that read “Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice”.
And while Greta Thunberg and her fellow activists who set sail on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, supported by cultural figures such as Liam Cunningham, were intercepted by Israel before they reached Gaza, they put the eyes of the world firmly upon the injustice once more.
As those voices grow into a chorus that echoes louder and louder across the world, they become impossible to silence.
How AI is rebuilding Armenia’s lost architecture for the future
At the Armenian Pavilion at this year's Venice Biennale of Architecture, lost artefacts have been reimagined using AI as an act of cultural preservation, writes The National's Razmig Bedirian.
The pavilion is being led by Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, in collaboration with the Tumo Centre for Creative Technologies and Electric Architects. It was developed with the support of Calfa, MoNumEd and US artist Ari Melenciano.
“We wanted to see whether we can use technology to emulate the act of remembering,” says Marianna Karapetyan, the pavilion’s curator and chief executive of Electric Architects. “If there were an option of downloading the distorted image of a memory and printing it, then maybe it will look something like this. Because you won’t be able to remember it in detail.”
The exhibition takes over a sprawling warehouse space with a series of small-scale structures: arches, columns, capitals (the top section of columns) and fragments. Each is carved from tuff, the volcanic rock central to Armenian culture and architecture and used in its ancient monuments and modern buildings.
At first glance, they could be mistaken for genuine artefacts. But a closer look reveals something uncanny: engravings are ill-defined, crosses twist out of form, the Armenian etchings are incomprehensible, and there are plenty of motifs and designs where they shouldn’t be.
Find more here.
Abu Dhabi Festival highlights Emirati music talent in London
Emirati musicians and composers took centre stage at a recital held at Kensington Palace in London. Organised by Abu Dhabi Festival in partnership with the UK non-profit Peace and Prosperity Trust, the invitation-only performance on Friday was held in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The evening featured soprano Fatima Al Hashmi and baritone Ahmed Al Hosani, and marked the culmination of a three-week residency in London, where both artists trained under Welsh tenor Dennis O’Neill.
The London concert is part of Abu Dhabi Festival’s international programme, which this year included the March premiere of its co-commission of Claude Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande at Paris Opera and a December concert by the UN Chamber Music Society at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
All these international initiatives serve a wider purpose, says Abu Dhabi Festival artistic director Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, from advancing the UAE’s cultural diplomacy to supporting Emiratis in the creative industries through talent development and technical training.
Find more here.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
· Mamma Mia! at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi – June 11 to 22
· Jesse Cook at Zabeel Theatre, Dubai and the Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi – June 13 and 14
· Pete Davidson at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi – June 25
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
