We don’t give Satwa nearly enough love. So tomorrow, 10 UAE-based artists will present their take on Dubai’s coolest neighbourhood through an exhibition to celebrate the city’s art and culture scene. Supported by beverage company Tiger, Project Satwa is an urban art project that brings together street artists, musicians and photographers, all contributing their interpretation of what the historic neighbourhood means to them. Think music, videos and photography incorporating the sights and sounds of Satwa and art inspired by the hood. The exhibition, and a documentary film on how it all came together, will be launched at the J+A Gallery in Al Quoz, Dubai tomorrow.
Dubai-based singer-songwriter Tim Hassall is one of the creatives taking part in the first ever Tiger Co-Lab. Soundbites spoke to him about the project, how he got involved and what Satwa means to him.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your project for Tiger Co-Lab
A: I was involved in performing and singing in various locations around Satwa. I performed an original song titled ‘Wandering Really Takes Its Toll On You’, that presents the effects of a life lived constantly in motion.
Q: What surprised you most about performing in Satwa?
A: How easy it was to quickly drum up an audience of 20 or 30 people just by getting out the guitar and singing a song.
Q: From working on Project Satwa, what did you learn about the neighbourhood or Dubai that you didn’t know before?
A: I’ve lived in Dubai since 2000 so I wouldn’t say that I learned a great deal, however seeing people dry their clothes on palm trees in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa, always brings the stark contrast of the vast scope of standards of living into perspective.
Q: How did your work fuse with the rest of the other artists featured in Co-Lab?
A: I was involved by wearing clothes designed especially by collaborators for the project and by creating unique reactions/moments to unveil the personality of the normal people who work and live in Satwa which photographer Grace Guino captured.
Q: What do you hope people will take away from Project Satwa?
A: I hope that people will see the bustling life in Satwa; the smiles, the characters, the eagerness of people who live and work there to make the most of life. I also hope people will see evidence of artists engaging directly with society.
Q: What else is keeping you busy these days?
I am about to release the first single ‘Travelling Song’ from my new record ‘Gallatin’. It will be available online and stores from the July 1.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I will be performing at The Secret Garden Party music festival in the UK in July and Fetes de Geneve in Switzerland before decamping in Devon in the UK for a song-writing workshop with Ray Davies from The Kinks.
Don’t miss it:
Tiger Co-Lab’s Project Satwa will officially launch at the J+A Gallery in Al Quoz, Dubai, tomorrow from 7pm. Entry is free. The documentary will air through the project’s Facebook page facebook.com/tigercolab and on YouTube. For more on Tim Hassall, go to timhassall.com
