Dubai Litfest first week celebrates culture, arts
Prospective visitors can explore the programme, register for free events and book tickets via the dedicated Jameel Arts Centre Festival page
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature will begin on Jan.29 with a specially curated collection of literary themed events, many with an art and design influence, at Jameel Arts Centre, Al Jaddaf, Dubai.
The programme features a host of live appearances, performances, tours, workshops, exhibitions and children’s activities, with many sessions free to atend. The events mark the first of three weekends.
Jameel Arts Centre will be kicking off the festival with a programme that includes emerging and established authors, poets and designers, with sessions in Arabic and English against the backdrop of Jameel Arts Centre’s sculpture park. Outdoor talks and panel discussions will be free, with online booking to reserve a space. Fees apply for workshops, which must be booked in advance at emirateslifest.com. Prospective visitors can explore the programme, register for free events and book tickets via the dedicated Jameel Arts Centre Festival page.
The schedule includes Walking Talks by curator Shumon Basar through his co-curated mega-exhibition ‘Age of You’, and librarian and collector David Hirsch, who will lead a discussion through the Library Circles display of Arabic comic books, graphic novels and manga practices dating from 1956 to the present day. Curator-led tours of the Jameel Arts Centre will take place in Arabic and English throughout the weekend.
Taking to the amphitheatre stage will be the 2020 Booker-nominated novelist Avni Doshi, giving an insight into her influences and the extraordinary success of her debut novel, ‘Burnt Sugar’. Following her success with ‘The Baghdad Clock’, Shahad Alrawi is back with a new book, ‘Over the Republic Bridge’, a story of true love over three generations in Baghdad, exploring topics of hope, nostalgia, love and friendship.
Also at Jameel Arts Centre will be the ingenious and avant-garde Irma Boom, talking about her life and work, sharing the stage with the founder of Fikra Design Studio, Salem Al Qassimi. Described as ‘The Queen of Books’, Boom’s bold experimental approach in creating over 300 books resulted in her becoming the youngest recipient of the Gutenberg Prize, with a selection of her books held in the permanent collection of MOMA in New York. Irma will also be giving a not-to-be missed workshop, demonstrating her architectural approach to the art of book design.
Children’s workshops will include a fun-filled session for those aged 6-8 with Emirati author and illustrator Maitha Al Khayat, and an art and mindfulness workshop with Stephanie Robert and Jojo Chappell.
Wordplay and art will be juggled in the workshop by poet Danabelle Gutierrez, who will show how to create a poem based on an artwork on display at Jameel Arts Centre. Danabelle will also combine conversation with performance in a lively evening session. Artist and writer Simar Halwany will share the story of silent books and their rise to popularity, as she shows workshop participants how to develop their own books using multiple illustrative techniques.
Writers needing a kickstart to get their ideas on to the page, or who are half-way through their novel but have run out of steam, will benefit from Annabel Kantaria’s ‘Novel-writing Trouble
Shooter Workshop’ looking at how to fix common blocks in structure, pacing, plot and character. There is also influencer and stylist, Hafsa Lodi, author of ‘Modesty: A Fashion Paradox’, who will lead a masterclass to show how to take ideas and build a digital space that will keep readers coming back for more.
Multi-disciplinary designer and Arabic calligraphy artist Hussein Alazaat, the host of ‘The Beautiful Books Trove’, will be in conversation with Camil Karam of Yahala Studio Archive, tracing the history of 1970s progressive Arabic children’s publishing through the legacy of the combined artists, designers and writers, including the UAE’S ‘Majed’ magazine.
To accompany the discussion, a selection of rare comics from the archives will be on display at Jameel Library from Jan.28-31. Fans of the arform can also join Hussein Alazaat in his interactive workshop showing how to design Arabic book covers, with final designs on display for the duration of the Festival at Jameel Arts Centre.