Dubai: The creative talents who participated in the Al Quoz Accelerators workshop praised it as an incubator for innovation and enabler for the country’s creative industry.
Launched by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in cooperation with its partners at Alserkal Avenue, the workshop also affirmed Al Quoz Creative Zone development project’s role in empowering the creative industry.
Mohammed Saeed Hareb, who participated in the workshop, said: “The workshop produced important outputs to address the challenges that the creative community experiences in Al Quoz, including the provision for business licences, identifying the type of rental contracts and zoning among others. Frameworks that are put in place to facilitate these matters will have a ripple effect that will positively affect other sectors.”
Boost for local arts
Hind Bin Demaithan, owner of Hamzat Wasl studio, also expressed her optimism with the establishment of Al Quoz Creative Zone. She said: “The focal point that the project can provide is in producing the materials in Dubai instead of shipping them from outside the country. We have the infrastructure that would enable us to manufacture these items at a cost equal to their manufacture in other countries, thereby enabling creative minds to produce and create more as well as motivate them with the support from the government entities.”
A historical step
Vilma Jurkute, executive director of Alserkal, added: “With Dubai forming a key pillar for arts infrastructure and the creative economy in the region through the contribution of homegrown initiatives, such as Alserkal, it is only natural that we will steer towards contemporary policy-making processes. Formulating an enhanced plan for Al Quoz that places community, expertise and knowledge at its core is a landmark attempt by the government to solidify Dubai’s role as a conduit for disruptive innovation in the creative industries.”
Will and determination
Butheina Kazim, co-founder of Cinema Akil, noted: “Dubai Culture’s efforts to build an integrated infrastructure and comprehensive system to serve the creative industries, as well as bring about real change by transforming the challenges and obstacles that creative people face into strengths, are truly exceptional and require long-term work. These efforts reflect Dubai Culture’s will and determination to form a realistic view of the aspirations of the creative community and work to fulfil them, which, in my opinion, will ensure the desired transformation that we all aspire to.”
Success for everyone
Dariush Zandi, who has lived in Dubai for more than 40 years, commented: “This workshop is a very important step, especially as it gave us the opportunity to express our stories and the challenges that lay ahead. My ambition was to find a space for work, living and entertainment, and this project strives to make it happen. For me, the most important result of this project is the success of the emirate, which is ultimately a success for us as well.”
Implementation
Tala Badri added that the workshop has resulted in a road map for Al Quoz Creative Zone over the next five years. “The components of the 100-day plan and timeframes for its implementation were defined and the dates were set for future meetings with committee members and project-based working groups, as well as developing a mechanism for exchanging information on developments.”
