This summer Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s most vibrant arts and culture neighbourhood, has added an interesting new element to its in-house programming, called Nadi Al Quoz. The Arabic word “nadi” refers to a club in which members of a community can come together over shared interests; and that is just what Nadi Al Quoz is about. Located at Warehouse 90 in Alserkal Avenue, it is a pop-up social club that is open to all, and will host a variety of free creative workshops and community activities, ranging from yoga sessions, ikebana classes and critical reading and discussion groups to salon-style talks and hands-on workshops led by Dubai-based artists and creative entrepreneurs.
Furnished with bean bags, hammocks, work benches, swing chairs and even a swing bed, the clubhouse is designed to be a cosy retreat where people can work in a relaxed atmosphere, unwind with friends, hold business or social meetings, make new friends, connect with the city’s creative community and explore their own creativity. Visitors can also enjoy an array of organic, healthy, vegan dishes and beverages concocted by Wild & The Moon, the recently opened food outlet in Alserkal Avenue, which is based on the belief that food should be good for you, good for the planet and above all, delicious.
Visitors can enjoy organic, healthy, vegan dishes and beverages by Wild & The Moon. Jandri Angelo Aguilor
Nadi Al Quoz was launched on July 17, and will be open daily from 10am to 7pm until October 29. During these 14 weeks, it will host a programme that has been co-ordinated by Raja’a Baig, and is inspired by the themes of work and play. Contributors include Architecture + Other Things, Meitha Al Mazrooei, Saira Ansari, Layan Attari, Shannon Ayers Holden, OE-O Studio, Harue Oki, Saba Qizilbash, Uzma Z. Rizvi, Karim Sultan, Amirah Tajdin, Wafa Tajdin, Deepak Unnikrishnan, Lantian Xie and Urban Yoga.
Alserkal Avenue is the brainchild of Emirati entrepreneur and art lover Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal. Since 2008, when the first few art galleries moved in, it has gradually and organically transformed from a complex of industrial warehouses into a vibrant art hub housing a growing number of contemporary art galleries, alternative art spaces and design, media and industrial studios. In 2015, the original 250,000-square foot complex was doubled in size after an ambitious Dh50 million expansion project, leading to the opening of many new creative spaces, including local and international art galleries, design stores, fashion outlets, artists’ studios, private museums, creative food companies, musical event companies, community art spaces, indoor and outdoor project and performance spaces, an independent cinema, and the city’s first black box theatre.
The club's cosy design allows people to work in a relaxed atmosphere. Jandri Angelo Aguilor
Alserkal Avenue also launched its own homegrown programme in 2015 with the aim of encouraging new ideas, open dialogue and a more diverse and rich ecosystem for art in the region. The programme includes site specific artists’ commissions, film screenings, talks, musical performances, a radio project, an urban market, artists’ residencies and various other events. As the latest addition to this programme, Nadi Al Quoz offers a great reason for Dubai residents to visit Dubai’s largest cultural quarter and to engage with the dynamic cultural scene in Al Quoz.
Nadi Al Quoz programme details
Yoga sessions:
Yoga studio Urban Yoga will conduct a free class for all levels every Friday from 4.30pm to 5.30pm until October 28. Yoga mats and water will be provided.
Introduction to Ikebana:
Dubai-based ikebana master Harue Oki will teach the basics of the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Focusing on the use of empty space and symmetrical lines, she will take beginners through foundational ikebana techniques in an intensive workshop (the first module was held on July 19) on Tuesday, July 26, from 7pm to 9pm. The workshop is for ages 16 and above, and limited to 10 participants.
Mall Crawl — On-location Drawing:
This seven-part, on-location drawing workshop conducted by designer and photographer Layan Attari, takes budding artists to a new mall every week to exercise and refine skills in gestural, architectural, figurative and perspectival drawing. Participants can look forward to venturing off the beaten path, to visit lesser-known malls in Dubai, and focus attention on their idiosyncratic architectural details. The workshop is open to ages 16 and above, and will be held every Saturday up to September 3, from 10am to 1pm. Transportation between Alserkal Avenue and the malls will be provided.
WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK — A Reading Group:
Artist Lantian Xie will lead this four-part reading group about capital, production and alienation. The sessions will be seminar-style, with emphasis on conversation and discussion. Readings span pop music, surrealist film, macroeconomic theory and video games. The sessions will take place every Saturday from August 6 to August 27, from 3pm to 5pm.
Life Drawing:
Artist Saba Qizilbash will lead this intensive two-part figure drawing workshop. Classes take place at Warehouse 90 with a live model, and focus on understanding the main components that make up figurative drawing — proportion, light, tone and shape. All materials will be provided. The classes are open to ages 16 and above, and will be held on August 23 and August 30, 9pm onwards.
Panic of the Audible:
Hosted by curator and music producer Karim Sultan, this month-long programme seeks to overcome anxieties in talking about sound and music by asking, “What are you listening to?” Taking on the form of a panel discussion, these self-styled listening sessions will invite locally based speakers and put their playlists at the forefront, allowing their personal listening material to act as a point of departure for larger conversations on art, biography, society and possibly even music. Sessions will take place every Tuesday, from 7pm to 8.30pm between September 7 and September 27.
Talks:
Starting September 3, Nadi Al Quoz will also host a series of talks every Saturday from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Artists, architects, writers, musicians, anthropologists, curators, filmmakers and other cultural producers have been invited to speak about their recent projects, ongoing research and current pursuits. Each talk will be followed by a Q&A with the audience and a broader discussion about creating things in the UAE.
Purpose and Product:
Dubai-based OE-O Studio, known for their minimalist product and fashion design practice, will lead this two-day prototyping design workshop. Focus will be on the reflection of self in products and finding joy in work. The workshop is open to ages 18 and above and limited to 10 participants.
Center for Architecture Discourse:
Led by architect and independent publisher Meitha Al Mazrooei, the Center for Architecture Discourse is a two-part talk and research presentation that looks to develop a critical and discursive rhetoric around architectural theory and praxis in the region. The presentation will take place on October 4 and October 25 at 9pm.
Nadi Al Quoz will be open daily from 10am to 7pm until October 29. All the workshops and events are free and open to all, and all materials will be provided.
Prior registration is required for all events. To register, write to nadi.al.quoz@gmail.com
For more information about the workshops and the artists and organisations conducting them, visit www.alserkalavenue.ae, or use the following hashtags and handles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: #AlserkalAvenue, @AlserkalAvenue.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts-enthusiast based in Dubai.
